Mr Karl Shead, Theatre Technical Officer with Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Communication, has won the individual staff member Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Performance Excellence (General Staff) for 2007. Mr Gerard Boland, a lecturer in theatre and media at CSU, nominated Mr Shead for his outstanding services. “Karl manages the teaching and theatrical spaces that over six hundred students and staff use weekly during the academic year. Theatre/Media staff could not provide the quality learning and teaching interactions for which the course is renowned without his technical knowledge and artistic design skills. Karl has contributed technical supervision to around 30 productions in the past twelve months, and has been an integral member of the executive committee of the successful Catapult Festival since its inception in 2004, helping it attain national prominence among the members of the Australian Circus and Physical Theatre Association (ACAPTA) and other professional practitioners. Karl also shows his commitment to the wellbeing of others as a member of the Bathurst SES,” Mr Boland said.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Dubbo Campus farewelled 26 graduating nurses at a barbeque on Monday 12 November following their return from a four week placement that focussed on the transition to practice as Registered Nurses. Lyn Croxon, lecturer and clinical coordinator in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, said that having completed a three year CSU nursing degree, the students can register with the NSW Nurses’ and Midwives’ Board. “CSU’s nursing students received great support from staff in the various western region hospitals in which they undertook their clinical placements,” she said. “The University thanks all the personnel in the various health settings for their support of our programs and the clinical practicum which is an integral component of the nursing course.” The graduating nurses come from Dubbo, Parkes, Peak Hill, Narromine, Warren and Gulgong. The majority have accepted positions as Registered Nurses at hospitals and health facilities across the western NSW region, while several will pursue careers in Sydney, Gosford and Canberra.

Cadet journalists working at National Radio News (NRN) at Charles Sturt University (CSU) have gained a number of paid internships with leading media organisations. NRN manager Mr Peter Hetherington said that the success of NRN staff in gaining outside internships and other placements is quite significant. “This is the pilot for an ongoing program, and those who show aptitude during the internship will be fast tracked into fulltime work at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC),” he said. “It demonstrates that the training our students receive in their CSU journalism course and the practical experience they gain through their NRN cadetships equips them to step straight into on-air roles with major broadcasters.” Three NRN cadets - Rebecca Bruce, Frank Ienco and Cameron Green - commenced paid internships with ABC Radio in Sydney from 5 November. Former NRN journalist Matthew Reardon has been accepted for an internship with Deutsche Vella, Germany’s major public broadcaster NRN cadet Patrick Cronan has commenced with 2TM Tamworth as on-air news journalist, while CSU graduate Rochelle Nolan has commenced as fulltime journalist with NRN.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students at the Wagga Wagga Campus are contributing to the social fabric of the Riverina in regional NSW, by supporting charities that assist those in our community who are less fortunate or are struggling to make ends meet in these tough times of drought. Students in the CSU Halls of Residence pay 50 cents at each social barbecue that they attend during the year, with this money donated to charity. In 2007, students raised nearly $2 700 which will be donated to the Salvation Army - Wagga Wagga Drought Appeal and Movember. The cheques will be handed over to representatives of the charities by CSU students at the Full Board Christmas Dinner commencing at 6pm on Thursday 15 November in the student dining room.

The founders of the theory of thermodynamics in the 19th century did not find it easy to make themselves heard by the scientific community of the day, and it did not help that they did not grasp fully what they had found. They revolutionized everyday life by using energy and by creating methods for the production of fuel, and they rendered traditional philosophy redundant. Charles Sturt University (CSU) is hosting a visit to the Riverina, in regional NSW, by Professor Emeritus Ingo Muller of Technical University, Berlin, who will deliver a public lecture, The terroristic nimbus of entropy and other fanciful stories from the early history of thermodynamics. The lecture will be held on Monday 19 November at 5pm in building 11 - room 208. Professor Muller is a leading expert in thermodynamics and was the recipient of the Leibniz award of the German Science Foundation in 1988 and the International Award for Theoretical Mechanics of the Academy of Sciences of Turin, Italy, in 2006.

A study conducted by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher has revealed disturbing links between diabetes and depression. Medical science honours student, Ms Marina Jeeawody, reports that the level of depression in people with diabetes is much higher than those without diabetes. Based on the analysis of 750 participants from Albury and surrounding areas, the research showed depression is more prevalent in older women, and despite the stigma of mental illness, there is a shift towards recognition and the acceptance of depression and a willingness to discuss mood changes with health professionals. “For the people with diabetes, depression may be an additional barrier to achieving effective self-care. As a risk that can be modified, depression treatments could decrease the risk of diabetes-related complications,” said Ms Jeeawody.

Equity and social justice was the focus for a conference hosted on Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Ontario Campus in Canada in October. The annual, one day Equity and Social Justice Conference, including 210 students enrolled in the University’s Bachelor of Primary Education Studies program, began with a keynote presentation from Mr Chris D’Sousa, the Equity and Diversity Officer from Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board. The CSU students were then able to investigate specific topics including Aboriginal education in Ontario; An Australian perspective on the role of Aboriginal English in achieving learning equity for young Indigenous students; culturally proficient education; developing and implementing an equity, diversity and social justice perspective in the classroom and equity through the arts. One of CSU Ontario’s 2007 graduates currently teaching in an inner-city school in Toronto shared his experiences as a first year teacher. Mr Nigel Bariffe’s workshop, Experiencing Equity/Social Justice from the Inside Out and Outside In challenged candidates to fully engage in their chosen profession, both within and beyond the classroom.

“Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Centre for Inland Health (CIH) is a valuable resource for the communities of south-eastern NSW that not only provides insight into the health and wellbeing of communities within the Riverina, but also supports allied and primary health care professionals in rural and remote areas,” said Riverina Division of General Practice & Primary Health CEO, Mrs Nancye Piercy. The Centre for Inland Health was established at CSU in response to the lack of information and realistic solutions to meet the health needs of inland Australian communities. The Centre co-ordinates cooperative research and development programs designed to examine and address the priority health issues and concerns of inland Australian communities, which also aid the Division in identifying models of care consistent with the needs of Riverina communities. “During the past 12 months the Division has formed a very close relationship with the CIH by providing support and direction to program managers through training and education, providing support for local doctors and partnering the Division in numerous funding proposals to better support primary health care needs in the Riverina,” said Mrs Piercy.