Archive
Celebrating the work of midwives
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
The important work of midwives around the globe will be celebrated by Charles Sturt University (CSU) – a key educator of the health professions on International Midwives Day 2010, Wednesday 5 May. At CSU in Wagga Wagga, the day will be celebrated with a meeting of over 100 University midwifery graduates, nursing academics and midwifery practitioners and the launch of the book, No Births on Monday written by Wagga Wagga midwife Dr Mavis Gaff-Smith. Launching the book is one of the key developers of the postgraduate midwifery program at CSU, Dr Joanne Gray. Dr Gray is currently Director of Midwifery Education at the University of Technology Sydney. CSU is celebrating 20 years of educating midwifery students. Through its School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health, the University offers a Postgraduate Diploma of Midwifery by distance education to Registered Nurses in both metropolitan and rural areas.
CSU policing academics raise funds for paralympian
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Staff at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Policing Studies in Goulburn, NSW, have raised more than $3 000 for Ms Jan Pike, a Riding for the Disabled champion who is aiming to compete at the 2012 London Paralympics. The Head of the School of Policing Studies, Associate Professor Rosemary Woolston, said, “We’re delighted with the fundraising efforts by CSU staff and some police staff at the college. So far we have raised over $3 000 dollars and we still have an outstanding raffle from which we expect to raise more money. These funds will be used to assist Ms Pike to get to the Paralympics in London in 2012 by helping with necessities such as horse feed, farrier services, agistment fees, equipment and maintenance, accommodation for training and competition, and travel.”
CSU in Bathurst seeks strength athletes for research
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Strength athletes in the immediate Bathurst area needed for sports nutrition research at Charles Sturt University (CSU) can find out more at an information session at the University at 6pm on Wednesday 12 May. Chief investigator Dr Stephen Bird and co-investigator Dr Jack Cannon, both from the CSU School of Human Movement Studies in Bathurst, say, “Our previous research has shown that repeated bouts of resistance exercise accompanied by nutritional supplementation can promote increased muscle growth and strength. We need participants for our current research into Nutrient timing strategies and the strength athlete: mechanisms and adaptations, which will examine the science behind ‘nutrient timing’. The research volunteers will receive 10 weeks of supervised strength training, with nutritional supplements, so we can assess changes in hormone response, muscle growth, and strength and body composition, as well as indicators of muscle damage and recovery.”
Sizing up the environmental footprint
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003The challenge in managing an organisation’s development alongside its environmental footprint is demonstrated in Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) 2009 Environmental Scorecard. The document is prepared by CSU Green to critically assess the University’s progress in meeting its sustainability targets for 2011 and 2015. “There was a large amount of development and construction at Charles Sturt University, with a 16 per cent increase in gross floor space since 2006, the baseline year,” said CSU Green Manager Mr William Adlong. “Despite this construction, greenhouse gas emissions from energy use increased by only 1.3 per cent between 2006 and 2009. This reflects the greater energy efficiency of new buildings, improvements in the plant and equipment in existing buildings and staff efforts to reduce energy use in their work areas,” Mr Adlong said. The 2009 Environmental Scorecard also shows mains water consumption across the University fell by more than 32 per cent since 2006, electricity consumption rose by 5.2 per cent from 2006, and emissions from travel increased 4.5 per cent from 2008. Read the full 2009 Environmental Scorecard here.
Graduation with a difference
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003There will be a special graduation ceremony for one Charles Sturt University (CSU) graduate due to his inability to attend the ceremonies in Wagga Wagga last month. Mr Simon Stanbouli is an inmate at the Wellington Correctional Centre in central west NSW. While in custody he completed a Bachelor of Business (Business Management) with Distinction. “A number of obstacles faced this student during his distance education studies including no access to the internet, the need to submit handwritten assignments and his inability to speak directly with his lecturer,” said Dr Padma Nathan from the School of Business at CSU in Wagga Wagga. “It is no mean task to score a High Distinction or a Distinction in any subject, and yet Simon managed these grades in virtually every subject at Charles Sturt University. Credit is also due to all the academic and administrative staff who have acknowledged the difficulties Simon faced and endeavoured to go out of their way to help him.”
