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WAGGA WAGGA
Home > Regional News > Wagga Wagga
Books: an endangered species?
26 May 2009
 Are books becoming extinct? That is the question which will be posed by the School of Education at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Wagga Wagga during a public forum on Wednesday 27 May. In the first Edversations Professional Forum for 2009, CSU academics will join representatives from schools, education support agencies and the wider community to discuss the topic. While the next generation of children has embraced new technologies such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and SMS, the expert panel will explore the significance of hard copy texts. “The issue is important for educators and parents alike as children are being immersed in a technological world and we need to ensure that they are equipped with the skills to navigate that world,” said one of the forum’s facilitators Ms Letitia Galloway from the School of Education. “We need to ask ourselves 'What place do books have today in the education and development of children?'” The forum is hosted by CSU and Wagga Wagga City Council.
Media Note: CSU wine and cheese will be served at the Edversations Professional Forum from 6pm Wednesday 27 May in the council meeting room, Civic Centre, Baylis St, Wagga Wagga.
Print this story 1945 Kapooka tragedy remembered
19 May 2009
An academic whose work has raised Australian consciousness of the largest accident in the Army’s history will this week address a memorial service for the tragic event. In May 1945 at the Royal Australian Engineers Training Camp Kapooka near Wagga Wagga, 24 young trainee engineers and two of their instructors were killed in an explosion in a bunker during a demolitions training exercise. In 2008, CSU senior lecturer Dr Peter Rushbrook detailed the event in the journal, History of Education Review. “Apart from a mass funeral, where the coffins lay on four semi-trailers, and the subsequent inquiry, the Kapooka tragedy has disappeared altogether from our national memory,” wrote Dr Rushbrook. On Thursday 21 May from 2.15pm near the Kapooka Military Area, Dr Rushbrook will be among the official guests at the second consecutive memorial service hosted by the Army Recruit Training Centre (ARTC) Commandant Colonel G W Finney.
Media Note: Dr Peter Rushbrook is a senior lecturer with the School of Education at CSU at Wagga Wagga. He is a member of CSU’s Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education or RIPPLE. Dr Rushbrook is available for interview about the 1945 tragedy on 02 69 332564. Read more here. For media queries about the memorial service, contact Warrant Officer Class One Beatty at the Army Recruit Training Centre on 02 6933 8212.
Print this story Praise for finalist in NSW Premier's Literary Awards
19 May 2009
.jpg) Actor and author Mr Brendan Cowell, who graduated in 1997 from the theatre/media course at the School of Communication at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst, narrowly missed out on the Play Award when the winners of the NSW Premier's Literary Awards 2009 were announced at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney last night, Monday 18 May. Mr Cowell’s play Ruben Guthrie was one of six plays short-listed for the prestigious award. Theatre/media lecturer, Mr Jerry Boland, said Brendan Cowell is an immense talent whose success is highlighted by the calibre of the other nominees and by the public acclaim for his work. “Brendan has enjoyed major success both within Australia and abroad, and I congratulate him for his nomination with such illustrious company.”
Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. Ruben Guthrie was produced in 2008 by B Sharp, Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney and will be published by Currency Press in May 2009. Mr Cowell’s first play, Men, was a sell-out hit at the Old Fitzroy Hotel in Sydney 2000. He has received a number of writing awards, including the Patrick White Playwright’s Award for Bed, the Phillip Parsons Playwright’s Award and the Griffin Award for Rabbit. He has also received an Australia Council grant. His most recent play, Ruben Guthrie, sold out the B Sharp season in 2008 and will transfer to the Company B mainstage in 2009. His plays have been produced in Berlin, London, Edinburgh and New York.
Print this story Promoting alcohol and drug awareness
19 May 2009
Students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Wagga Wagga will this week have an opportunity to mark Drug Action Week 2009. An initiative of the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia, the national awareness campaign aims to this year highlight the broad range of issues surrounding alcohol and other drugs (AOD) and draw attention to the achievements of frontline AOD workers. CSU students will be able to learn more at a free barbecue on Wednesday 20 May. Through a number of fun activities, students will be able to simulate the effects of AOD. The activities and barbecue will be held from 11am to 2pm near the Student Cafeteria at CSU at Wagga Wagga.
Media Note: Drug Action Week 2009 will be held nationally between Sunday 21 June and Saturday 27 June but will be held in May at CSU at Wagga Wagga due to a clash with end of semester exams. For further information contact Health Promotions Officer with the Division of Student Services, Ms Coleen Pearce on 02 6933 2263.
Print this story More than a 'vegie' patch
19 May 2009
 The driving force behind the establishment of a student ‘vegie’ patch at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Wagga Wagga envisages not only a space for students to grow and harvest vegetables, but a place for art installations, sculptures and quiet contemplation. Ms Gemma Hawkins, a third year veterinary science student and student representative on CSU’s Environmental Management Advisory Committee said, “I believe that having a creative space will allow students to feel they have an influence and lasting legacy at Charles Sturt University, whether it be through creating art or growing plants.” Ms Hawkins is establishing a vegetable garden student committee to oversee planting and harvest. “We have many ideas about how to run the garden and may eventually hire out plots, like a community garden.” The project has been jointly supported by the University’s Division of Student Services and the Division of Facilities Management whose staff cleared and levelled the land and provided the compost soil base, made from scraps collected and composted at CSU.
Media Note: The vegetable patch is located behind new student residential accommodation at CSU at Wagga Wagga. The residences incorporate sustainable features such as corrugated iron cladding, which is light, strong, adaptable and durable, shields the internal concrete walls from the summer heat, enabling the buildings to maintain a more constant temperature. Rainwater collected from roofs is used to flush toilets. To arrange interviews with CSU student Ms Gemma Hawkins, contact CSU Media.
Print this story Student scholarships on show
19 May 2009
 In one of his final official duties as Head of Campus, Professor David Green will host a scholarship ceremony at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 20 May. Ninety-one new and continuing students at CSU at Wagga Wagga are eligible to receive scholarships worth $287 000 through the Charles Sturt Foundation. Similar ceremonies will be held across the University involving a total of 220 students. With the support of the corporate and community sectors, the Charles Sturt Foundation assists students, many of whom would not be in a financial position to undertake their studies without this level of support. A number of new benefactors will be named during the ceremony at CSU at Wagga Wagga. The scholarship ceremony also provides an opportunity for the students to meet their scholarship donors. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit, leadership and contribution to the community. Professor Green, who will be Master of Ceremonies, is due to retire from the University on Friday 29 May. Read more here.
Media Note: The Charles Sturt Foundation scholarship ceremony will be held from 4pm, Wednesday 20 May at Joyes Hall, Pine Gully Road, CSU, Wagga Wagga
Print this story Exercise and the fitness of the brain
12 May 2009
 Is it possible to exercise to improve thinking skills? This is being investigated by researchers at Charles Sturt University (CSU). “The high school jock stereotype is not usually associated with great intelligence, but maybe they are smarter than if they didn’t exercise,” explained Dr Matthew Thomas from the School of Social Science and Liberal Studies at CSU at Bathurst. “We know there are benefits in aspects of mental processing from a short bout of exercise and also for people who exercise over several months. What we want to test in this study is whether there is an effect on the mental performance of healthy young and middle-age adults with just four weeks of exercise.” Residents of Coffs Harbour and Bellingen in northern NSW are being invited to participate in this new study. “We’re looking for people who don’t usually exercise. Couch potatoes if you like,” said Dr Thomas. Assessments of participants’ mental processing will be conducted by local resident, Ms Jenny Grant, as part of her Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology). “It’s like having your brain fitness tested,” said Ms Grant.
