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ALBURY-WODONGA
Home > Regional News > Albury-Wodonga
Inspiration for a career in agriculture
30 Jun 2009
 Identifying animals destined for the abattoir and cloning smelly plants are just some of the activities on offer to high school students in the Riverina at the Agricultural Enrichment Day on Monday 6 July at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Wagga Wagga. Hosted by the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, an alliance between CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI), the event will give the students access to some of the leading agricultural and veterinary scientists in NSW. “The event has been a success in previous years and I hope the day will inspire students to consider a career in one of the many jobs agriculture can offer,” said Director of the EH Graham Centre, Professor Deirdre Lemerle. Year 10 and 11 students will attend from Barham Central School, Billabong Central School, Riverina Anglican College, Kooringal High School, Griffith High School, Finley High School, Murrumburrah High School, St Paul’s at Walla Walla and Wagga Wagga High School.
Media Note: The Agricultural Enrichment Day will be held on Monday 6 July at laboratories and lecture rooms across CSU at Wagga Wagga from 8.45am to 1.30pm. To arrange an interview contact Dr Gordon Murray from the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation on 0428 381 879 or send an email. Print this story Staff honoured for excellence
30 Jun 2009
 The extensive research work of Charles Sturt University (CSU) ecologist, Associate Professor Gary Luck in the area of biodiversity conservation has been publicly acknowledged in the 2009 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence. The Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU Professor Ian Goulter announced on Monday 22 June the recipients of this year’s awards to academic and general staff. The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence has gone to Associate Professor Luck from the School of Environmental Sciences at CSU at Albury-Wodonga and a member of the University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society. His internationally recognised work focuses on two key areas in ecosystem services and conservation near human settlements. Ms Kristy Robson from the School of Community Health at CSU at Albury-Wodonga has been named winner of the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Professional Excellence for her work the University’s Allied Health Clinic where podiatry and other students obtain clinical experience. There are two recipients of the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence in lecturer Ms Amanda Davies from the School of Policing Studies at CSU at Goulburn and lecturer Dr Jennifer Sappey from the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies at CSU at Bathurst. Awards for excellence in leadership, performance and programs that enhance learning have also been announced. Professor Goulter will present the awards during ceremonies at Bathurst on Tuesday 30 June and at Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 1 July.
Media Note: A presentation ceremony will be held in the James Hardie Dining Room, CSU at Bathurst from 2pm to 5pm on Tuesday 30 June. A presentation ceremony will be held from 2pm to 5pm at the Convention Centre at CSU at Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 1 July. Read the latest work of researcher and recipient of the 2009 Vice-Chancellor's Award for Research Excellence, Associate Professor Gary Luck here.
Print this story Record lottery jackpot gives scientist pause for thought
26 Jun 2009
 To say the odds are long when it comes to the chance of winning the largest lottery draw in Australian history on Tuesday 30 June is an understatement. Professor Nick Klomp, Dean of the Faculty of Science at Charles Sturt University (CSU), puts the chance of winning the jackpot in the $90 million Oz Lotto draw next week at one in 45 million. “If you want an even chance to win the first division just once in your life, you would have to buy a 10-game ticket every single week of your life, even when a baby,” said Professor Klomp. However the CSU academic adds “oh, and you’d have to live to be over 87 000 years old”. “You are much, much more likely to die from being struck by lightning than pick the seven winning numbers by playing a single game next week.” Professor Klomp usually advises people to keep their money in their pocket. He sees lottery tickets as voluntary taxes for people who are lousy at mathematics, but the size of this jackpot makes it worth thinking about.“In any normal week, the best way to be a winner is to put the money you were going to spend on lottery tickets into a savings plan,” said Professor Klomp. “However a $90 million lottery is not normal. As soon as the first division prize goes over $50 million, the potential payback becomes worth the investment. It doesn’t increase your chances of winning; it just makes it mathematically more sensible to buy a ticket.” Professor Klomp is keen to point out that all of this assumes that if you win the jackpot, you aren’t sharing it. “You need the potential payback to be at least 45 million times every dollar you spend. So long as you don’t think it’s an investment and you get your money back in fun, then go ahead and enjoy yourself,” advises Professor Klomp.
