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ORANGE
Home > Regional News > Orange
New collaboration to research groundwater
17 Feb 2009
 A leading Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic will lead a team of researchers contributing to the recently announced five-year, $30 million Australian Centre for Groundwater Research and Training. Professor Allan Curtis, a social researcher with the CSU Institute for Land, Water and Society is well known for his work in natural resource management and rural communities in South Eastern Australia. Professor Curtis says the project aims to improve Australia’s capacity to better manage ground water resources which are threatened by over-extraction and pollution. “While the Centre will examine issues around the sustainable harvesting of groundwater resources, including the interactions between surface and groundwater, there is an important contribution for social research in terms of engaging groundwater users in developing practices that make more effective use of groundwater; and developing innovative arrangements that lead to more sustainable use of groundwater,” he said. The new centre is a partnership of 20 organisations including the Australian Research Council and the National Water Commission, CSIRO and 12 universities. Professor Curtis, along with other CSU researchers including Dr Digby Race and Dr Maureen Rogers, will work to identify projects to be funded over the next six months.
Media Note: Allan Curtis is Professor of Integrated Environmental Management and Head of Campus, Albury Wodonga. Professor Curtis is available for interview. Photos are also available. Contact CSU Media. Print this story The perennial possibilities of wheat
17 Feb 2009
 The opportunities in Australia for growing perennial wheat are being investigated by Charles Sturt University (CSU) PhD student Ms Nicole Hyde. As part of a Cooperative Research Centre for Future Farm Industries project, Ms Hyde late last year began to investigate several key questions: Can perennial wheat regrow in following seasons? Can perennial wheat survive our hot, dry summers? How does perennial wheat survive and regrow? “Perennial wheat is being developed in the USA, Russia, China, Argentina and now Australia, by crossing annual bread wheat with various perennial grasses,” said Ms Hyde. “The result should be a perennial grain crop that has the potential to offer significant benefits in Australian farming systems, including improved soil structure, reduced dry land salinity problems, and the provision of feed for grazing during the critical break-of-season period. However perennial wheat has never before been grown in Australia, so we do not yet know if these benefits will actually be delivered.” Ms Hyde hopes to complete her PhD by late 2011.
Media Note: PhD student Ms Nicole Hyde will deliver a seminar, ‘Opportunities for perennial wheat in Australia’, from 3pm on Thursday 19 February in the conference room, Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, Pugsley Place off Pine Gully Road. Ms Hyde is a member of the E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, an initiative of CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries. Print this story Orientation Week at Bathurst
17 Feb 2009
.jpg) New students and supportive family members have flooded onto the Bathurst Campus of Charles Sturt University (CSU) to get their bearings at the start of Orientation Week 2009. During his welcome to new students on 16 February, Head of Bathurst Campus, Mr Col Sharp, said he was delighted by the energy the new students brought to the campus “It’s important that new students are welcomed and assisted with their transition to university life, and we are confident that CSU will be a positive and constructive experience for students as they build their careers.” On Tuesday, students formally enrol, are given information about their courses and subjects and meet teaching staff. On Wednesday 18 February, students attend information sessions about CSU’s online services, electronic communications, learning in an e-environment and how to access support and facilities in information technology, library and student services. Male and female students will also participate in separate compulsory seminars on personal well-being and safety. Thursday is ‘Market Day’ on the library lawn, which provides a feast of information for new students about local businesses and services that they might chose or need to use during their time in Bathurst. There are no formal sessions scheduled for Friday.
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. Print this story Students move into new residences
17 Feb 2009
.jpg) With the start of Orientation Week at Charles Sturt University (CSU), the first students have taken up residence in the newly completed accommodation at Bathurst Campus. University officials are pleased that 120 new rooms were completed and ready to be occupied, and that another 80 rooms will be completed in the coming weeks. CSU’s Director of Student Services, Mr Andrew Callander, said the residences mark a new era in on campus living. “Besides being designed and constructed to be environmentally friendly and sustainable, the new residences come equipped with internet access and cable TV.” The complex consists of 10 modular concrete and corrugated iron buildings paired to enclose an open courtyard. Each block will house 20 students in self-catered accommodation with ‘open plan’ kitchens and living areas. The corrugated iron, which is light, strong, adaptable and durable, shields the internal concrete walls from the summer heat to enable the buildings to maintain a more constant temperature without the use of expensive air conditioning.
