Archive
Charles Sturt Foundation scholarship ceremony at Bathurst Campus
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Recipients of Charles Sturt Foundation scholarships for 2007 will be recognised at the presentation ceremony at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Bathurst Campus on Friday 25 May. Two hundred and thirty five scholarships worth over $500 000 will be awarded to new and continuing students studying across the five main campuses at CSU, including scholarships to 111 students on the Bathurst Campus. As well as receiving the scholarships, which are awarded on the basis of academic merit, leadership and contribution to the community, the ceremony provides an opportunity for the students to meet their scholarship donor. Head of Campus, Professor Greg Walker, will introduce scholarship donors and recipients, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Ian McIntosh will present scholarship certificates. Tom Nicol, receiving the Nine Network Richard Carleton Memorial Scholarship, will present a vote of thanks on behalf of the scholars.
Why are frogs croaking it?
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
Are frogs hypersensitive indicators of the slightest environmental change, or robust little beasts battling almost insurmountable odds? Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Wagga Wagga City Council will host a public lecture to address this question, to be given by CSU lecturer Dr Skye Wassens. In 1980 a series of reports documented a sudden, catastrophic decline among the world’s frog populations. The mystery surrounding frog disappearances has seen researchers looking desperately for answers but, 27 years on, frog populations are disappearing faster than ever. Just what is it about frogs that make them so difficult to conserve? Entitled The Search for the Smoking Gun: Unravelling the Myths and Misconceptions of Global Amphibian Declines, the lecture will provide an insight into the world of frogs, attempt to seek out the causes of frog disappearances, and discuss strategies for preserving frog populations in the Riverina.
Working on safety at CSU
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) teams have been recognised for innovative workplace safety initiatives. The Wagga Mutual Credit Union Safety Awareness Award programme supports safety conscious community members to promote safety awareness. The CSU School of Biomedical Sciences team worked with the Division of Facilities Management to investigate and minimise exposure to airborne microbes causing mould in the building. CSU Facilities Management installed timers and ceiling vents to prevent moist air stagnating and causing respiratory problems. The CSU Division of Facilities Management team sought approval for a replacement truck which incorporated a hydraulic lifting platform. The number of daily manual handling lifting operations were dramatically reduced and this will also reduce the incidence of manual handling injuries and enable safer movement of materials around the Wagga Wagga Campus. Both teams won cash prizes of $150.
How smiling at the check-out chick could lead to world peace
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic wants Australians to become more involved in the formulation of public policy, saying this could make the world a better and more peaceful place. Associate Professor Leonora Ritter, Head of the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies said that, “the biggest difference we could make would be to increase the amount of love and security and decrease the amount of fear and anxiety in the world. And we can do that at a micro level. If you smile at the girl at the supermarket, she might not hit her child when she gets home that night, and her girl might not grow up to be racist or violent. You have got to start somewhere. Human beings have enormous frailty because they are susceptible to anxiety, fear, anger and aggression”. At the broader level, Dr Ritter said she would, “try to engage people more in the political process so they can change the world for the better. It is not about left versus right. It is about promoting human values such as kindness and charity.” Dr Ritter will speak on Putting the “i” into public policy tomorrow, Wednesday 23 May at the next All Saints’ Cathedral Forum in Bathurst.
Their brother's keeper
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
What’s it like to have a sibling with a disability? According to Charles Sturt University (CSU) PhD student Jacqueline Barr, “These children take on a parent-like role, they are jealous of the time their sibling gets from their parents, and they are worried about the child and their parents. I also found that siblings of a child with a speech impairment often act as a protector and interpreter”. But having a sibling with a disability can also make the child “more understanding of other people’s needs and more sympathetic to differences in other people,” she said. As part of her PhD studies, Ms Barr is developing an in-service program for teachers addressing the needs of these siblings. A paper on Jacqueline Barr’s research into the impact of being a sibling of a child with a communication disorder was recently accepted in the US journal Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools.
