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PARRAMATTA
Home > Regional News > Parramatta
Preventing Shiraz grape escape
10 Apr 2007
 The Australian wine industry will benefit from Charles Sturt University (CSU) research to prevent revenue loss for Shiraz growers. A research team, led by senior lecturer in viticulture at the School of Wine and Food Sciences Dr Dennis Greer, is using business intelligence software to investigate water loss from Shiraz grapes. The project has received about $2 million funding from the Australian Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation. Shiraz grapes lose up to 20 per cent of their water content at the end of the growing season which means growers, who are paid on weight, lose up to 20 per cent of their potential revenue. Data including grape bunch weights, carbon dioxide and water vapour emissions is collected every five minutes over several days. According to Dr Greer, "This is relatively new science that has not been done on Shiraz grapes before".
Media Note: For more information contact CSU Media. Print this story Falling education opportunities on conference agenda
10 Apr 2007
 Young people’s access to educational opportunities can be adversely affected by drought, according to new research that will be presented at a national conference soon. Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Professor Margaret Alston and Dr Jenny Kent will present the final report on their research at the conference which will be hosted by the Federal Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), the Foundation for Regional / Rural Renewal (FRRR) and CSU. Former Deputy Prime Minister and conference convenor Ian Sinclair will join with members of the Myer family, who are the major donors to the FRRR, at the official welcome starting at 2pm on Tuesday 17 April at the Nowik Auditorium, CSU Albury City site, Guinea St, Albury.
Media Note: The conference, which addresses education in rural and remote Australia, will be held on Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 April in Albury. For interviews with Professor Alston, contact CSU Media. See details on Professor Alston’s research here . Print this story A healthy number of scholarships awarded
10 Apr 2007
 Students of Australia’s largest inland university Charles Sturt University (CSU) have been awarded seven of the nine Pharmacy Guild of Australia 2007 scholarships as part of the Guild’s Rural Pharmacy Scholarship Scheme. Faculty of Science Dean Professor Mark Burton was “thrilled” with the announcement. “It’s a testament to our health-based courses at CSU that our students receive such positive recognition. The scholarships encourage recipients to seek work in rural and remote areas which ties in with CSU’s commitment to providing trained professionals who will enhance rural communities,” said Professor Burton. To be eligible, Pharmacy students must be from a regional, rural or remote area. The students then make a presentation to the scholarship committee. Each scholarship is worth $40 000 per student over four years.
Media Note: Scholarship recipients are Theresa Heyen from Wagga Wagga, Tania Bailey from Mudgee, Amanda Henderson from Deniliquin, Kyle Fairley from Ardlethan, Tara Glaw from Jindera near Albury, Nathan Langfield from Eugowra and Samara Donohue from Henty. For interviews contact CSU Media. Print this story Carbon tax has 'merits'
10 Apr 2007
 The country's top economic reform agency has called for the introduction of carbon taxes as a way to cut greenhouse emissions. The Productivity Commission, the Australian Government's principal review and advisory body on microeconomic policy and regulation, last week submitted the proposal to the Prime Minister's task force on emissions trading. Dr Roderick Duncan, lecturer in economics at Charles Sturt University (CSU), says if we are serious about cutting emissions, a carbon tax is inevitable. “But to reflect the true cost of our energy, we are going to have to drastically increase the price of petrol and electricity. People say they are very concerned about global warming, but when I tell them we could triple the price of energy, then they become a lot less enthusiastic.”
Media Note: Dr Rod Duncan is available for interviews, contact CSU Media. Print this story An "enriching and rewarding" practicum says CSU graduate
13 Mar 2007
 India is the new booming economy – surpassing even China in recent economic growth. It is an amazing success story that is much more evident in the cities than the countryside according to Kirsty Hommel, a recent Charles Sturt University (CSU) social science graduate who spent her practicum in rural southern India developing skills she had learnt at CSU. “The area I lived in was very untouched by western influences. The village I was based in was without a road. Many people in this area live without running water or electricity - they use local wells and designated trees for toilets.” Kirsty says the Healthy Districts program aims “to increase the overall standards of health in the community through addressing poverty. We used community development to assist the community to generate income. I really enjoyed being there. Even after I met my practicum requirements, I chose to stay another month. I felt very immersed in the community and the culture there.”
