Researchers at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Bathurst Campus are investigating why exercise can help relive some pain. Mr Peter Micalos, lecturer in human anatomy and physiology at the School of Human Movement Studies, is seeking people aged 20 – 60 years with chronic pain syndrome, known as fibromyalgia (FMS), as well as people in good health but with low fitness levels. They are wanted to participate in a supervised, mild aerobic-based exercise program for eight weeks starting in February 2008. Mr Micalos says “Fibromyalgia is characterised by pain in muscles, joints or bones, fatigue, and a wide range of other symptoms. It can be triggered by an acute traumatic event, or have a slow onset from no specific cause, and can be debilitating, especially during an acute flare-up. It can prevent normal activities such as driving a car, walking up stairs, grooming or dressing. There is no universally accepted diagnosis or cure for fibromyalgia, however studies have found individualised exercise programming improves fitness and sleep and reduces pain and fatigue.” The study involves clinical tests and individually supervised exercise twice a week at the CSU Bathurst Campus fitness centre.

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.

The changing focus of early childhood education, cyber bullying and the impact of advertising on children’s health are some of the topics to be discussed at a conference on Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Dubbo Campus next week. Ms Tracey Simpson, Head of the School of Teacher Education at CSU’s Dubbo Campus, said that the conference is one way that the University maintains its links with the broader education community and offers teacher education students authentic learning experiences. A range of presenters, including Ms Pam Cahir, CEO of Early Childhood Australia, Ms Simpson and fourth year honours and third year early childhood and primary education students, will also discuss the effects of advertising on children’s health, quality teaching and gender stereotyping in education. The conference is jointly sponsored by CSU and the Central Far West Regional Group of Early Childhood Australia.

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. The conference will be held from 9am until 4.30pm on Friday 16 November in CSU’s lecture room 422, Yarrandale Road, Dubbo.

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.

Works by the late art lecturer at the Mitchell College of Advanced Education (MCAE, Bathurst), Ms Jo Ross will be auctioned on Friday 9 November to raise funds for environmental projects in the Bathurst area. Ms Ross lectured at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) predecessor institution, MCAE, in the 1970s and 80s. According to former Bathurst mayor Peta Gurdon-Meara, Ms Ross “enjoyed watching the University grow in stature, reputation and enrolments”. She later served as a councillor on Bathurst City Council for four years from 1992. Her sons, Ben and Steve Ross, have requested that their mother’s art legacy be used to benefit specific environmental projects carried out by the organisation Greening Bathurst.

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. The auction will be held at 6.30pm on Friday 9 November at the Cobblestone Gallery, Webb Building, George St, Bathurst. More information is available from Wayne Feebrey on 02 6331 4889, or Jock Bidwell on 02 6332 7320.

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.

Two third year nursing students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) have been awarded 2007 Australian Rotary Health Research Fund Rural and Remote Nursing Scholarships. Ms Susie McCalman, from Peak Hill, and Ms Janet Paine, from Warren, won the only two scholarships available for country NSW, each worth $12 500. Ms Cathy Maginnis, lecturer in nursing and course coordinator at the University’s Dubbo Campus, said this was a great achievement for the students and for CSU’s nursing course on the campus. “We are very proud of these two students, and their achievement confirms why CSU is the University of inland Australia. The Rotary scholarships acknowledge their hard work and commitment to nursing, as they are both are from rural properties and travel long distances to attend the University,” she said. The students are currently undertaking their final clinical placements in hospitals in rural and remote NSW.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has announced it is a major sponsor of Career Central Australia, an online career advisory service designed, developed and maintained by careers advisors and teachers. Ms Zelma Bone, lecturer in management communication at CSU’s Orange Campus, said that the CSU sponsorship enables 2 500 students at thirteen schools in western and central western NSW to become regional members for a greatly subsidised annual fee. Another 27 schools are waiting to join. “This is a wonderful initiative that demonstrates CSU’s commitment to the professions as the University of inland Australia by assisting schools and students to access online careers information every hour of every day, all year around,” Ms Bone said. Career Central Australia provides the latest careers information and job services, a careers newsletter, email bulletins and notices, and customized careers profiles, letters, applications and apprenticeship information.

Early childhood is a critical period for literacy development and US research has found that 35 per cent of children enter public schools with low levels of the skills needed to learn to read. Visiting US academic Professor Lynn Williams will present a lecture about how children acquire literacy skills on Thursday 8 November at Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bathurst Campus. Associate Professor Sharynne McLeod, from CSU’s School of Teacher Education, said that Professor Williams has a distinguished career in teaching and writing about speech and language development and disorders in children. “Her lecture, Contexts for facilitating emergent literacy skills, will summarize the findings from a range of studies in order to assist early childhood educators, speech-language pathologists, and families in their roles to prevent later reading difficulties for young children,” Dr McLeod said.