Archive
CSU unveils Dubbo Campus rural dental clinic plans
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Following the Federal Budget announcing $65.1 million for a School of Dentistry and Oral Health at Charles Sturt University (CSU), the architectural design concept for the Dental Education Clinic on CSU’s Dubbo Campus will be unveiled on Saturday 2 June 2007. The Dubbo Dental Education Clinic is designed to complement and supplement existing public and private dental services in Dubbo and will be developed in close consultation with existing dental practitioners. The University will offer opportunities for dental practitioners to work as adjunct academic appointments in the program. The University will immediately begin the process of establishing the multi-campus infrastructure of the School of Dentistry and negotiating staff appointments. The first CSU dentistry students are expected to enrol in 2009, with the University aiming for 240 places for dental students over five years.
Supporting health professionals
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
Associate Professor in Pharmacy Practice at Charles Sturt University (CSU) Maree Donna Simpson has spoken publicly about the development of a new online program designed to support rural based health professionals during clinical placements. A member of the Australian Consortium for the Education of Preceptors (ACEP), Maree explained, “The aim of the program is to ensure pharmacy students gain high quality learning experiences in rural health care settings by adequately preparing rural pharmacy student supervisors.” CSU is one of four Australian universities that are part of ACEP. Supported by two Pharmacy Guild Federal Government grants the consortium developed and offers an online training program for pharmacy student supervisors. Successful award of a Rural Health Support Education and Training grant last year has allowed the consortium to extend the program to allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and audiologists.
Securing a future for our food
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
Charles Sturt University (CSU) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) are embarking on a collaborative hydrology project of global significance in Wagga Wagga. Based on CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus, the proposed Water, Agriculture, Technology and Environment Research (WATER) Centre for Food Security will develop strategies and programmes to ensure adequate, sustainable water supplies for agriculture and research while protecting the environment. CSU School of Environmental Sciences Professor Shabaz Khan says the work of the WATER Centre relates to all countries sharing concerns on managing water resources for food security and alleviating poverty while preserving the environment, through research, education and training. Two UNESCO representatives, Professor Siegfried Demuth from France and Mr Giuseppe Arduino from Indonesia, will visit CSU Wagga Wagga Campus for the launch of the WATER Centre. Professor Khan says, “The Centre will work on national and international water problems by seeking local solutions for global impacts on water quality issues”.
Students experience science at work
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Charles Sturt University (CSU) will help show the value of agricultural research to regional Australia during a one day workshop on Wednesday 30 May. About eighty senior high school students from throughout the Riverina will meet with scientists of the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation to see what it is like to work in agricultural science. The students from years 10 and 11 will do hands-on experiments, looking at applied research that is being used to solve problems currently affecting primary industries. The students will also be given an insight into interesting career choices that many would not have come across before. The EH Graham Centre is an alliance between the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Charles Sturt University at Wagga Wagga.
Jesus and Muhammad - leaders of peace in troubled times
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
Charles Sturt University (CSU) and its students are fostering greater understanding and tolerance during a time when religious differences dominate the global scene. A public discussion, Jesus and Muhammad, is an initiative of the CSU Islamic Students Association and Christian Fellowship and will be held on Wednesday 30 May. According to CSU’s Dr Ata Rehman, the aim of the forum is to encourage unity between the Christian and Muslim faiths, open dialogue and clear up misconceptions held by each religion. Guest speakers will include Dr Muhammad Abdulla, Director of the Griffith Islamic Research Unit and Mr Samuel Green, who has a degree in theology and 15 years experience in Christian Muslim dialogue. Christian Fellowship member Richard Wilson believes much of today’s tensions are due to people misunderstanding the similarities between the two religions, adding there is a lot of ignorance around, and ignorance creates fear.
CSU’s own Australian Idol
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003
Charles Sturt University (CSU) student, Luke Tooze is confident as he prepares for his shot at national stardom after being selected in the Australian Idol Top 100. It is an exciting time for the 21 year old, who is into his second year of a teaching degree on CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus. The path to possible musical stardom began when he impressed judge Ian Dickson at the first Australian Idol auditions held in the Riverina at CSU’s Joyes Hall in April. The journey continued this month at a second audition in Melbourne when Luke caught the attention of all four Australian Idol judges with his unique vocal style. The CSU student and his guitar are now bound for the Sydney auditions on June 18. Luke has been busking around the NSW inland city of Wagga Wagga in preparation for the next challenge in his quest to become an Australian Idol.Students hit the road for the environment
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Sharing knowledge and skills on current environmental issues facing Australia is the aim of the national Students of Sustainability conference being held in Perth, Western Australia in July. About 20 Charles Sturt University (CSU) students, many from the University’s School of Environmental Sciences, are currently raising funds to attend the conference, which runs from Monday 9 to Friday 13 July. The students aim to practice what they preach, hiring a bus rather than flying, which places more greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in the upper atmosphere. “Environmental issues and sustainable living are providing increased concern and awareness within our local community. Students who participate will share the knowledge and experiences they gain in Perth with the Albury community and CSU students,” student leader Peter Barrett said. The group already has donations from the CSU School of Environmental Sciences, the Albury-Wodonga Campus and the local student association and is seeking further assistance from the Albury-Wodonga community.
Treading softly, softly
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Images capturing how students can learn "from the heart" make up an exhibition opening in the Albury City Council Chambers foyer in June. The photographs were taken as part of a collaborative project between speech pathology and photography students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the parents of children with significant disabilities. The local parents are employed as tutors for the second year CSU speech pathology students in a project funded by Albury City. The images were taken while the speech pathology students were working directly with the local parents and their families in their homes. "Through their direct involvement in our course, these parents contribute to educating a generation of speech pathologists who are highly aware of issues and conflicts associated with parenting a child with severe communication difficulties," project coordinator Dr Ruth Beecham said. As part of the exhibition and the project, members of the public are invited to comment on the photographs and the messages shown through them.
CSU students stage Medea in Bathurst
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Theatre/Media students at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Communication will stage a production of the classic Greek tragedy Medea, by Euripides, at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre (BMEC) from Thursday 7 to Saturday 9 June. Twenty five third year students are involved as cast and crew for the production which is being directed by CSU lecturer Ms Annabel Scholes. “Medea was first performed in 431BC and I chose it because of its timeless relevance to modern audiences,” Ms Scholes said. “Medea is a tragedy, a story of betrayal and terrible revenge. It is a challenging script for the actors, and because no copyright applies, it allows us to modernise and retell the story in an innovative way. With support from industry professionals, students produce the entire show, including set design, costume, sound, lighting, stage management, production management, assistant directing, multimedia and publicity.”
Student covers some ground
Wednesday, 1 Jan 2003Matt McNee is keeping his eyes on the ground as rain falls across NSW while he completes a PhD at Charles Sturt University (CSU) on cover cropping, where a crop is used primarily to cover and protect soil from water and wind erosion. With a background in farming sugar cane in Queensland, Matt is now at CSU’s Orange Campus observing the condition of soils on collaborating farms throughout NSW, including Orange and Wellington. “I’m looking at pure cropping and mixed farming properties with different soil types to discover whether the planting of crops intended for ground cover, as opposed to crops for grain yields, benefits the soil and increases efficiency of water conservation.” Matt hopes to discover how much cover is necessary to benefit soils in semiarid environments. “The objective is to adapt Australian farming systems in a semiarid environment to find the best cropping system and management options.”