Media Note: Kirsty Hommel is available for interviews, contact CSU Media. For almost four months late last year, Kirsty worked in Tamil Nadu in southern India with the NGO Rural Unit for Health and Social Affairs (RUHSA) on a project aimed at increasing standards of health through community development. Print this story CSU’s world champion triumphs again
06 Mar 2007
 Charles Sturt University (CSU) human movement graduate, Paralympian and current world wheelchair marathon champion Kurt Fearnley won the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday 4 March smashing the course record by more than a minute. Kurt is originally from Carcoar in the NSW Central West region. Yesterday he said from LA, “It was a particularly sweet victory - my fifth straight win. I have definitely hit something - whether it is my peak I don’t know. I have conditioned myself to race week in and week out, and I am not sure how long it will last, so I am trying to do as many marathons as I can and figure out which ones I enjoy most”. This weekend Kurt travels to Japan for a track meeting before the Rome Marathon on 18 March. In April he will compete in the Paris and London marathons and attend the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards in Spain as Australia’s only nominee.
Media Note: For more information, contact CSU Media. Kurt Fearnley, OAM is a Board Member of Australian Volunteers International and a patron of C-pod which seeks to engage corporate Australia in charitable activities. He is nominated in the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability category. The Laureus World Sports Awards will be held in Barcelona, Spain on Monday 2 April. Print this story How green was my Gore?
06 Mar 2007
 Former US Vice President Al Gore was in the news last week when it was revealed his household energy bill amounted to US$30 000 a year. Jodie Kleinschafer, a Charles Sturt University PhD student currently studying ways households can become more energy efficient, said: “If he is being carbon neutral, using renewable energy sources that are 100 per cent green, then he is not being inconsistent with his environmental stance.” She says there are simple ways to reduce electricity consumption. “Turn down the temperature on your hot water, use the air conditioner less, and don’t turn your heater up quite so high.” Mrs Kleinschafer says “smart meters” are also a useful option for improving energy efficiency because they “give immediate feedback on how much electricity is being used and how much it is costing. Until our electricity is from 100 per cent renewable energy sources, it is in everybody’s best interest to become more energy efficient”.
Media Note: Jodie Kleinschafer is the recipient of Country Energy’s $100 000 inaugural Energy Efficiency Research Scholarship. The industry scholarship allows her to research renewable energy or an area known as demand management. For more see here. For interviews, contact CSU Media. Print this story Bedside manners for CSU veterinary students
06 Mar 2007
Charles Sturt University (CSU) veterinary students will be given practical guidance on leadership, team-work, communication, emotional intelligence and conflict management tomorrow Wednesday 7 March as part of a veterinary leadership experience (VLE) workshop on CSU Wagga Wagga Campus. CSU lecturer in dairy cattle practice Natasha Lees said, “The VLE is a chance for students to further develop their skills enabling them to successfully make the transition from the lecture hall to the workplace”. Ms Lees believes the workshops will help CSU produce graduates that meet the needs of its regional, national and international communities. First year students in CSU’s School of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences will be addressed during the workshop by Professor Rick Debowes and psychologist Kathy Ruby, both from Washington State University, USA.
Media Note: For interviews and pictures contact CSU Media. Print this story Diabetes 'time-bomb'
06 Mar 2007
 World Health Organisation predictions of a 60 per cent increase in Type 2 Diabetes between 1995 and 2030 have been challenged by a new study from Ontario. Researchers there have found a 69 per cent increase in the rate of the disease between 1995 and 2005 - far greater than previous projections for Canada. The authors of the new research say this could have devastating consequences worldwide. Professor Patrick Ball from Charles Sturt University’s School of Biomedical Sciences isn’t surprised. "The clear evidence is that we are losing the battle. There are so many different facets to the problem including lack of exercise and modern diets packed with fats and sugar. People are starting to accept diabetes as a normal part of the ageing process. I believe it is a worse health problem than tobacco."
Media Note: Professor Patrick Ball is available for interviews. Contact CSU Media. Print this story Christianity, its relevance for today’s youth
20 Feb 2007
What is the relevance of Christianity to modern Australian youth? Is God a major influence today? Reverend Father Dr F. Washington (Tony) Jarvis will touch on these and other issues during a public forum sponsored by Charles Sturt University’s Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (ACC&C) in Canberra on Thursday 22 February. Internationally recognised in religious circles, Father Tony is an Episcopal priest who is no stranger to social, ethical and moral dilemmas confronting the youth of today after running a city-wide youth ministry in Cleveland, USA. He also has much experience to impart as a past President of the Headmaster’s Association of USA and a former member of the Massachusetts State Ethics Committee.
Media Note: The public session will be held at the ACC&C Chapel, 15 Blackall St, Barton, Canberra on Thursday 22 February, starting at 5pm Print this story |
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