Media Note: Professor Nick Klomp is the Dean of the Faculty of Science at CSU at Albury-Wodonga. He doesn’t usually buy lottery tickets, but may just break his own rule this week. He is available for interviews. Contact CSU Media. Print this story Building better voices
25 Jun 2009
People who rely on their voices for their livelihoods, such as teachers, singers and auctioneers, can receive assessment and care for the vocal tools of their trade at a free, three week clinic in July. Speech pathology professionals from Albury Base Hospital and Charles Sturt University (CSU) as well as CSU students will collaborate to offer an ‘Intensive Voice Management Clinic’ consisting of an assessment and six therapy sessions over three weeks. The sessions will be conducted by voice specialist and speech pathologist, Dr Alison Winkworth, and Albury Base Hospital senior speech pathologist, Ms Anna O’Callaghan, together with CSU speech pathology students using the latest voice assessment and therapy technology. The clinic is due to start with an assessment session on Tuesday 7 July. Potential clients can contact Ms O’Callaghan on (02) 6058 4565 or send an email.
Media Note: For interviews contact CSU Media. Print this story Long-serving CSU Head of School retires
24 Jun 2009
 After 35 years at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst and its predecessor institution Mitchell College of Advanced Education (MCAE), Associate Professor Leonora Ritter, Head of the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies, will retire on Wednesday 1 July. Professor Anthony Cahalan, Dean of Faculty of Arts at CSU, said following her appointment to an academic position at MCAE in 1974, Professor Ritter has gone on to make an extraordinary contribution to the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies and to CSU. “Leonora has been Head of School for the past six years and has chaired and served on numerous committees at all levels of the institution. In every role, her commitment to her students, staff and colleagues has been generous and exemplary. We wish her all the very best in her retirement, and look forward to maintaining Charles Sturt University's association with her in her role as mentor on a number of significant projects in the future,” Professor Cahalan said. Professor Ritter will be farewelled by colleagues at an afternoon tea on Thursday 25 June.
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. Print this story Social inclusion for low paid workers
23 Jun 2009
 The idea that employment automatically leads to personal well-being and social inclusion is being questioned by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher. In an address to the 2009 Social Inclusion Forum in Melbourne on Thursday 25 June, Dr Helen Masterman-Smith will question what, if anything, the Federal Government’s Social Inclusion Agenda (SIA) has done to address the kinds of barriers that low paid workers encounter. “Labour market participation is a cornerstone of the whole-of-government approach that the Commonwealth is developing to improve social inclusion. However, its SIA recognises that low pay and poor job quality often derail this key objective.” A sociology lecturer and co-author of the book Living Low Paid, Dr Masterman-Smith says the difficulties of ‘making work pay’ at the bottom end of the labour market is a social inclusion challenge that has yet to receive the policy or public attention it warrants. She will also comment on whether the Australian labour market and economy can actually deliver a ‘just transition’ to a low-carbon economy, through the Emissions Trading Scheme, or whether such a transition will simply reproduce current labour market inequalities.
Media Note: Dr Helen Masterman-Smith is a sociology lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at CSU at Wagga Wagga. She will speak at Melbourne University’s 2009 Social Inclusion Forum, to be held on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 June. Dr Masterman-Smith will present a seminar titled Labour force participation: when employment doesn’t lead to inclusion. Is the SIA likely to improve the current situation or simply perpetuate it? Her book, co-authored with Ms Barbara Pocock, Living Low Paid: The dark side of prosperous Australia was published by Allen & Unwin in 2008.
