Archive
Learning and teaching conference for CSU staff
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Charles Sturt University (CSU) will hold its annual tertiary learning and teaching conference CSUEd2010, in Bathurst from 9-11 November, with six pre-conference workshops on Tuesday 9 November. The Conference Chair, Associate Professor Som Naidu, the Director of Teaching and Learning Quality Services in the CSU Division of Learning and Teaching Services, said the theme of this year’s conference is ‘Educating for 2020 and beyond’.“The two conference keynote addresses will be delivered by Professor Jeannie Herbert, Foundation Chair of Indigenous Studies at Charles Sturt University, and Professor Ron Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education at the University of London in the UK. The pre-conference workshops will allow staff from across the University to actively discuss a range of topics related to learning and teaching at the University including education for practice, blended and flexible learning, and curriculum renewal,” Professor Naidu said.
International visitor sees fishy side of CSU
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003An Austrian freshwater ecologist is visiting Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Environmental Science and the Institute for Land, Water and Society to see how scientists are studying the survival of the young stages of fish in Australian rivers. Associate Professor Hubert Keckeis, from the University of Vienna in Austria, is working with CSU researcher Dr Paul Humphries on the ways that fish larvae disperse in rivers. His visit follows Dr Humphries’ own work two years ago in the Danube River, which was the basis for a major three-year project for Professor Keckeis, the results of which will be used in plans to restore the Danube River that flows through much of southern Europe. “Dr Humphries is well-known for his ‘larval drift’ work in rivers,” said Professor Keckeis, who is working with Dr Humphries, Dr Kevin Warburton and Honours student Mr Tim Kaminskas on experiments to investigate the effects of water velocity and light on larval drift, and analysing age and growth data of drifting larvae.
Unemployment and misery: CSU public lecture
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003A leading international community critical psychologist and Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic, Professor David Fryer, will speak as part of the CSU public lecture series in Bathurst on Wednesday 17 November. Professor Fryer, a lecturer and researcher at the CSU School of Psychology in Bathurst, says his topic, Unemployment from a Community Critical Psychology Standpoint: Misery, Mental Ill-Health and Marienthal, examines the relationship between unemployment, misery, mental health and community life. “Although the first research into this topic commenced in the 1930s, the question has seldom been more internationally relevant, nor answers more needed, than since the recent global financial crisis which has led to mass unemployment, under-employment, and insecure employment in many of the world’s major economies. Social scientists agree that unemployment leads to mental health, social and community problems, not only among those directly affected but also in the wider community. This lecture will look at these problems from a community critical standpoint and discuss their international and local relevance,” Professor Fryer said.
Searching for memories of school days past
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Were you born here or overseas, and did you start or re-start school in Australia between 1965 and 1995? Education researchers at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education (RIPPLE) based in Albury-Wodonga want to speak to you. They are recording the memories of people who started or re-started school in this period, and want to interview people face-to-face or by telephone for about one hour. Interviewees are also invited to share their memorabilia and photos with the early childhood researchers at the University, as part of a project titled Narratives of Transition: Starting school in different decades, which is part of research into transition to school by the Murray School of Education. To organise an interview for the project, contact Dr Tuija Turunen on (02) 6051 9419, or send an email ttururnen@csu.edu.au .
Leading astronomer to speak about the stars
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003With an asteroid named after him, Professor Fred Watson, AM, is a master of the universe whose passion for astronomy will excite those who attend his public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange on Friday 12 November. Astronomer-in-charge of the Australian Astronomical Observatory at Siding Spring near Coonabarabran, NSW, Professor Watson’s main scientific interest is gathering information on very large numbers of stars and galaxies. He is well-known for his astronomy discussions on ABC Radio, has been a guest speaker at venues ranging from Parliament House and the Australian Museum, to Science in the Pub, and is in demand among science educators. Professor Watson is a frequent guest on ABC TV’s weekly science program, Catalyst, and writes regularly for several publications, including Australian Geographic and the annual Yearbook of Astronomy. To find out more about the universe and the asteroid 5691 Fredwatson, the Central West Branch of the Royal Society of NSW invites the public to attend Professor Watson’s public lecture, An alien like you, at 6pm Friday 12 November at Lecture Theatre 3, CSU in Orange. Tickets are $3 for Royal Society members, $5 for non-members.