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Mr Andrew Callander, Director of Student Services at CSU. Similar residences have also been constructed for students at CSU at Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga, with more being built at Orange. Print this story Darwin celebrated in Bathurst
13 Feb 2009
 copy.jpg) Staff from the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Communication gathered in Bathurst’s Machattie Park on Thursday 12 February to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin. When Darwin voyaged to Australia in 1836, Bathurst was the most westward point of his inland journey, and when his book On the Origin of Species was published in November 1859, it changed the scientific understanding of life on Earth. At the commemorative morning tea in the park’s rotunda yesterday, CSU Professor of Communication, John Carroll, read extracts from Darwin’s journal to the gathering which also included members of the Bathurst branch of the Pensioners and Superannuants Association. Writing on 20 and 21 January 1836, Darwin observed ‘Bathurst has a singular and not very inviting appearance; groups of small houses, and a few large ones, are scattered rather thickly over two or three miles of a bare country which is divided into numerous fields’. He described conditions as hot, dry and dusty, noting the Macquarie River was a ‘mere chain of ponds … separated from each other by spaces almost dry’, but added ‘a little water does flow, and sometimes there are high and most impetuous floods’. He acknowledged that ‘the season had been one of great drought, and that the country does not at present wear a favourable aspect; although I understand two or three months ago it was incomparably worse’. T’was ever thus.
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Professor John Carroll. Print this story Digging deep for a national tragedy
13 Feb 2009
 Ahead of the official start of the academic year on Monday 23 February, students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) have raised almost $3 000 for the Victorian bushfire appeal. Ninety Residential Student Advisors from CSU at Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga collected $2 883.70 for the Australian Red Cross appeal during training at the University this week. The money was raised when a ransom was paid by the student leaders for the return of props used during the training. The Residential Student Advisors were undertaking training as part of CSU’s Residential Support Scheme. “This initiative is a credit to these students from across CSU’s campuses. It exemplifies the widespread commitment to assisting Victorians after the great loss of life and property,” said Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Lyn Gorman. Meanwhile, the Dean of the Faculty of Business, Professor John Hicks, has agreed to contribute $1 to the Red Cross appeal for every dollar donated by a Faculty of Business student up to $1 000. As other individual and group staff and student fundraising efforts get underway, the University cashiers’ offices on each campus are now donation points for the Australian Red Cross appeal. CSU is also offering its support to students affected by the Victorian bushfires. See here.
Print this story Chinese and Korean uni delegations visit Bathurst
13 Feb 2009
.jpg) Two high level delegations from universities in China and South Korea will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst on Monday 16 February to consolidate links with the national university of inland Australia. The Acting Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU, Professor Lyn Gorman, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Ross Chambers, will each host one of the visiting delegations from Dali University in China, and from Hannam University in South Korea. Professor Gorman said, “The University welcomes the opportunities these visits present to build on existing linkages and extend CSU’s involvement in international education with partners in China and South Korea.” The Dali University delegation will discuss a range of issues relating to areas of cooperation with CSU, including research, academic staff visits, as well as a specific articulation arrangement in Information Technology. Hannam University officials will explore ways in which CSU can enhance the courses and teaching at Hannam University. Professor Chambers said, “CSU has had a long-standing relationship with Hannam University since 2003, and this visit builds on that relationship. We will discuss programs for teachers of English, and doctoral programs in theology.” This will be the first visit to CSU by the new President of Hannam University, Dr Hyungtae Kim.
