Competing views on the role of God will be the subject of a public lecture in Orange next week. Titled Richard Dawkins’ burka – is his world view too narrow?, Professor David Goldney, Adjunct Professor at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Rural Management, will discuss The God Delusion, by British scientist and academic Professor Richard Dawkins. Although both are scientists, Professor Goldney is a self-described ‘Christian in the evangelical-orthodox tradition’. Professor Dawkins is an atheist, who currently holds the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford. “In the lecture I will examine Professor Dawkins’ major arguments and what I see as the common ground between Dawkin’s and my views, as well as areas where there is significant disagreement,” Professor Goldney said. “I will also chart a way forward to ensure that this debate will be constructive and life-changing, rather than vitriolic and life-denying.” The public lecture will be held at the conference room, CSU Orange Campus, Leeds Parade, at 6pm on Wednesday 24 October. CSU wine and cheese will be served after the lecture.

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Professor David Goldney.

Two innovative Charles Sturt University (CSU) research projects will focus on delivering improved education to the population of rural Australia. CSU researchers, lead by senior lecturer at the School of Teacher Education, Dr Linda Harrison, will conduct research into improving and maintaining quality and access in centre-based, government-regulated child care in Australia. Of major concern to CSU researchers is improving the adverse outcomes of poor quality child care, especially for more vulnerable children. A second CSU research team, headed by Professor Jo-Anne Reid, Associate Dean at the Faculty of Education, will focus on renewing rural teacher education and sustaining schooling for sustainable communities, in an attempt to avert a national crisis in attracting teachers and other professionals to rural areas. The two CSU research projects will receive over half a million dollars over the next three years under the Federal Government’s Discovery grant scheme.

Staff and students at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Albury-Wodonga Campus are being encouraged to get healthy and take part in the national Ride to Work Day this Wednesday 17 October. Across Australia, cyclists will saddle-up and peddle to Ride to Work breakfasts, designed to promote, encourage, inspire and share the joy of cycling. Participants can ride solo at a time that suits or join the group ride which will depart from the bottom of the Dean Street bridge, next to Baker Motors, in Albury at 7.45am and travelling along the bypass cycle path to the University’s  Thurgoona site. A free breakfast will be available for all who travel to Thurgoona using active transport, including bikes, walking, blades, skates, running, or scooters. The breakfast will be held at CSU’s Gums Café between 8.30am and 10.30am.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) research project aims to estimate the number of people aged 55 to 75 years with respiratory disease in the Federal electorate of Calare. Dr Debbie Burton, a senior lecturer and Associate Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU’s Orange Campus, says the project will screen a sample of people for asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). “People generally know if they have asthma but because the loss of lung function occurs slowly and progressively with COPD many people don’t know they have the problem until their lung function is reduced to 50% of normal. They put their shortness of breath down to ageing or lack of fitness,” Dr Burton said. “The delay in diagnosis of COPD increases the risk of also getting heart problems, but once a diagnosis is made, people can be managed medically, so the quality of life can be improved and the diseases progresses at a slower rate”. The results of this study will be used to identify ways to more easily screen people in the age range most likely to have COPD so as to detect the disease earlier. If you are aged 55 to 75 years, live in the Calare electoral district and are interested in participating in the lung health screening project, please call Dr Debbie Burton on (02) 6365 7828 or Ms Natalie Milic (02) 6365 7774.

For interviews, contact CSU Media.

Healthy and physically active men aged between 18 and 35 are required for Charles Sturt University (CSU) research into the central nervous system and exercise. The research is being carried out by Ms Katrina Onus, a PhD student at the University’s School of Human Movement Studies in Bathurst. Ms Onus said that her study will investigate fatigue and athletic performance and how to possibly overcome or delay the onset of fatigue. “This research is important because the findings may be relevant to other areas such as diseases like Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Parkinson’s disease, as well as the military and industry. Any men interested in participating in the research must be available for five weeks from late October until December 2007. They need to be physically active at least three times per week. Ms Onus can be contacted on (02) 6338 4161.

For interviews, contact CSU Media. The study entitled, The Central Nervous System and exercise endurance in a warm environment following ingestion of a dopamine/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor will be supervised by Associate Professor Frank Marino and Dr Jack Cannon. The study has been approved by the CSU Ethics in Human Research Committee.

Can farm productivity and the environment benefit from the innovative use of ecological pest management rather than the use of genetic engineering? Professor Geoff Gurr from the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Rural Management in Orange will present a seminar entitled "Ecological engineering for sustainable pest management" on Thursday 11 October. Professor Gurr says “Ecological engineering is about manipulating farm habitats, making them less favourable for pests and more attractive to beneficial insects. Though they’ve received far less research attention and funding, ecological approaches may be safer and more sustainable that their controversial cousin, genetic engineering”. The seminar, which is being hosted by the E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, will take place in the Conference Room of the Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute from 3.30pm, Thursday 11 October.

 

The E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, is a collaborative alliance between CSU and the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. The seminar runs from 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm on Thursday 11 October. For interviews contact CSU Media

The Dubbo Campus of Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host a two day conference for about thirty CSU indigenous staff on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 October. Head of Dubbo Campus and Director of the University’s new Centre for Indigenous Studies, Mr Gary Shipp, said that this was the first time a CSU Indigenous staff conference has been held in Dubbo. “Indigenous staff from all CSU’s major campuses will attend and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Goulter, will address staff at the opening dinner on Tuesday evening, 9 October. This is an important meeting because it not only allows the Indigenous staff at CSU to establish contacts, but it will inform all staff of the recent developments at CSU with the establishment of the new Centre for Indigenous Studies and the development of an Indigenous education strategy. This will place CSU as a lead higher education provider in progressing Indigenous education nationally and in particular within inland Australia.“ A number of speakers will address the conference including Ms Lynette Riley-Mundine, Academic Coordinator at the Koori Centre at the University of Sydney, who was raised and attended school in Dubbo.

For interviews with the Director of the Centre for Indigenous Studies, Mr Gary Shipp, contact CSU Media.

A group of Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff and students will be out to highlight the importance of healthy feet for children and their parents during the Children’s Fair in Wodonga on Sunday 14 October. With the start of national Foot Health Week also on Sunday, the CSU group is keen to focus of children’s feet, highlighting the first steps to good foot health. “Childrens’ feet are still forming – undue pressure can cause deformities that children can carry through life,” says CSU podiatry lecturer Ms Caroline Robinson. She said the CSU group is keen to show children and parents about the best ways to care for feet during the Fair, using fun activities such as footprint painting, foot measuring and shoe matching. The Children’s Fair will be held between 10am and 3pm, Sunday 14 October at the Wodonga racecourse.

For interviews, contact CSU Media.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) sent a 115-strong team of students to compete in the annual Australian University Games on the Queensland Gold Coast from Sunday 23 to Friday 28 September and came away with a Silver Medal in the Women’s Hockey and a Bronze Medal in Beach Volley Ball (Division 2). “Our athletes did well against some tough competition,” CSU team manager Niklaus Granger said. “There were about 6 000 students competing from over 40 universities Australia-wide in a range of sports. The CSU Women’s Hockey team did particularly well with only 12 team members (1 sub) in its 3-1 loss to the University of Sydney in the finals.” In addition, at least four CSU students were selected for the Green and Gold Merit teams. These are students chosen from all competitors based on their performance during the week. They include Kate Davis (Bathurst) and Amanda George (Wagga Wagga) in women’s hockey, Duncan McPhee (Bathurst) in men’s hockey, and Will Stuart (Bathurst) in men’s rugby.

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews.