A Charles Sturt University (CSU) education researcher is starting a study that focuses on young children identified as being gifted. PhD student with the CSU School of Education, Ms Nikki Masters, said the study aims to find out more about the experiences of children identified as gifted as they begin their primary schooling. “For a child identified as gifted, the transition to school may bring different challenges. For example, children already reading may stop reading in the first weeks of school, having realised that other children did not read and were not expected to. When these children are left without appropriate support, emotional, social or behavioural difficulties may occur. While the educational needs of all children must be considered, the intellectual, social and emotional needs of gifted children should be also considered in their schooling.” Ms Masters is seeking children aged four or five years old who are currently attending a pre-school in Albury or surrounding Riverina district during 2012 and will start school in 2013 to gather their stories, as well as the stories of their parents, carers and educators. These children should have been identified as gifted by either their parent or their pre-school teacher. For further details about the research project, send Ms Masters an email.

Students and staff at Charles Sturt University (CSU), some sporting silly socks, are calling on residents in Albury-Wodonga to ‘sock it to diabetes’ as part of activities recognising Foot Health Month across Australia. Students enrolled in the podiatry degree at CSU in Albury-Wodonga are providing screening tests for participants to assess the health of their feet and to show them good self-help practices to care for their feet. Podiatry course coordinator and leading ‘silly sock wearer’ Associate Professor Paul Tinley said the screening activities were part of CSU’s commitment to address the appalling number of foot amputations caused by poor foot health in people afflicted with diabetes. “It is critically important that all people with diabetes understand the risk of injury to their feet. Feet are so far from the heart that they are often the first places to show the problems of poorly controlled diabetes such as reduced sensation. This can lead eventually to lower limb amputation and a significant impact on mobility and health. Checking your feet is important for us all, plus I like the silly socks!” Professor Tinley said.

United States Consul General Mr Niels Marquardt will be immersed in environmental sustainability when he visits the award winning campus of Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga on Wednesday 10 October. Hosted by the University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew Vann, and Head of Albury-Wodonga Campus, Professor Julia Coyle, Mr Marquardt will view the environmentally friendy features of the Thurgoona site, from the energy-saving buildings to extensive water-saving management facilties and dry composting toilets. “We are proud of Charles Sturt University’s environmentally sensitive campus in Albury-Wodonga and we want to show what can be done with ingenuity and thoughtful investment over a number of years,” Professor Vann said. During his visit, Mr Marquardt will also meet with CSU staff and students, some of whom recently completed overseas clinical work in Vietnam and Bangladesh.

An experienced education manager has been appointed the inaugural manager of Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Wangaratta Study Centre. Ms Robyn Farley, who has lived on a small mixed farm near Chesney Vale since 2001, has previously worked for the University of Wollongong and Goulburn Ovens TAFE (GOTAFE) and has postgraduate qualifications in applied science and in education. "I believe it is vital that we enhance opportunities for regional students to undertake quality tertiary education studies locally, and that this can be done through educational partnerships such as the one recently formed between Charles Sturt University and GOTAFE in Wangaratta,” Ms Farley said.  The Wangaratta Study Centre will offer CSU degrees in agriculture and agricultural business management from 2013 to vocational education and training diploma holders who have completed appropriate courses. “We are looking to offer other higher education programs at Wangaratta in coming years, including nursing from 2014,” Ms Farley said.

An expert in the study of paranormal events from Charles Sturt University (CSU) believes the only scary thing about Halloween is the risk of tooth decay from all the sweets that children have an excuse to guzzle on the day. Dr Krissy Wilson, Head of CSU’s Science of Anomalistic Phenomena research unit, said the celebration of Halloween most likely started as a pagan tradition that coincided with the new harvest. “It later became a Christian celebration of All Hallows or All Saints Day. Modern times have seen it evolve into ‘Halloween’ – which came literally from ‘hallowed’ or ‘holy’ – that typically involves trick or treating, dressing up in silly outfits and watching horror movies!”

How native freshwater fish are affected by hydro-electric turbines for electricity on major rivers is a global concern. A fish researcher, who studies the ecology of migratory fish in the Lower Mekong River Basin in South-East Asia, is visiting southern NSW to investigate how Australian native fish can live with similar plants on major dams in the southern Murray-Darling Basin. Dr Phousavanh Phouvin, from the National University of Laos in Laos Peoples Democratic Republic, is currently on a three-month study tour in Australia, investigating aspects of hydro plant design that cause fish injuries and deaths. Dr Phouvin will present results from his findings at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury from 12noon on Thursday 15 November. He has worked mainly at the Narrandera Fisheries Centre as a Crawford Fund Fellow.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher is looking for Border residents to help her find out whether measuring blood pressure in a person’s feet is a good indicator of heart disease. Ms Kelsey Cook, an Honours student in podiatry at the CSU School of Community Health, is looking for people from Albury-Wodonga aged between 33 and 55 years to take part in the research, which involves having a free check of blood pressure in your feet as well as a free blood test to screen for cholesterol and other signs of heart disease. “We are investigating the relationship between the risk factors for heart disease and their effect on blood flow to the lower legs and feet,” Ms Cook said. “If blood pressure in the foot is related to heart disease this could have important implications for the early detection of heart disease, which is particularly important for people living in rural and remote communities,” Ms Cook said. This will be the first research project to be based in the new Community Engagement and Wellness Centre (CEW) at CSU in Albury-Wodonga. To be involved in the study please contact the CEW on (02) 6051 9299.

School leavers whose Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) was not as high as they had hoped have been told they don’t have to give up their university aspirations, with Charles Sturt University (CSU) continuing its Pathway Program in 2013. The program, a partnership between CSU and TAFE, runs for one year full-time and provides entry options for students who applied to CSU but were unsuccessful, or who need further preparation. Pathway coordinator Ms Sandra Fisher said the program offered multiple benefits. “Upon completion, students receive a Diploma of General Studies from Charles Sturt University and the Certificate IV in Further Education, or Tertiary Preparation Certificate from TAFE,” she said. “They are also guaranteed entry into a range of CSU degrees and may receive credit for some subjects.” The program is offered face-to-face at CSU in Bathurst, Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga, and this year will be offered at CSU in Dubbo as a blended distance education option.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will hold Wellness and Wellbeing Expos at its five main campuses, starting in Bathurst on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 February, to promote happier, healthier, more satisfied and more productive employees who are also resilient in an ever-changing workplace. Mr David Tallentire, CSU manager of occupational health and safety, said, “Charles Sturt University recognises and values the importance of staff wellness and wellbeing, and aims to adopt a holistic approach to the treatment of workplace health and safety. The University appreciates that personal problems can adversely affect employees’ work performance, work satisfaction, health, and feelings of wellbeing. We’re running Wellness and Wellbeing Expos to provide information to staff on the many health and wellbeing services available to them at Charles Sturt University and in our local communities, and to participate in workshops.” The Wellness and Wellbeing Expos will be held at CSU in Bathurst on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 February; at CSU in Orange on Thursday 7 February; at CSU in Dubbo on Friday 8 February; at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 February; and at CSU in Albury-Wodonga on Thursday 14 February.