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. Professor Feng Yang from Heilongjiang University, China, will also join the discussions. Among the senior CSU academics at the talks will be the Dean of the Faculty of Business, Professor John Hicks, Dean of the Faculty of Education, Professor Toni Downes, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Nick Klomp, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Anthony Cahalan, as well as the Head of the School of Communication, Associate Professor Rod McCulloch. Dr Hyungtae Kim, the President of Hannam University in South Korea, will be accompanied by Dr Myunghee Kang, Dean of the Graduate School, and Professor Samuel Cheon, Dean of the Graduate School of Theological Interdisciplinary Studies. The Dali University delegation will be led by Professor Lihua Duan, Deputy President, who will be accompanied by Professor Yimin Du, Dean of Studies, Professor Zeheng Yang, Dean, College of Computer Science and Engineering, and Associate Professor Limin Shi, Director, Division of International Exchange of Cooperation. Print this story Regional universities go direct to local students
11 Feb 2009
Year 12 is a time when most students decide on their path for the future. Everyone wants to be successful and to make the best choices, but accessing the right information at the right time is not always easy. That’s where Charles Sturt University, (CSU) Southern Cross University and the University of New England can help. These universities recognise the importance of helping students select the right study options. That’s why they go direct to local students via the Regional University Road Show. Now in its eighth year, the Regional University Road Show visits 110 schools, sharing information with around 4500 students. As CSU Prospective Student Adviser Ms Katy O’Brien explains, the Regional University Road Show provides senior high school students with accurate and timely information regarding university education. “By pooling resources, CSU, SCU and UNE are able to provide excellent advice to students in one visit, maximising the study options presented to students while minimising the amount of time students need to be away from the classroom.” Orange Christian School Careers Adviser Ms Melissa Brown says the Regional University Road Show is a wonderful opportunity for her students as well as students from other local high schools. “Our students are able to hear from three different universities in the one session which enables them to consider a number of options for future study. Often regional students have difficulty attending university open days, so here the universities come to them. The sessions are very informative and give lots of time for questions about both the study options and the admissions process." Next week, the Regional University Road Show will be in Orange, visiting Orange Christian School, Orange High, Kinross Wolaroi and James Sheahan. Students from Canowindra and Molong will be travelling to Orange host schools to take part in the presentations. In a world of endless possibilities, it’s difficult to determine the best course of action for your future. The Regional University Road Show will help you find a study option to suit you.
Media Note: The Regional Universities Road Show will be in Orange on Monday 16 February. For interviews with Ms Katy O’Brien, or to arrange a photo opportunity, please contact Ms O'Brien on 0408 274 332.
Print this story Evolution: a significant advance for the modern world
10 Feb 2009
 Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is one of the most significant advancements in our understanding of the natural world, according to the Dean of the Faculty of Science at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Nick Klomp. “This breakthrough in scientific understanding still affects many facets of modern life, despite first being published 150 years ago.” CSU will lead the regional scientific communities in celebrating Darwin’s 200th birthday during the week commencing Monday 9 February. Professor Tom Frame in Canberra can discuss Darwin’s life and travels in Australia, including his visit to Bathurst, and his influence on society, while Professor Ben Bradley in Bathurst can discuss Darwin’s seminal work, On the Origin of Species, which was published in 1859. CSU scientists will also be available on the University’s Bathurst and Orange campuses to discuss how Darwin’s theories have influenced their work and the modern world, including Professor Frank Marino and the role of evolution in being able to run faster and longer and Professor Geoff Gurr on evolution and insect management.
Media Note: To arrange interviews with CSU scientists on the importance of Darwin’s theory of evolution and its place in the modern world contact CSU Media. Print this story Chinese university delegation visits
10 Feb 2009
 The national flag of China will again fly at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst on Thursday 12 February when a high level delegation from the Yunnan University of Finance and Economics (YUFE) in Kunming, China visits the University. The Dean of CSU’s Faculty of Business, Professor John Hicks, said the visit is an important link in the further development of relations with the tertiary education sector in China. “CSU is well placed to provide its expertise across a range of courses, particularly in business, and this visit will help strengthen the excellent relationship that the University has already established with YUFE,” Professor Hicks said. “Despite the global financial crisis, China remains an important trading partner for Australia. China has a dynamic higher education sector, and both CSU and YUFE benefit from the partnership that has been established.”
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. The Yunnan University of Finance and Economics delegation will include Professor Luo Mingyi (Chairman, University Committee), Professor Lin Hao (Director, University Office), Professor Xu Nanyuan (Dean, Tourism School), Professor Wang Min (Vice Dean, International Business School), and Professor Yan Gang (Director, International Cooperation and Exchange Office). They will be joined by Ms Lei (Catherine) Zhang and Professor John Dai from Tertiary Education International (TEI). Print this story |
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