Archive

Science teachers from the Riverina will return to university, if only for a short time, as part of a professional development opportunity at Charles Sturt University (CSU) this week. Organised by the Eastern Riverina Science Teacher’s Association, the conference will be held at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 31 October and Friday 1 November. As part of the event, a number of workshops will be run for the high school teachers by academics from the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences and the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences. Associate Professor Paul Prenzler will present a workshop on how teachers can engage students from Years 7 to 10 in fun chemistry practicals or demonstrations. ‘Chemistry – practicals to engage the junior learner’ will be held from 10.30am to 12.30pm on Thursday 31 October in the National Life Sciences Hub at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The CSU academic, who is a member of the University’s award winning Chemistry Teaching Team and of the Eastern Riverina Science Teacher’s Association, was recently involved in promoting science amongst Indigenous students at Mount Austin High School as part of the National Indigenous Science Education Program. Read more on CSU News here.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher believes effective biosecurity is the most humane and affordable way of preventing the spread of Avian Influenza from wild waterfowl to poultry operations. Birds on a second egg farm near Young in NSW have been confirmed to have the H7 strain of Avian Influenza, different to the H5N1 strain which can affect humans. Dr Andrew Peters, lecturer in Veterinary Pathology with the  School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga has an interest in the spread of parasites and disease in wild bird populations.  He said various strains of Avian Influenza circulate naturally in populations of waterfowl but rarely causes disease in these wild birds. “Different species of waterfowl play different roles in the transmission and maintenance of Avian Influenza in the natural environment,” said Dr Peters. “There is a need to better characterise this in Australia, as well as the ecology of these species, and by doing so develop cost-effective biosecurity measures to protect free-range poultry operations.” 

As regional cities slowly move into surrounding farms and bushlands, native animals such as the squirrel glider have become threatened by loss of suitable habitat. Charles Sturt University (CSU) wildlife researcher and Honours student, Mr Mitchell Francis, has found that better land planning in developing cities could help the survival of threatened species such as the squirrel glider. In a study of urban and rural environments on the northern edge of Albury at Thurgoona, Mr Francis found squirrel gliders, which live in tree hollows for nesting and foraging, preferred tall, large hollow bearing native trees where there was less urban noise, fewer roads, and less light pollution from human sources such as streetlights and houses. “I suspect that roads are barriers to the movement of squirrel gliders for foraging, and light and noise pollution from nearby developing suburbs are a threat to their persistence,” Mr Francis said. His supervisor, Dr Peter Spooner, noted that in much of eastern Australia, towns and cities are expanding into habitat which is critical for native fauna. “Knowledge of urban impacts on animals like the squirrel glider is important for town planners who are making decisions to approve urban developments on the edge of town and cities.”

People in Dubbo and the region will be asked ‘Do you need a digital diet?’ when a leading education academic presents a free public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo on Wednesday 13 November. Professor of Education and Head of the CSU School of Teacher Education, Tara Brabazon, will speak about the need to manage our fixation with digital social media that has resulted from recent rapid technological developments. “I will challenge the audience – and people everywhere - to move from information obesity to intellectual fitness by developing ‘information literacy’,” Professor Brabazon said. “I argue that we need to learn to manage the confusion and disruption of our modern lives, as they are increasingly swamped by the digital beep-beep-beep of Facebook updates, Twitter, and mobile phone messages.” You can view Professor Brabazon’s YouTube video invitation to attend here. She will also launch her new book, Digital Dieting, during the public lecture.

One of Australia’s leading experts in estate planning and succession will host two  seminars at  Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie on Thursday 7 November for people interesting in planning and managing their family’s financial future. Hosted by Charles Sturt University’s Faculty of Business, a third-generation lawyer with more than 25 years experience, Mr Michael Perkins, will present the seminar ‘Protecting Your Children’s Inheritance and Planning for Your Later Years’. Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business Professor Lesley White said Mr Perkins would also host a seminar for professionals working in the financial services industry, ‘Planning, Administration and Succession – A Guide for Professional Advisors’, on the same day. “These are the first in a series of seminars for professional advisors and non-professional investors,” Professor White said. “It’s a great opportunity to come and meet one of the nation’s top advisors, and to ask the questions that are important to planning your financial future. Read more here.

