The first record of AUScA dates back to the June 1891, only 17 years after the founding of the University of Adelaide itself. In a letter to the Registrar of the University, 14 students requested the usage of University facilities to form themselves into a "scientific club".
Our Story
Original AUScA Logo
The Adelaide University Sciences Association (AUScA) is the oldest non-sporting club at the University of Adelaide. Throughout the years and through its many guises, AUScA has influenced many science graduates from the University of Adelaide. However, despite its length, the history of AUScA is a patchy one, due the fact that many records have been lost over the years, or simply were never filed due to the secretary of the time preferring to finish an assignment (or go partying) rather than record the minutes.
The first record of AUScA dates to the 25th of June 1891, only 17 years after the founding of the University of Adelaide itself. In a letter to the Registrar of the University, 14 students requested the usage of University facilities to form themselves into a "scientific club"
The first record of AUScA dates to the 25th of June 1891, only 17 years after the founding of the University of Adelaide itself. In a letter to the Registrar of the University, 14 students requested the usage of University facilities to form themselves into a "scientific club"
The object of the club will be to promote, by means of periodic meetings, field excursions and visits to various institutions, a more lively enthusiasm for scientific work amongst its members, and especially for that part of it which relates to our own country - Letter to the Registrar, 1891
Current AUScA Logo, made during the club's revival in 2013
- design by Jason Oliver & Tuong Cao
Meetings were initially held on Thursday evenings in the Music Lecture Theatre. The students called themselves the "Adelaide University Scientific Society". Back then, the membership fee was five shillings per year and was lead jointly by a President and a Chairperson.
The Scientific Society was a mainstay throughout the early 20th century resulting in a booming social scene on campus. By 1946, it had reformed into the Adelaide University Science Association, and published a semi-regular magazine called the Journal of the Adelaide University Science Association. Membership had grown to 150 students, which was half of the science students at the time. There was an annual Fresher's (first years) welcome, of which the highlight was exhibition boxing matches between blindfolded freshers. Highlights of these years included sports matches against other faculties, including croquet matches between AUScA and the engineers. This time was also the dawn of the famous Hardy's Wine Tours to McLaren Vale.
By the 1970s and 1980s, the main event for AUScA was the annual O'Camp. The event was a mainstay for several decades, and most new science students got together for a wild weekend that quickly got a little bit of a raunchy reputation. Positions as camp leaders were coveted, with a rigorous application process, and many students attending the camp as a first year one year, and a leader the next. Also popular was their annual book exchange, which, in the days before e-Bay, Amazon and Gum Tree was an absolute must for new textbooks. The centenary of AUScA was held in 1991 with a gala dinner at the Adelaide Festival Centre
As the 20th century came to a close, AUScA started to fall into decline. A controversial pub crawl and an unresponsive committee resulted in the take-over of AUScA by the then-physics club, SPACED. Initially known as the Society for Physics, Astronomy and Experimental Devices, the merger left the club know as the Scientific People's Association Containing Every Discipline.
With an unconventional name, SPACED too fell into decline. By 2012, it was inactive and was waiting to be taken over by the Clubs Association. However, in 2013, many students were disappointed at the lack of science culture on campus, especially compared to the likes of the engineering or law societies. A meeting of around 30 keen individuals banded together to reinvigorate AUScA. The club changed its name, back to the University Sciences Association (noting the extra "s") and introduced a new, updated logo. The restart was an immediate success. Barely weeks after the first new committee was elected, the Beeronium Pub Crawl attracted over 170 attendees. AUScA continued to grow in 2014 as the committee reintroduced several annual events, including quiz nights and movie nights. This culminated in the Cell-fie Pub Crawl attracting nearly 350 students.
Today, AUScA is continuing to grow and organise popular events to cater for science students from every discipline in the Faculty of Sciences. Everything is student-run, and the Committee continually volunteers their time to organise events. Our barbecues, Science balls, pub-crawls, networking events and National Science Week events are well attended and provide students with the opportunity to relax on campus in a friendly environment that is more than just studying.
Are you a former member of AUScA? Do you have information about the History of AUScA, or other documents relating to AUScA between 1891 and 2012? If so, please email [email protected], because we would love to hear more about what it used to be like.
The Scientific Society was a mainstay throughout the early 20th century resulting in a booming social scene on campus. By 1946, it had reformed into the Adelaide University Science Association, and published a semi-regular magazine called the Journal of the Adelaide University Science Association. Membership had grown to 150 students, which was half of the science students at the time. There was an annual Fresher's (first years) welcome, of which the highlight was exhibition boxing matches between blindfolded freshers. Highlights of these years included sports matches against other faculties, including croquet matches between AUScA and the engineers. This time was also the dawn of the famous Hardy's Wine Tours to McLaren Vale.
By the 1970s and 1980s, the main event for AUScA was the annual O'Camp. The event was a mainstay for several decades, and most new science students got together for a wild weekend that quickly got a little bit of a raunchy reputation. Positions as camp leaders were coveted, with a rigorous application process, and many students attending the camp as a first year one year, and a leader the next. Also popular was their annual book exchange, which, in the days before e-Bay, Amazon and Gum Tree was an absolute must for new textbooks. The centenary of AUScA was held in 1991 with a gala dinner at the Adelaide Festival Centre
As the 20th century came to a close, AUScA started to fall into decline. A controversial pub crawl and an unresponsive committee resulted in the take-over of AUScA by the then-physics club, SPACED. Initially known as the Society for Physics, Astronomy and Experimental Devices, the merger left the club know as the Scientific People's Association Containing Every Discipline.
With an unconventional name, SPACED too fell into decline. By 2012, it was inactive and was waiting to be taken over by the Clubs Association. However, in 2013, many students were disappointed at the lack of science culture on campus, especially compared to the likes of the engineering or law societies. A meeting of around 30 keen individuals banded together to reinvigorate AUScA. The club changed its name, back to the University Sciences Association (noting the extra "s") and introduced a new, updated logo. The restart was an immediate success. Barely weeks after the first new committee was elected, the Beeronium Pub Crawl attracted over 170 attendees. AUScA continued to grow in 2014 as the committee reintroduced several annual events, including quiz nights and movie nights. This culminated in the Cell-fie Pub Crawl attracting nearly 350 students.
Today, AUScA is continuing to grow and organise popular events to cater for science students from every discipline in the Faculty of Sciences. Everything is student-run, and the Committee continually volunteers their time to organise events. Our barbecues, Science balls, pub-crawls, networking events and National Science Week events are well attended and provide students with the opportunity to relax on campus in a friendly environment that is more than just studying.
Are you a former member of AUScA? Do you have information about the History of AUScA, or other documents relating to AUScA between 1891 and 2012? If so, please email [email protected], because we would love to hear more about what it used to be like.