For interviews with CSU academic Yalmambirra, contact CSU Media.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Dubbo Campus farewelled 26 graduating nurses at a barbeque on Monday 12 November following their return from a four week placement that focussed on the transition to practice as Registered Nurses. Lyn Croxon, lecturer and clinical coordinator in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, said that having completed a three year CSU nursing degree, the students can register with the NSW Nurses’ and Midwives’ Board. “CSU’s nursing students received great support from staff in the various western region hospitals in which they undertook their clinical placements,” she said. “The University thanks all the personnel in the various health settings for their support of our programs and the clinical practicum which is an integral component of the nursing course.” The graduating nurses come from Dubbo, Parkes, Peak Hill, Narromine, Warren and Gulgong. The majority have accepted positions as Registered Nurses at hospitals and health facilities across the western NSW region, while several will pursue careers in Sydney, Gosford and Canberra.

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Ms Lyn Croxon.

Cadet journalists working at National Radio News (NRN) at Charles Sturt University (CSU) have gained a number of paid internships with leading media organisations. NRN manager Mr Peter Hetherington said that the success of NRN staff in gaining outside internships and other placements is quite significant. “This is the pilot for an ongoing program, and those who show aptitude during the internship will be fast tracked into fulltime work at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC),” he said. “It demonstrates that the training our students receive in their CSU journalism course and the practical experience they gain through their NRN cadetships equips them to step straight into on-air roles with major broadcasters.” Three NRN cadets - Rebecca Bruce, Frank Ienco and Cameron Green - commenced paid internships with ABC Radio in Sydney from 5 November. Former NRN journalist Matthew Reardon has been accepted for an internship with Deutsche Vella, Germany’s major public broadcaster NRN cadet Patrick Cronan has commenced with 2TM Tamworth as on-air news journalist, while CSU graduate Rochelle Nolan has commenced as fulltime journalist with NRN.

A new book that looks at quality assurance tools and certification programs in ecotourism will be a valuable guide for new and existing ecotourism operators world-wide. Co-edited by Dr Rosemary Black from Charles Sturt University (CSU), the book, Quality Assurance and Certification in Ecotourism, is the fifth in a series of books on ecotourism published by UK publisher CABI. Dr Black, a social scientist with CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society, said the book has developed from her research on certification of ‘ecotour’ guides. “The book also includes information on quality assurance and certification for different aspects of ecotourism operations like transport, tours and accommodation,” said Dr Black, who spent four years researching and writing the book. Apart from her own work, the book includes contributions from authors around the world including the UK, Australia, America, the South Pacific, South Africa and South America.

The medical fraternity of inland NSW has a rare opportunity to hear from a world leader in cardiac research when the Medical Director of the Cardiac Health Institute in Sydney, Professor Hosen Kiat visits the Riverina this week. Professor Kiat will be at the Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus on Friday 9 November to present a seminar to CSU staff entitled Preventing Heart Attacks without Prescription. The Professor of Cardiology will also attend a Nuclear Medicine scientific conference at the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 November. Professor Kiat, who is also a specialist in nuclear medicine, has over 200 scientific publications and several books including The Eastwest Medical Makeover, which provides a blueprint for longevity and a robust life style, based on his long term passion in the eastern philosophy and his profound knowledge in western medicine. Professor Kiat believes “it’s not about life expectancy, but a greater expectancy for life”. 

The seminar will be held from 1pm, Friday 9 November in room 103, School of Biomedical Sciences, building 12 near carpark, CSU Wagga Wagga Campus. For interviews contact CSU Media.

Explorations of body language in children with autism, surviving car accidents with traumatic brain injuries and working in rural schools and in Vietnam are among the topics in a Charles Sturt University (CSU) conference on the latest in speech pathology, to be held on Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 November in Albury. The two day conference, titled Searching for Treasure, the hunt for evidence and experience in rural Australia, is hosted by 35 final year speech pathology students from CSU who will present workshops on various topics relating to current practices in speech pathology. Guests include Dr Shani Dettman, who will present an overview of research on speech and language development in young children with Cochlear implants, and the group “Wild Choir”, young performers who show that having a disability is no limit to your singing ability. Searching for Treasure will be held in the Nowik lecture theatres on CSU’s Albury city site, Guinea St, Albury, starting at 3pm on 7 November.

For interviews, contact CSU Media.

Doctoral and masters students and early-career researchers from universities, government agencies and private institutes involved in environmental and resource economic research are expected to attend a two day forum next week at Charles Sturt University (CSU). Associate Professor Mark Morrison, from CSU’s School of Marketing and Management, said that the Early-Career Researcher Workshop, known as E-CReW, aims to provide a forum for early-career researchers to get feedback on their research in a supportive and non-threatening environment. “Researchers can interact with and get advice from more experienced academics, as well as meet with other researchers at a similar stage of their careers. It also provides a forum for employers to meet new graduates or those who are soon to graduate, and for research agencies to discuss current research needs,” he said. E-CReW 2007 is hosted by the University’s Institute for Land Water and Society (ILWS) at the University’s Bathurst Campus on Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 November. Approximately 70 participants from six countries are expected to attend.

An initiative to curb the critical shortage of midwives in rural and regional Australia has been recognised in the recent New South Wales health awards. A midwifery training program at Leeton District Hospital and conducted in partnership with Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Griffith and Wagga Wagga base hospitals was nominated for the Director General’s Encouragement Award in the 2007 NSW Health Awards. Three students have completed the program, which includes clinical work at Leeton District Hospital and 12 months of study for CSU’s Postgraduate Diploma in Midwifery. “The program is one way to develop sustainable maternity services in rural areas, including continuity in care and local antenatal services for women having babies,” said Leeton District Hospital clinical midwifery specialist and CSU graduate Tania McVittie.