Three students from All Saints College in Bathurst have taken out the local prize in the 2013 Game On competition for Year 10 and 11 students enrolled in commerce, economics, legal studies and other related subjects in central NSW. Three All Saints students - James Keech, Alex Mitton and Juan Kritzinger - built and operated their own ‘virtual’ business, titled ‘AJJG Smart Tech’, in a computer simulated market and competition hosted by CSU’s Faculty of Business. Local Game On coordinator and Head of School of Management and Marketing Associate Professor Mark Frost said, “The exercise aims to help students develop skills in finance, human resource management, marketing and operations that are relevant to the real world. The game complements the Stage 6 NSW Business Studies curriculum.” The simulation ran from May until September 2013 with eight rounds of competition between over 550 students from 23 NSW high schools from Port Macquarie to Albury, including 24 teams in the central west. It enables students to learn through hands-on experience and encourages students to apply these key business principles to their own ‘virtual’ business.

Advances in medical imaging to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer will be discussed when two internationally acclaimed radiologists meet with medical specialists on the Mid North Coast. Hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Healthcare Imaging Services, the education session in Port Macquarie on Thursday 31 October, will provide local GPs and specialists with the opportunity to learn from two of the world’s most highly respected radiologists, Professors Barry and Marilyn Siegel. “It is the regional referrers and subsequently the patients of the Mid North Coast who will benefit most from the visit of such esteemed Professors in their diagnostic imaging field,” said Healthcare Imaging Services National Business Development Manager - Nuclear Medicine and PET, Mr Matt Ayers. The radiologists are Australia as invited guest speakers at the annual Integrative Imaging Symposium  in Sydney on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 November. In its 10^th year, the conference for nuclear medicine and radiology professionals is organised in partnership between CSU, Macquarie University and the Rural Alliance in Nuclear Scintigraphy. Symposium convener and Associate Professor in Medical Radiation Science at CSU, Geoff Currie said, “Despite being located in Sydney, the conference is aimed at rural and regional communities so we ensure we engage with our local community in Port Macquarie to support the great partnerships we have with radiology and nuclear medicine departments”. From 2013, Mid North Coast students have been able to study a Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science locally, at CSU in Port Macquarie. Professors Marilyn and Barry Siegal will address an evening clinical seminar for local health in Port Macquarie on Thursday 31 October. 

Students living on campus at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will present $6 500 to the Wagga Wagga and Region Suicide Prevention Network following the students’ fund-raising efforts in 2013.  Manager of the University’s Residence Life Mr Peter Bell said, “The money was raised during events organised by Residential Advisors (RA). The students living on campus would donate a gold coin to attend the activities. Given the financial pressures on university students, the donation is a generous one to a very worthy local charity.”  On Thursday 31 October at 10.30am, the RAs and Wagga Wagga Head of Campus, Ms Miriam Dayhew will present a cheque valued at $6 500 to Wagga Wagga and Region Suicide Prevention Network member Mr Daniel Hayes. “This generous donation will help us to continue promoting what people can do to help themselves and each other in times of need,” said Mr Hayes. “We will also be able to further train community members in being able to help others and look a new way to provide local solutions.” Read more about the Wagga Wagga and Region Suicide Prevention Network and where to get help here.

The body of works of final year jewellery students will be on public display in a new exhibition at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. The exhibition titled, Meraki: To put yourself into your work with soul, creativity and love will be held at the HR Gallop Gallery at the School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU in Wagga Wagga. It will feature the art of three Bachelor of Arts (Jewellery) students and one Bachelor of Arts (Visual and Performing Arts) (Honours) student. The students are due to graduate during a ceremony in December. “This exhibition is significant for students, as it demonstrates their knowledge and understanding of how jewellery can be used as a powerful tool for creating visual narratives that address social, cultural and political issues and how, once worn, these messages can be disseminated more widely beyond the Gallery walls,” said jewellery lecturer Ms Sabine Pagan. The exhibition will be opened from 6pm on Friday 1 November by Arts and Design Curator at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Ms Eva Czernis-Ryl. The Gallery is also hosting an international touring exhibition of contemporary narrative jewellery, Transplantation: A sense of place and culture. Both exhibitions run from Thursday 31 October to Friday 22 November.