Dead Bones Society wins Award
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
The Dead Bones Society, a series of “comedy horror” workshops aimed at gifted nine to twelve year old boys, has won a NSW 2007 Local Government Cultural Award. The workshops, which take place after-hours at the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum in Bathurst, are run by Charles Sturt University (CSU) tutor and literacy consultant Paul Stafford and mentored by male teacher education students from CSU. Mr Stafford describes the Society as a “secret club. Boys love the idea of a creepy old museum at night”. Scott Bell, a fourth year primary education student at CSU said he could see the boys’ self-esteem building over the course of the workshops. “To put it bluntly, reading and writing are considered by many boys to be girly, so these were boys who can be picked on because they like to read, but it was a good blokey environment where their writing styles improved. It pushed them into deeper levels of creative writing.”
FACTS Tertiary Information Day 2007
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
Over 1 000 school students from across the Central West of New South Wales will descend on the Bathurst Campus of Charles Sturt University (CSU) later this month for FACTS Tertiary Information Day 2007. Organiser Denis Behan said the Day is designed “specifically for Year 12 students. They come from Lithgow, Molong, Blayney and Orange as well as Bathurst, from government and non-government schools. We have 60 different exhibitors including all NSW and ACT universities as well as private providers, TAFE and other agencies who help students.” Nicholas Williams was Captain of Kelso High last year and attended the 2006 FACTS Day. He is now studying the CSU double degree in psychology and secondary teaching. “There were a huge number of stands and a lot of information. I found it very helpful. You go away with something to think about.”
CSU dedicates nursing building
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003A ceremony at Charles Sturt University (CSU) on Friday 25 May will honour Mrs Sheila Swain, AM, by naming the School of Nursing and Midwifery complex on the Bathurst Campus The Sheila Swain Building. Among her many distinctions, Mrs Swain was appointed to the Council of Mitchell College of Advanced Education (MCAE), which became part of CSU, in 1980 and was elected Chairman in 1984. Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Elaine Duffy, said the University continues to be enriched by Mrs Swain’s contribution. “As well as her service to what was then Mitchell College, Mrs Swain has maintained her links with CSU and has generously funded five scholarships to assist female nursing students experiencing financial hardship while completing their studies. Mrs Swain is an inspiration and an outstanding role model for all women, and especially for female nursing students, and that is why we chose to honour her in this way,” Professor Duffy said.
Degree helped prepare for motherhood
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Melinda Fox should have graduated with a Charles Sturt University (CSU) degree early childhood education in 2006 but instead became a mother three months early - and assignments took a backseat to a new baby. Melinda, 23, will be the first Aboriginal to graduate from the program in Dubbo this Thursday having completed her studies soon after her daughter Shanaya was born. “I still had three assignments to do when Shanaya was born last January,” Melinda says. “My lecturers were really supportive and gave me extensions so I could complete the assignments by May.” Melinda enjoyed the practical side of the degree working in childcare centres in Dubbo, Orange, Mount Druitt and Narromine. “I loved working with children throughout my degree and the theory has helped me understand my own child’s developmental stages.” Sixteen month old Shanaya will be at the graduation ceremony with Melinda’s mum cheering her on as she celebrates her latest achievement.
Children services could be improved
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Graduating with a PhD in early childhood education this Thursday 24 May, Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer Alison Lord has discovered there are many difficulties in operating children’s services in rural and remote Australia. Researching the Quality Improvement and Accreditation System (QIAS), the national quality assurance system for long day care children’s services, Alison examined how child care staff and parents living in rural and remote communities continue to engage with the system which is compulsory and tied to Commonwealth Funding. “There are many dedicated, educated early childhood practitioners that deal with geographical and professional isolation while working in low status, predominantly female occupations,” Alison explains. “I have also discovered the QIAS has not always improved the quality of outcomes for children and their families. Perhaps more access to funded professional development for early childhood professionals and direct funding of child care centres, rather than funding via parent subsidies, may lead to better quality services for young children and their families.