Print this story State pharmacy award for student
23 Jun 2009
 A pharmacy student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) has been named the NSW Pharmacy Student of Year by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA). Mr Lloyd Smith was named the winner in Sydney on Saturday 13 June during a pharmacy expo hosted by the PSA. Sponsored by the company Alphapharm, the competition tests the communication and counselling skills of final year pharmacy students. Mr Smith will now compete for the national title of Pharmacy Student of the Year during the PSA’s annual Pharmacy Australia Congress in Sydney from Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 October. Mr Smith, from Broken Hill, is in his fourth year of Bachelor Pharmacy at CSU at Wagga Wagga. He is also the Head Resident of the Halls of Residence at the University’s South Campus in Wagga Wagga and involved in a number of student organisations including the Pharmers’ Society and rural health club, WARRIAHS. “Lloyd represents all that is great about pharmacy students at CSU beyond their academic achievements. Lloyd has good communication and leadership skills, a commitment to the community in which he lives and a burning desire to serve the profession well in regional NSW,” said Associate Professor Lyn Angel, Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences.
Media Note: Pharmacy student Mr Lloyd Smith is available for interview.
Print this story Taking the joy of science to Albury
23 Jun 2009
Igniting an interest in all areas of science is the goal behind expos being hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Albury-Wodonga this week. Local high and primary school students will attend the Science in the Bush expo in Albury on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 June. The days will include exhibitions, interactive talks, shows and workshops about all things science. Topics to be presented by a range of science organisations such as CSU, The University of Sydney, the Powerhouse Museum and Australian Museum include: ‘Life in a bucket of dirt’; ‘I like to move it, move it’; ‘All from a drop of blood’; and ‘Invertebrates, the backbones of our rivers’. Science in the Bush is hosted by CSU as a part of the Science in the City project run by the Australian Museum and its Executive Partner, The University of Sydney. A comprehensive program of activities can be found here.
Media Note: Science in the Bush is supported by the Australian Government through the Science Connections Programme of the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. The activities start at 10am at various sites from 9.30am at CSU’s Thurgoona site on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 June. Read more here. Print this story Student acts for environment
23 Jun 2009
 A veterinary science student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) is driving the renewal of environmental activism within the student body at CSU at Wagga Wagga. While a first year student in 2008, Ms Gemma Hawkins from Wagga Wagga established the Eco Active Club with 10 inaugural student members. Support has risen to 50 members in 2009. The group is involved with environmental advocacy in areas such as recycling, promoting transport such as bus and cycling and annual events like Clean Up Australia Day, Earth Hour and World Environment Day. The club also organises student outdoor activities such as rock climbing. With the support of the CSU Division of Facilities Management, Ms Hawkins pushed ahead with a student vegetable garden on campus with the first planting taking place in early June. “I’m hoping the concept of the garden will eventually expand to a common art space for students and the wider community,” said Ms Hawkins. “I feel there is a culture of change sweeping through the University and the student body is embracing action and more practical outcomes for the environment.”
Media Note: CSU student Ms Gemma Hawkins will attend the inaugural national youth climate summit, PowerShift Youth Conference in Sydney from Saturday 11 July to Monday 13 July. She will be accompanied by eight students and staff from CSU at Wagga Wagga. A further 10 students from CSU at Albury-Wodonga will also attend the PowerShift Youth Conference including members of the group, Green Adventure People (GAP). CSU student and GAP president Ms Erin Raggatt is available for interview.
Print this story Roadshow for prospective tertiary students
23 Jun 2009
Three expos are being held in north east Victoria this week to showcase Australian tertiary institutions and courses on offer in 2010. Over 40 institutions including Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be represented at the information days being held in Wangaratta today, Tuesday 23 June and in Albury-Wodonga on Wednesday 24 June. An earlier event was held in Shepparton on 22 June. Representatives from local and interstate universities, institutes of NSW TAFE and private providers are available to discuss career options with Years 11 and 12 students from Victoria and NSW. “The days present a great opportunity to find out about the courses of interest in one place at one time,” said CSU Prospective Student Adviser, Ms Rebecca Gale Collins.
Media Note: For interviews at the tertiary studies advisory events, contact CSU Prospective Student Adviser, Ms Rebecca Gale Collins on mobile 0409 975 085. The events will be held at:
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