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.

Prospective students are investigating the hundreds of course options at Charles Sturt University (CSU) as part of the 2007 mid-year intake. Tuesday 1 May is the mid-year deadline for enrolling to study nursing fulltime on the University’s Albury-Wodonga Campus or performing and visual arts on its Wagga Wagga Campus. More than 200 courses are available at undergraduate and post-graduate levels through distance education, including courses in business, theology, communication, information technology, applied science, health science, paramedic and rural studies. CSU nursing student Jessica Roennfeldt, from CSU’s Albury-Wodonga Campus, said: “I’m glad I applied for the 2006 mid-year intake because it’s been a great way to start my professional training. There was no need to wait another six months.”

The sod will be turned on a $10 million development that addresses new ways of learning at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Albury-Wodonga Campus on Monday 23 April. The new approach to learning will be officially launched by CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Ross Chambers. Relocating the existing library facilities into interactive student-focused learning ‘commons’ has been prompted by the new ways students work and study, with over $20 million invested across all campuses, including $10 million on the Learning Commons on the University’s Thurgoona site. CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter says, “This exciting development demonstrates the University’s flexibility and initiative by providing up-to-date technology and innovative learning resources for our students and staff, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” The Learning Commons building is designed by nationally renowned architect Peter Stutchbury and his team at Stutchbury & Pape, and incorporates library, computer services and student learning services in one space. Zauner Constructions has been selected to construct the facility.

Evolution, water management, local and global action to conserve the environment, and critical thinking in science will be major topics for discussions at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Albury-Wodonga Campus on Tuesday 24 April. Over 170 final year high school students from NSW and Victoria will gather on the University’s award-winning Thurgoona site to meet with CSU academic staff who will present lively demonstrations and lectures on current environmental issues being faced locally and globally. These issues are also part of the students’ Year 12 studies in biology, environmental science and geography. The Science @ CSU day will run from 10am to 2.30pm, Tuesday 24 April, starting at the CD Blake Lecture Theatre, CSU Albury-Wodonga Campus, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.

Top academic performances by Charles Sturt University (CSU) students from CSU’s Albury-Wodonga Campus will be recognised at a CSU Foundation Scholarship ceremony on Thursday 26 April. Seven new Foundation benefactors will also be acknowledged. They include the Bush Children’s Education Foundation, Microsoft Australia, The Co-op Bookshop, WBC Strategic Alliance and the Lions Club of Albury. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit, leadership and contribution to the community. Jennifer Potter, who will receive the Rotary Club of Albury-Hume Scholarship, will present a vote of thanks on behalf of scholars. A total of 235 scholarships valued at over $500 000 will be awarded to new and continuing students studying across the University’s five main campuses.

Two outstanding podiatry students will receive prizes at a ceremony for top academic students from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Community Health on Thursday 26 April. Sub-Dean of the Faculty of Science Professor Nick Klomp will present 23 Dean’s Awards and the two prizes during the ceremony, which is expecting up to 100 attendees. The prize-winning podiatry students are Sarah De Groot, who won the Australian Podiatry Association (NSW) Biomechanics Prize, and Sarah Marshall who will be awarded the InterPod Podiatry Prize.

An international book by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic about how children learn to speak will be launched on Thursday 26 April. Associate Professor Sharynne McLeod’s new International Guide to Speech Acquisition lists the components and phonetics of twelve English dialects and 26 other languages, making it the most comprehensive text of its kind. “The International Guide to Speech Acquisition describes the process by which children learn different dialects and different languages. Some of the information has never been translated into English before. If an English-speaking child has a Norwegian mother and a Filipino father, and they are having difficulty in all three languages, this guide can assist the speech pathologist or teacher to help the child.”

A partnership between Albury-Wodonga’s Cooinda Family Support Group and the speech pathology course in Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Community Health will see 19 families from the Border region receive individual assistance for their children’s speech development needs. The community project will see third year speech pathology students work closely with the families and program supervisor Dr Carl Parsons, who is a senior speech pathologist and patron of the Down’s Syndrome Association of Victoria. Dr Parsons is concerned at the shortage of speech pathologists working in regional Australia. “Families should not feel isolated due to their rural and regional situation,” he said. Dr Parsons will speak with the CSU students between 11am and 12.30pm today, Monday 30 April in Nowik Lecture Room 2 at Charles Sturt University, Guinea St, Albury, followed by participating families at 1pm. During this time, students will meet the families they will work with from May to November 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.