Interest soars in animation festival
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Interest in the 7th annual Australian International Animation Festival has reached unprecedented levels with more than 2 200 submissions received from 40 countries for the event in regional NSW. Hosted by the Animation and Visual Effects program at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga, the Festival will be held from Friday 14 May to Sunday 16 May at the Forum 6 Cinema in Wagga Wagga. The program includes international films, digital animation, stop motion and Australian made films. Young children are catered for in the Festival line-up as well as a ‘Late Night Bizarre’ show. There will also be free talks and workshops from local and international filmmakers. The full program can be found here.
Preparing students for the workplace
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Preparing students for life in the workplace, with suitable knowledge and skills, work readiness and understanding of occupational culture, has long been recognised as vital by higher education providers. A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has raised the issue of what knowledge and skills university educators need to take workplace education forward in the current global era. Professor Joy Higgs AM has received one of nine Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Teaching Fellowships to examine what makes good workplace education and to encourage the widespread use of good practice in universities nationally. “The aim is to better prepare students for the complex workplaces of today,” said Professor Higgs, Director of CSU’s Education for Practice Institute. “Known as practice-based education, it’s a vital part of the education of university students, but there is much of this teaching and learning that is invisible, such as how teachers make decisions about teaching in classrooms. A key goal of this fellowship is to identify and disseminate good practices.”
MyDay for prospective nursing and paramedic students
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
The nursing and paramedic courses at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be the focus for approximately 45 senior high school students from the Blue Mountains to Forbes when they attend the next MyDay information sessions at the University in Bathurst on Tuesday 18 May. Ms Fran Dwyer, a Prospective Student Adviser at CSU, said, “There are high levels of interest from prospective students keen to study nursing and paramedic courses and the nursing/paramedic double degree through the Faculty of Science at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. These professions are vital for society, and increasingly young people are keen to undertake study that they see as practical, useful and satisfying, especially as these are recognised as among the most trusted professions.” Students will meet CSU teaching staff and current students to explore the nursing and paramedic teaching laboratories, and learn about the challenges and rewards of these professions.
How teachers are 'made' in 2010 free public lecture in Bathurst
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
The way teachers are ‘made’ in 2010 is the subject of a free public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst at 6pm Wednesday 12 May. The Head of the CSU School of Teacher Education in Bathurst, Associate Professor Ninetta Santoro, will take a historical perspective to understand the present in her lecture examining The Making of Teachers: Teacher Education for the Twenty-First Century. “I will consider what it means to be a student teacher in 2010 compared to past generations, and what effective teacher education might look like in the future,” Professor Santoro said. “The nature of teachers’ work and knowledge has undergone enormous change in recent years due to a wide range of factors including increasingly complex student demographics, developments in information technology, and the ways in which knowledge is produced and transmitted. Australian classrooms are more culturally diverse than ever before, students are more technologically savvy, and school curricula are increasingly complex and expansive.”
Reversing the art of graffiti
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003International graffiti artist Moose will leave a lasting legacy in Wagga Wagga after a visit to the city hosted by the School of Communication and Creative Industries at Charles Sturt University (CSU) this week. The artist, also known as Paul Curtis, makes his ‘legal graffiti’ by wiping away dirt and pollution from public spaces to form large type and shapes. With the approval of Wagga Wagga City Council, and the support of local businesses Advision and Knights Meats, Moose will create what is known as ‘reverse graffiti’ on a wall in Fitzmaurice Street in Wagga Wagga on Friday 14 May. Earlier, the artist will share his experiences and ideas at a public lecture at CSU in Wagga Wagga from 1pm on Thursday 13 May. He will then meet with CSU’s final year Bachelor of Arts (Graphic Design) students to workshop ideas for the ‘reverse graffiti’ piece near Knights Meats on Friday 14 May. “This is a rare opportunity to see and hear the work of Moose whose ‘reverse graffiti’ is internationally acclaimed,” said Graphic Design course coordinator at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Mr Michael Agzarian.