Media Note: CSU Honours student Ms Jenny Grant is available for interview on 0421 523 715. Information about participating in the research is also available from Ms Jenny Grant on 0421 523 715 or send an email. Participants who complete the three assessments will receive a report on their results and a free pedometer or handheld body-fat analyser.
Print this story Plant breeding holds key to better crops
12 May 2009
It’s hoped a trip to the Philippines will contribute knowledge towards research currently underway into plant breeding for disease resistance. E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation research student Mr Ray Cowley will travel to the major rice producing country this Saturday 16 May to participate in a three-week workshop into the practical aspects of plant breeding at the headquarters of the International Rice Research Institute. “The challenges faced by plant breeders are common across many agricultural crops and I’m hoping to learn the practical aspects of plant breeding and genetics and how they manage the breeding and plant selection process in rice,” Mr Cowley said. “Despite focusing on lupins, the research addresses universal problems relating to breeding crops which are disease resistant.” He said the outcome of this type of research can mean the development of better plant varieties which leads to improved crop yields, which in turn improves the livelihood of farmers, not only in Australia but overseas.
Media Note: Mr Ray Cowley is a PhD student with the E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation in Wagga Wagga, a collaborative alliance between CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI). His PhD is entitled Genetic resistance to diseases of Lupinus albus caused by Diaporthe toxica. The trip to the Philippines is funded by a scholarship from the Crawford Fund. Mr Cowley is supervised by CSU researchers Associate Professor Gavin Ash and Dr John Harper and DPI’s Dr David Luckett. Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews. Print this story Special feet needed for Albury study
12 May 2009
 Residents around Albury-Wodonga with peripheral vascular disease – a common complication of diabetes - are sought to assess an early detection system being developed by Charles Sturt University (CSU) researchers. With diabetes now the most likely chronic disease to affect people over 50 years old, for the past 10 years Dr Herbert Jelinek and his team have been studying new and more accessible methods for detecting diabetes in patients in regional Australia. “Peripheral vascular disease constricts blood flow in the extremities of our bodies, particularly feet,” said Dr Jelinek.”We are assessing the use of a simple, hand held instrument to measure blood flow into feet and so detect this condition before nasty complications, such as infections and gangrene, can develop.” The study is being conducted through the Diabetes Complications Research Initiative at CSU in Albury-Wodonga. People already affected by peripheral vascular disease and who would like to take part in the study should contact Ms Bev de Jong on 02 6051 6858.
Media Note: For interviews on the diabetes project, contact Dr Herbert Jelinek from the School of Community Health at CSU at Albury-Wodonga on mobile 0427 681 754. Print this story How maths is learned at home and school
12 May 2009
The process of how mathematics is learnt by school students has long been investigated by Charles Sturt University (CSU) senior lecturer Dr Tamsin Meaney. The academic has worked with non-English speaking students in Sydney, Indigenous students in the Northern Territory, teachers in the Republic of Kiribati, and in a Maori school in New Zealand. At a public lecture in West Wyalong on Wednesday 27 May, Dr Meaney will discuss how children come to school with a wealth of mathematical experiences learnt outside the classroom. She will examine the common measurement experiences at home and how they assist school lessons. “The more that parents and teachers work together, the more likely that children will learn with confidence,” said Dr Meaney. ”Often with mathematics, this has lead to an emphasis on the parents having to learn about what happens in schools. However, teachers can also learn a lot about what happens at home and use this in planning more tailored learning opportunities.”
Media Note: Dr Tamsin Meaney is from the CSU School of Education in Wagga. She is available for interviews on Wednesday mornings and Friday afternoons. The public lecture, Only two more sleeps until the school holidays; Learning from outside school mathematical practices, is presented by CSU and the Bland Shire Council at 6pm Wednesday 27 May, Bland Shire Council Chambers, Shire St, West Wyalong. RSVP Ms Julie Sharpe on 02 6972 2266 or send an email.
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