Category: UCC

by Hla Min

Updated : May 2025

1971

UCC was formally established in April, 1971.

Saya Dr. Chit Swe (GBNF) was Founder Director.

Saya U Soe Paing, Saya U Myo Min and Saya U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF) were the Managers of the Systems Division, Applications Division and Operations Division.

Reorganization

After the reorganization, U Soe Paing managed the Operations and Systems Divisions. U Myo Min managed the Business Applications Division. U Ko Ko Lay managed the Scientific Applications Division.

40th Anniversary

The “40th Anniversary of UCC” in 2011 was the Reunion of Staff, Teachers (Past and Present) and Students.

Daw Ngwe Tin, Aye Aye Myint and sisters, Maung Myint, who maintained the UCC building rooms were among the attendees.

Saya Dr. Tin Maung (GBNF) was represented by his spouse and daughter.

There was fun and laughter, music and dances, and good old memories.

Daw Khin Lay Myint (GBNF) joined UCC as Secretary and then became an Administrator Officer.

U Soe Myint (M72, GBNF) joined UCC as Operator. He served as Shift Lead, expert in Mechanical Drawing and AutoCAD, and retired as Pro-Rector of ICST. He came to see me during my last visit and shared his knowledge about U Lokanatha and Sayadaw’s financial support to buy the land for Kaba Aye Sun Lun Gu Kyaung. He gave me a “Chone Hte” (for monk). On the fateful day, he made two trips to the monastery, because he forgot his donation. He also visited his nephew and niece who had to have dialysis. May be because of his karma or because of the trips he tool that day, he passed away around 3 AM.

Khin Maung Zaw (KMZ) wrote :

Ko Soe Myint Gyi was one of the very humble people I have ever known. He spoke very soft, never see him angry nor heard him raise his voice. Even though I am some years junior to him (he’s M72 and me EC76) he always treated me with dignity and respect. I really miss him, may his beautiful soul rest in peace.

Computer Science (CS) and Computer Technology (CT) evolve.

Definitions

The following are two early definitions of CS.

• CS is the study of phenomena surrounding Computing.
• CS is the study of Algorithms and Data Structures.

The first definition has the same flavor as a definition of Physics. It is general to say, “Physics is the study of natural phenomena.”

The second definition might sound restrictive, but it still covers a lot of topics and application.

There is a book called “Program = Algorithms + Data Structures”.

Professor Donald Knuth (Stanford University) thought that he could finish his 7-volume book “The Art of Computer Programming” in a couple of years. It was an under-estimate of the growth of Computers, Computer Science and Applications. It took over two decades to complete and revise the first three volumes and part of the fourth volume. One reason was that his book contributed to the growth of the Design and Analysis of Algorithms.

Final Thoughts

I have covered some topics in the early days of Computing in general and UCC in particular.

I missed out several people. I mentioned many names, but did not elaborate on some of them.

I did not cover in-depth the PDP configuration and use, the introduction of PCs, and robots.

It would take a long time and I would not be able to fill in all the blanks.

I believe in an idea that characterizes Jules Verne. “If one can dream, others can fulfill”.

I had a personal experience to support that idea. In 1999, I started “RIT International Newsletter” and dreamed that sayas and alumni will get reconnected electronically and physically. With the help of sponsors (including five Golden Sponsors), able and dedicated sayas and alumni, volunteers, supporters and well-wishers, the First RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP (Saya Pu Zaw Pwe) was held in San Francisco in October 2000. The world-wide SPZPs were subsequently held in Singapore in 2002, 2007 and 2010, and in Yangon in 2004, 2012 and 2016.

I had paid back to RIT.

I now have a chance to pay back to UCC.

Thanks to my family members for supporting me in the endeavors to pay back to the institutions and my mentors that helped me develop to where I am today.

I hope that sayas and alumni of UCC, ICST and UCSY will enhance my document into one that professional historians will envy.

Dr. San Tint (EE61, GBNF)

• He was my saya at RIT.
• He served as External Examiner for Computer Science students at UCC and DCS.

U Shein Soe Myint (EC83, GBNF)

• He is the son of Saya U Hla Myint (Eco Maths).
• He is a classmate of U Thaung Tin (KMD) and my cousin nephew U Thar Hlaing (son of Saya Dr. F. Ba Hli).
• He joined UCC, DCS and ICST as a graduate student, engineer and later saya.
• He was studying for his doctorate at NUS when he unexpectedly passed away.

Group Photo

It was taken at a mini-reunion of RIT and UCC alumni during my visit to Singapore.

Gathering at Saya U Soe Paing’s house

Saya U Soe Paing (EE, UCC) and Daw Saw Yu Tint (T69) hosted several gatherings at their house. Most of them are to welcome UCC alumni visiting Yangon.

Gathering at U Khin Zaw’s house

U Soe Win (EC70, UCC) visited his younger brother U Khin Zaw (UCC) in Cupertino, California.

Attendees include Saya U Myo Min (UCC), Dr. Rafiul Ahad (UCC), Benny Tan (M70), Charlie Tseng (EC70) and Diana (ChE71), U Myint Swe (EP74) and Daw San San (EC74), U Aung Zaw Maung (Pet78, UCC), U Aung Myint Oo (EC84, UCC)

Mini-gathering in Singapore

Saya Dr. San Tint (EE) and Saya U Shein Soe Myint (EC83, UCC) are GBNF.

• There have been six PZPs.
• I attended the last two PZPs.

Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe

Guest Lecture at UCSY

UCSY Rector and Staff Members

Saya Myar Nay Celebration

Photos shared by San Yin Myint

• Dr. Chit Swe / Saya Chit
  Founder and Director of UCC
  Passed away in Sydney, Australia in 2019
• Dr. Tin Maung
  Succeeded Dr. Chit Swe as Director of UCC
  Retired as Rector of ICST
• U Ko Ko Lay / Saya Lay
  Helped Dr. Chit Swe found UCC
  Retired as Professor of Information Systems at ICST
• CO U Hla Min / Pauk Si
  Passed away while serving as Chief Operator of UCC
• U Mya Thein / Bo Shoke
  Taught at the Institute of Economics, UCC and IMBTU
• U Kyaw Nyein / Kyein
  Scientific Applications Programmer
  Taught Numerical Methods
  Worked as UNV in the Middle East
• U Win Naing
  Science Scholar for Mathematics
  Scientific Applications Programmer
• U Soe Thein / Joe
  Business Applications Programmer
• U Soe Myint (Gyi) / Sunlun Kappiya
  Retired as Pro-Rector, UCSY
• U Maung Maung Gyi / Thein Tan / Henry Than Htay
  Chief Operator
• Daw Nge Ma Ma Than / Ma Nge / Theresa Aung Than
  Applications Programmer
  Taught at UCC, DCS and ICST
  Prisoner of Conscience

• U Myint Aung
  Retired as Superintendent at UCC
• Daw Khin Lay Myint
  Secretary
  Retired as Admin Officer at UCC

• U Shein Soe Myint
  Passed away in Singapore while doing graduate studies
• U Aung Aung Thein
  Worked and taught at UCC

• Daw Hla Hla Win
  Operations Division
• Daw Kyu Kyu Lwin
  Operations Division
  Transferred to SSB
• Daw Win May Thoung
  Operations Division
• Daw Khin Mya Swe (M.Sc,)
  Passed away in Lesotho
• Daw Khin Toe Nyein (M.Sc.)
• Daw Thida Aung (M.Sc.)

• Some M.Sc. students
  Dr. Htay Lwin Nyo
  U Thein Tan
  
• Some DAC students
  Henry Maung Maung
  
• Some who worked or studied at ICST
  Dr. Kyaw Thein
  U Kyaw Mya Thein

Advisors / Supporters

• Dr. F. Ba Hli
  Member, UCC Management Board
  Advisor, Ministry of National Planning
• U Sein Win
  Technical Advisor for Electrical Systems
• U Win Htein
  SE, PWD (Electrical)
• Dr. San Tint
  Lecturer (and later Professor), RIT EE
• U Tin Swe
  Power User with EP students

• Dr. Chit Swe (Founder / Director of UCC) firmly believed in Transfer of Knowledge and Technology.
  
• For the UCC Project, several distinguished Computing Professionals gave courses — short term and long term.
  
• Professor Harry D Huskey (UCSC) and Professor Anthony Ralston (SUNY, Buffalo) were Past ACM Presidents.
  They taught courses on
  “History of Computers”,
  “Structured Programming”,
  “PASS (Compiler)”,
  “ZIP (Interpreter)”
  …
  
• Professor Michael Stonebraker (then at UC Berkeley) gave a short course at UCC on Relational DBMS in general, and Ingres in particular.
  A few years back, he won the Prestigious ACM Turing Award and the $1 M prize.
  He joined Charles Bachmann, E F Codd and Jim Gray as DBMS Gurus to win the Turing Award,
  He is the lone Serial Entrepreneur among the 70 ACM Turing Award Winners.
  
• There were several other visiting Professors (e.g Peter Wegner, Foreman Acton) and IT Professionals (e.g. Sheldon Bacchus).

• Dr. Chit Swe
  Founder and Director of UCC
  Passed away in Sydney, Australia in 2019
• Dr. Tin Maung
  Succeeded Dr. Chit Swe as Director of UCC
  Retired as Rector of ICST
• U Ko Ko Lay
  Helped Dr. Chit Swe found UCC
  Retired as Professor of Information Systems at ICST
• CO U Hla Min
  Passed away while serving as Chief Operator of UCC
• U Mya Thein
  Taught at the Institute of Economics, UCC and IMBTU
• U Kyaw Nyein
  Scientific Applications Programmer
  Taught Numerical Methods
  Worked as UNV in the Middle East
• U Win Naing
  Science Scholar for Mathematics
  Scientific Applications Programmer
• U Soe Thein
  Business Applications Programmer
• U Soe Myint (Gyi)
  Retired as Pro-Rector, UCSY
• U Maung Maung Gyi
  Chief Operator
• Daw Nge Ma Ma Than
  Applications Programmer
  Taught at UCC, DCS and ICST
  Prisoner of Conscience

• U Myint Aung
  Retired as Superintendent at UCC
• Daw Khin Lay Myint
  Retired as Admin Officer at UCC

• U Shein Soe Myint
  Passed away in Singapore while doing graduate studies
• U Aung Aung Thein
  Worked and taught at UCC

• Daw Hla Hla Win
  Operations Division
• Daw Kyu Kyu Lwin
  Transferred to SSB
• Daw Win May Thoung
  Operations Division
• Daw Khin Mya Swe (M.Sc,)
  Passed away in Lesotho
• Daw Khin Toe Nyein (M.Sc.)
• Daw Thida Aung (M.Sc.)

• Some M.Sc. students
  e.g. U Thein Tan
  
• Some DAC students

Advisors / Supporters

• Dr. F. Ba Hli
  Member, UCC Management Board
  Advisor, Ministry of National Planning
• U Sein Win
  Technical Advisor for Electrical Systems
• U Win Htein
  SE, PWD (Electrical)
• Dr. San Tint
  Lecturer (and later Professor), RIT EE