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ALBURY-WODONGA
Home > Regional News > Albury-Wodonga
Valuing frog habitat
14 Oct 2008
 Some of the most mysterious and interesting creatures in the Murray River floodplain - tadpoles and frogs - will be the subject of a field night with Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Dr Skye Wassens near Albury as part of national Water Week. A researcher at CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society, Dr Wassens will present a 30-minute talk about the frogs of the region, how to identify them and how to create frog-friendly habitats. This will be followed by a spotlight and listening tour around the Wonga Wetland lagoons near Albury and a demonstration of how to identify different frogs by their calls. Dr Wassens is currently leading a research project funded by the Murray Wetlands Working Group, looking at the relationship between different flood management regimes and the breeding responses of frogs in wetlands along the Murray, from the Hume Dam to the South Australian border. She is an expert on the Murray River’s most endangered frog species, the Southern Bell Frog.
Media Note: The frog evening will be held from 6.30 to 8.30pm on Wednesday 22 October at Wonga Wetlands, west of Albury. A BBQ dinner is supplied and supervised children are welcome to attend. Bring closed shoes and a torch. Print this story Hunting for anxious pets
14 Oct 2008
 Charles Sturt University (CSU) is lending its expertise to a recruitment campaign with a difference. Instead of targeting prospective students, this campaign is targeting pet dogs. In partnership with the Sydney Animal Behavioural Service and the company HomeoPet, CSU is recruiting 150 dogs from across Australia to participate in research into the treatment of anxious animals. The study will examine the effect on dogs of the homeopathic remedy known as Anxiety. “We would like to hear from anyone who has a pet dog which reacts to thunderstorms,” said Dr Jacqui Ley from the Sydney Animal Behavioural Service. “The anxiety may be demonstrated in behaviour ranging from destructive activities to simply barking at a storm.” “Through its veterinary science program, CSU will be supporting the research by analysis of the data,” said Head of the CSU School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Professor Kym Abbott.
Media Note: Dr Jacqui Ley, from the Sydney Animal Behavioral Service, is available for interview on (02) 9949 8511. Anyone wishing to participate in the trial can register with the Sydney Animal Behavioural Service via email sabs@tpg.com.au or telephone 02 9949 8511. There are some criteria as to the age and health of pets, and the owner must be at home to administer the drops and record the results to submit to the trial. Print this story Is homework a help or hindrance?
14 Oct 2008
 Educators have recently begun to rethink the value of the tradition of homework, particularly for primary and middle school aged children. Is homework useful? Should our children do homework at all? If so, what would constitute quality homework for children? A free public lecture in Harden on Wednesday 15 October by Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer Dr Tracey Smith will use the example of mathematics to address all of these questions. It will explore perceptions about mathematics, how it is learned most effectively and how parents can help their children learn mathematics. “I will also examine how mathematics homework might be more meaningfully developed to enhance learning opportunities at home rather than create a battle zone for parents and their children,” said Dr Smith.
Media Note: The public lecture ‘Homework and Helping Children with Mathematics’ will be held in the Murrumburrah Public School Hall, Albury St, Harden from 6pm. Dr Tracey Smith from CSU is available for interview. Contact CSU Media. A former primary school teacher and mathematics consultant for the NSW Department of Education, Dr Smith lectures in mathematics education and professional experience in CSU’s School of Education at Wagga Wagga. Print this story Input into national curriculum
13 Oct 2008
 Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be well represented at a national education forum in Melbourne on Monday 13 October. The National Curriculum Board Science Forum is being held to develop a national science curriculum for Australian schools in 2011. Third year science teaching student Ms Lisa Davis from Wagga Wagga will attend the forum with Dr Colin Boylan, a senior lecturer with CSU’s School of Education, also in Wagga Wagga. They will be among the 150 delegates from across Australia. The National Curriculum Board has begun a series of consultations for input into a national curriculum in English, mathematics, the sciences and history, for school students from kindergarten to Year 12.“Participation in such a forum is a rare opportunity and to have a staff member Dr Colin Boylan and student Lisa Davis both heading for Melbourne is an acknowledgement of the University’s engagement with the wider professional and policy bodies that help to shape education in Australia,” said Head of the School of Education, Associate Professor Roslin Brennan-Kemmis.
Media Note: The National Curriculum Board Science Forum will be held from 10am to 4pm on Monday 13 October at 440 Collins St, Melbourne. Dr Colin Boylan and Ms Lisa Davis are available for interview. Contact CSU Media. Further information about the National Curriculum Board is available here. Print this story Good luck to HSC students
07 Oct 2008
.jpg) Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer in Teacher Education, Mr Bob Dengate, wishes regional NSW students well in the looming HSC exams, but suggests that there is much more involved than luck. “It’s all about preparation. HSC students have spent the past two years preparing for these exams in one way or another,” he said. “The students who will do best are those who have a balanced life, yet have done the extra work, using value-added resources such as study groups and online services.” The CSU Director of NSW HSC Online, Mr Dengate has been involved in the recent introduction of study tips on the CSU website link. “This is a great way for students to help students. There are plenty of useful tips already and we invite students to also add their favourite tips and to visit the Study & Exams part of NSW HSC Online”. Developed in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education and Training, the website link provides access to quality educational resources for rural and regional students.