CSU safety at work awards
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Safety-conscious staff at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will be honoured when the annual Wagga Mutual Credit Union Safety Awareness Awards are presented on Thursday 11 November. Six staff, including a lecturer, a laboratory manager and a security officer, will receive an award during the ceremony from 3.30pm to 5pm in Joyes Hall at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The awards in 2010 have focussed on staff who have used the official hazard reporting system at CSU, or have shown good occupational health and safety practice in offering solutions to potential hazards which range from road safety on campus, lighting and a washing machine with an electrical fault.
Physiotherapy building started at CSU in Orange
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Construction has begun on the $7.7 million allied health development at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange. The development includes a new Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Science teaching facility for the School of Community Health along with restructured access roads and a new alternative entrance allowing easier access to campus accommodation. With the Bachelor of Physiotherapy course established at CSU in Orange this year, the University is continuing its development of the campus with a new purpose-built facility which will include academic offices, a rehabilitation gym and a practice clinic. Until the facility is completed, students will continue to use state-of-the-art rooms in the Experiential Learning Centre and Dentistry building, and attend lectures in one of the three lecture theatres on the campus. “Both the students and academics are very excited about the new facilities,” said Associate Professor Julia Coyle, Head of the School of Community Health. The building is due to be completed by mid-2011.
National award for CSU agriculture educator
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Emeritus Professor Ted Wolfe will receive a national medal for his outstanding contributions to agricultural education and research at a ceremony in Canberra this evening, Tuesday 9 November. Awarded by the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, the Australian Medal of Agricultural Science for 2010 will be presented to Professor Wolfe who continues to actively support agricultural research, extension, professional activities and rural communities in the Riverina, and in Eritrea, North East Africa. In 1990, Professor Wolfe was appointed head of the then-School of Agriculture at CSU in Wagga Wagga and coordinated the agriculture degree at CSU until his retirement from the University in 2001.He is a member of the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, a collaborative alliance between CSU and Industry & Investment NSW. Professor Wolfe has experienced another busy period in 2009/10, completing two book chapters, writing a Pasture Profile of Australia for the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, and supporting an Australian-funded agricultural project in Eritrea. Read more about Professor Wolfe’s Australian Medal of Agricultural Science for 2010 here.
CSU in Orange hosts administration conference
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003More than 130 Charles Sturt University (CSU) administrative staff will converge on CSU in Orange to attend the University’s biennial conference, Admin Focus - Diversity @ one university on Wednesday 17 November. Every two years administrative staff from six CSU campuses gather to attend a program of professional and social activities and this is the first time the conference has been held at CSU in Orange. “Charles Sturt University values the significant contribution of administrative staff in office and support positions,” said Ms Jenna Sharp, chairperson of the Admin Focus organising committee. “Admin Focus gives staff the opportunity to increase their understanding of relevant professional development topics, and it fosters a sense of community among administrative staff who normally would only be interacting between campuses via phone and email.” The two-day conference will include talks by professional educator and director of Keys to Success, Ms Mary Brell, and the Deputy Chancellor of the CSU Council, Ms Kathryn Pitkin.
Virtual world for policing students
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003The use of virtual reality is pivotal to training future police officers in NSW, according to Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic, Ms Amanda Davies, course director of the Associate Degree in Policing Practice at the School of Policing Studies. Ms Davies will explain how simulation and virtual reality is used in teaching policing studies in a case study titled ‘The Role of Virtual Reality in Connecting Students to their Profession’ to be presented at the National Curriculum Innovation and Quality Forum 2010 in December. “Our students use virtual reality to practice management of events that could happen as part of their policing duties,” Ms Davies said. “The way this course is delivered is a good example of how virtual reality can assist in the practical learning and training involved with certain professions, and I look forward to sharing that knowledge with my colleagues at this conference.” The National Curriculum Innovation and Quality Forum 2010 aims to develop and strategies for education and training providers.