As part of their engagement with their local community, over 30 third year speech pathology students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will again participate in Cooinda Family Support Services, a community organisation assisting families in the Albury-Wodonga district to support themselves. CSU clinical coordinator Ms Marion Vile says the annual Cooinda student project allocates pairs of students to individual families for up to 14 weeks. The students work closely with clients and their families to develop an individual assessment and intervention program and then implement the program. “The students also gain in-depth learning experiences and can hone their skills under the supervision of an experienced speech pathologist,” Ms Vile said.

 

CSU speech pathology students will meet with their families in the Cooinda project for the first time in 2009 from 12.30pm on Tuesday 10 March in the CSU Nowik Lecture Theatres, Guinea St, Albury. For interviews with the CSU clinical coordinator Ms Marion Vile, and speech pathology students and families in the Cooinda project, contact CSU Media.

Two species of parasitic wasps, identified in southern NSW during on-going research at Charles Sturt University (CSU), could unlock new ways to fight fruit fly in Australia. PhD student Mrs Jennifer Spinner has been collecting fruit ‘stung’ by fruit fly in home gardens during the fruit fly season (October to May) in Albury, Cootamundra, Ganmain, Gundagai, Lake Cargelligo, Lockhart and Wagga Wagga. The fruit has been held in a laboratory at CSU at Wagga Wagga in a controlled temperature environment until adult fruit fly or parasitic wasps emerge. “I am examining whether the wasps are present in inland NSW and whether large releases of the wasps could be used for the biological control of fruit fly,” said Mrs Spinner. The female wasp lays her eggs inside the fruit fly larvae, which hatch and feed on the fruit fly larvae, ultimately killing the pest. In 2009, the PhD student will travel to Guatemala, Hawaii and Mexico where releases of parasitoids have improved the management of fruit fly.

Celebrations for the 200^th anniversary of the birth of the ‘father of evolution’, Charles Darwin, will include a seminar highlighting two prominent Charles Sturt University (CSU) scientists this weekend in Wagga Wagga. A workshop will be held on Saturday 7 March to discuss the theory of evolution and Christian faith, with keynote speakers including CSU’s Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Nick Klomp, who will speak on science and evolution. Internationally recognised water scientist and active Christian, Professor David Mitchell from CSU, will then talk on ‘The role of uncertainty in the pursuit of truth’, while seminar coordinator, Fr Roger Munson, will discuss evolution and its implications for a progressive faith in the 21st Century.

The seminar and weekend celebration will be held from 2pm at St John's Anglican Church in Wagga Wagga from Saturday 7 to Sunday 8 March. For interviews before the event with CSU Dean of Science, Professor Nick Klomp, or CSU’s Professor David Mitchell, contact CSU Media. For interviews about the seminar and the celebration, contact Fr Roger Munson on mobile 0408 674 762. Fr Roger Munson is former Dean of St Alban's Cathedral in Griffith.

Fourteen visitors from Indonesia touring Victoria and Tasmania to bring closer understanding between Muslims and Christians will meet with members of the Border community at Charles Sturt University (CSU) on Tuesday 3 March. Hosted by the Uniting Church in Australia, the group particularly aims to increase mutual understanding and cultural appreciation between the Muslim majority of Indonesia and Australia’s Christian communities. While in Albury, the group will visit the University’s facilities and speak with CSU students at Thurgoona. “The University hopes the visit will enhance understanding and relations between the faiths and our cultures,” said visit coordinator and CSU student counsellor Mr Geoff Simmons. The visit will include a public forum hosted by CSU Professor The Rev. James Haire from the University’s School of Theology in Canberra.

International recognition for his expertise in wetland management has led to the reappointment of a senior Charles Sturt University (CSU) scientist to a scientific panel for the international Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Director of CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society Professor Max Finlayson will be a member of Ramsar's Scientific and Technical Review Panel from 2009 to 2012, specialising in the effects of climate change on wetlands and water and the social and economic effects on people who rely on them. Professor Finlayson said the appointment is a great honour and is recognition of scientific expertise available at CSU. The Ramsar Convention, established in 1975, aims to protect wetlands worldwide, including the iconic Barmah Forest and Lower Lakes on the Murray River and the Macquarie Marshes in central NSW.

Are your feet, legs or lower back sore? Do you live in Albury-Wodonga or surrounding areas? From Wednesday 25 February, podiatry and physiotherapy students from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Community Health will assess and treat clients for a broad range of problems in the lower body, supervised by experienced clinical educators and professionals. Problems could include lower back pain, joint pain, soft tissue injury and sporting injury, as well as developmental problems or lower limb pain in children. “The clinic provides a vital health service for the local community while also helping provide CSU health students with invaluable supervised experience that prepares them for their professional lives,” said clinic coordinator, Ms Kristy Robson. The clinic will run each Wednesday from March to June. Contact the CSU Allied Health Clinic, Olive St, Albury on (02) 6051 6922 for an appointment, which will cost $30 per session.

A collaborative project is helping young parents ease into parenthood, especially after the birth of their child. With the help of young parents in the Albury-Wodonga region, three nursing students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Upper Hume Community Health Service’s (UHCHS) Young Parents Program have developed a booklet titled Young Parents Survival Guide for Pregnancy.  “Young parents helped us develop a booklet that fills a gap in information and knowledge for others in the same situation.  It is about what happens during pregnancy and what they can do to maintain a healthy pregnancy,” said Beverlie de Jong from the CSU School of Nursing and Midwifery. Ilena Young from UHCHS said the collaborative project worked closely with young parents to develop a resource to help others in the same situation.

The first postgraduate program to be offered locally in Griffith will start on Friday 20 February with the launch of the Graduate Certificate in Management (Professional Practice). Run from the Griffith campus of TAFE NSW Riverina Institute, the program is operated by the Australian Graduate Management Consortium, an initiative of Charles Sturt University (CSU) and TAFE NSW. Students in the program stem from a wide range of local businesses, including wineries, health services and rural supplies, with interest also being shown from manufacturing establishments. “We are very pleased that we can offer this program to the Griffith community, which provides the opportunity to study a Charles Sturt University postgraduate award course locally, with assignment work that can be applied directly to the workplace,” said Ms Jan Knox, Operations Manager with the University’s Professional Development Unit. The course is a 12 month part-time program. Graduates will receive a graduate certificate from CSU. The four key subject areas in the program are Management Skills and Concepts, Managing Operations and Change, Managing People, and Managing Financial Operations.

 

Further information is available from Ms Jan Knox, Operations Manager, at CSU Faculty of Business’ Professional Development Unit on 02 6051 9430; Mr Tony McBride, Head of Campus, Griffith and Lake Cargelligo, TAFE NSW Riverina Institute on 02 6962 0450; and Ms Kerrie Staines, Head Teacher, Business Services/IT, TAFE NSW Riverina Institute on 02 6962 0426.