Media Note: For interviews contact CSU Media. Print this story CSU Indigenous staff gather in Albury
07 Oct 2008
 Indigenous staff from Charles Sturt University (CSU) will consider issues regarding Indigenous education and employment in the institution at a meeting in Albury on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 October. Director of the CSU Centre of Indigenous Studies and Head of CSU at Dubbo, Mr Gary Shipp, will open the meeting with Pastor Darren Wighton, who will also welcome visitors to Wiradjuri country. On Wednesday evening during the conference dinner, the participants will hear from Chair of the National Indigenous Higher Education Council, Mr Gary Thomas, who will speak on Indigenous education in Australia and overseas. Coordinator of CSU’s Indigenous Employment Strategy, Ms Karen Kime, said CSU has already ready reached its 2007 target of two per cent of all CSU staff being Indigenous people, and it aims to reach three per cent by 2011.
Media Note: For interviews with Ms Karen Kime, contact CSU Media. Print this story Secrets of Murray crayfish revealed
30 Sep 2008
 A Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher who is investigating the long term sustainability of the iconic Murray crayfish in NSW and Victoria will present a talk at the Wonga Wetlands on the Murray River near Albury on Friday 3 October. Ms Sylvia Zukowski will speak about the habitat, diet, location and possible reasons for the declining population of the crayfish. The second largest fresh water crayfish in the world (after the Tasmanian crayfish), it lives in the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers and their tributaries, but is no longer found downstream from Mildura. Sylvia is completing a PhD on the ecological and social impacts of fresh water fishing regulations on Murray crayfish, through CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society and is supervised by well known aquatic scientist Associate Professor Robyn Watts and social researcher Professor Allan Curtis.
Media Note: CSU student Ms Sylvia Zukowski will present information about the Murray Crayfish at the Wonga Wetlands Walkabout evening at 6.30pm on Friday 3 October at the Wonga Wetlands, five minutes west of Albury. For interviews with Ms Zukowski, contact CSU Media. Print this story International experience for future teachers
30 Sep 2008
Charles Sturt University (CSU) education student and future teacher Ms Rebekah Salvaire was on a holiday with a difference when she travelled recently to Korea as part of her studies with the University’s Murray School of Education. With assistance from CSU, the final year student realised her goal to visit and work in Korea, while learning more about herself. “I learnt so much about my own culture by being removed from it. It made me realise how much my culture impacts on who I am. I am now studying subjects back here in Australia that requires me to reflect on the privileges of my culture and identity. My overseas experience has shaped and grown me – it was not just a holiday." CSU education lecturer Ms Sharon Milsome led the group of eight students to South Korea for four weeks, which included a teaching practicum in an international school. “We were completely immersed in Korean culture with lectures on its history, language, economy and business, cuisine and culture.” Twelve students will gain further international experience in October when they travel to the Pacific Island country of Vanuatu to teach for one week in local primary schools.
Media Note: Contact CSU Media for interviews and print quality pictures of the visit to Korea. Print this story CSU students to do business in China
30 Sep 2008
Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) business students will take their university education to China in 2009 after each won a $5 000 scholarship allowing them to study at a Chinese university for one semester. Wodonga’s Mr Brenton Olsen and Mr Cobie Butler from Albury are currently enrolled in international business management degrees with CSU’s School of Business and Information Technology, based at Thurgoona. Both have been selected for their academic records and their representative skills to attend a Chinese university in partnership with CSU. While there, the students will undertake intensive training in Business Chinese that will be credited to their CSU degree in international business management. Mr Olsen said, “The chance to learn Mandarin and to have an understanding of Chinese culture, society and business practices will be invaluable in my future career.” Previous participants in the program have returned to China after completing their degrees, including Mr Angus Coghlan from Gerogery who is currently based in Shanghai in a management position with a global logistics firm. Both students leave for China in February 2009.
Media Note: Contact CSU Media for interviews. Print this story Heart Day calls for Health Clinics
26 Sep 2008
On World Heart Day, Sunday 28 September, health researchers from Charles Sturt University (CSU) are calling for more university-based health clinics in rural areas based on research recently conducted in rural south-eastern NSW and north-eastern Victoria. The research has discovered diabetes complications, such as cardiovascular disease, contribute to morbidity and mortality even before diabetes has been diagnosed. CSU diabetes expert Dr Herbert Jelinek is part of a research team investigating how diabetes associated with atherosclerosis, a disease affecting arterial blood vessels, affects the autonomic nervous system and leads to disturbed heart rhythms. “Hypertension is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and is estimated to cause 4.5 per cent of current global disease burden,” Dr Jelinek says. “Early identification of those with higher risk of autonomic nervous system dysfunction, can reduce casualties of severe cardiovascular disease.”
Media Note: For interviews contact CSU Media Print this story |
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