Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host the 2011 Practice-Based Education Summit in two sessions at two venues in April. Professor Joy Higgs, the Director of CSU’s Education for Practice Institute, said the summit will hear from Australian and international experts, led by CSU Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Ian Goulter, including Professors Dave Boud, Stephen Billett and Peter Goodyear. “Higher education places a high priority on preparation of graduates for work and life,” Professor Higgs said. “This Summit provides a forum for those working in practice-based education to highlight challenges to the field, and contribute to its advancement by sharing good practice models and examples.” The first session of the Summit will be held at the CSU centre at 102 Bennelong Parkway, Sydney Olympic Park, on Thursday 7 April, and will be followed by a two-day residential forum at CSU in Bathurst on Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 April.

The second free seminar for participants in the 25th CSU Bathurst Half Marathon and 10 kilometre Run will be presented by Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Human Movement Studies lecturers at the CSU gym lecture room from 6pm to 8pm on Tuesday 5 April. CSU lecturer and seminar organiser Mr Peter Micalos said the two presentations at the seminar aim to provide runners with current scientific knowledge about how to enhance their performance. “This seminar offers presentations by Dr Eric Drinkwater and me,” Mr Micalos said. “Dr Drinkwater will examine why runners should add some weight lifting to their training regime, and I will highlight the current literature on the different types of dietary fats and their effect on health and performance.” The 25th CSU Bathurst Half Marathon and 10 kilometre Run on Sunday 1 May is staged over a flat, fast course on pathways and country lanes around the Macquarie River, and starts and finishes at the Bathurst Rugby Club in Hereford Street, Bathurst. The entry fee is $30 or $15 for students, and includes a free sausage sizzle at the presentation, and random-draw prizes.

A leading international psychology and law expert is visiting Australia at the invitation of Charles Sturt University (CSU) and will present several seminars and workshops for policing and psychology students and practitioners. Professor Siegfried L Sporer, social psychologist from the University of Giessen in Germany, is the guest of CSU’s Australian Graduate School of Policing in Manly, and the School of Psychology in Bathurst. Professor Jane Goodman-Delahunty, Justice and Psychology researcher at CSU, said, “Professor Sporer will visit Charles Sturt University in Bathurst on Wednesday 30 March to present a four-hour workshop about meta-analysis for staff and students.  Head of the CSU School of Psychology, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology Michael Kiernan, will host this forum. On Thursday 31 March, Professor Sporer will present a colloquium hosted by the School of Psychology at CSU in Bathurst. The topic is ‘New Insights from recent meta-analyses on detecting deception: Why are people so bad at it, and how to make them better’.”

A two-day residential forum at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 April will hear from Australian and international practice-based education experts led by CSU’s Professor Joy Higgs and Professor Stephen Kemmis. The forum is the second part of the 2011 Practice-Based Education Summit, and follows a one-day session at Sydney Olympic Park last week. Professor Joy Higgs, the Director of CSU’s Education for Practice Institute, said, “Higher education in general, and Charles Sturt University in particular, places a high priority on preparing graduates for work and life. The Summit will enable practice-based education experts to illustrate challenges to the field, and contribute to its advancement by sharing good practice models and examples.” Visiting experts include Associate Professor Laurie Grealish (Canberra University), Ms Carol-Joy Patrick (Griffith University) and Adjunct Associate Professor Jan Orrell (Flinders University).

Thirty five senior high school students from the central west will attend an intensive week-long program facilitated by the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst to inform and motivate them to pursue a career in the arts. Associate Head of the School, Dr Peter Simmons, said, “Charles Sturt University has a proud tradition of educating work-ready professionals for a range communication and creative industries such as theatre, journalism, television production, and public relations. ‘A Start in the Arts’ is a very positive way to promote our courses to students in the region who are keen to pursue a career in the arts and creative industries. For students this is a hands-on opportunity in advertising, journalism, scriptwriting, radio and video production, under the guidance of experienced lecturers. ” Working with the Australian charity A Start in Life, the program aims to give the students insights and experience to inform their study and career choices.

Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) academics have volunteered to spend time behind bars to raise awareness and funds for the ‘Time 4 Kids’ program organised by the Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC). Justice studies lecturer Dr Diane Solomon-Westerhuis and Mr David Bull, both from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Bathurst, are seeking donations for their ‘bail’ when they temporarily spend a few hours in a specially fabricated ‘cell’ on the shopping concourse at the Bathurst City Centre at 3pm on Thursday 7 April. “The PCYC Time 4 Kids fundraiser and similar programs offer young people opportunities they may not otherwise experience that can be significant turning points in their lives. I congratulate the PCYC volunteers and staff for their hard work to promote Time 4 Kids, so I ask people to donate generously - and get me out on ‘bail’!” Dr Solomon-Westerhuis said.

The MyDay event at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Thursday 7 April will provide information and insights for about 30 senior students from 10 high schools in the region about exercise science, and health and physical education courses. CSU Prospective Student Adviser, Ms Fran Dwyer, said, “This MyDay will provide general information and interactive sessions with academics from the School of Human Movement Studies  at Charles Sturt University. These disciplines prepare students for a dynamic range of career options with high employment, and the students will be shown the range of state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories on the campus.”

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) vet is warning horse owners to protect their animals from mosquitoes in light of a suspected outbreak of viral neurological disease across three states. More than 135 cases have been reported in horses in NSW and 16 of those have died or been put down. Senior Lecturer in equine medicine with the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences,  Dr Kris Hughes, said eight cases have been investigated by staff at the Veterinary Clinical Centre at CSU in Wagga Wagga over recent months. He says Industry & Investment NSW is testing samples from affected horses to determine the exact cause of the condition but it is believed to be a mosquito borne virus. “Affected horses can demonstrate an exaggerated and weak limb movement, lack of coordination, muscle tremors, exaggerated response to stimuli including touch and sound, facial paralysis and behavioural changes,” he said. Dr Hughes recommends rugging, fly veils and using licensed insect repellant treatments along with removing stagnant water where horses are housed to help reduce exposure to mosquitoes.

The newly-completed dental clinic at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will commence operation on Monday 18 April. Dr Amelia Foster, the dentist-in-charge of the clinic and a tutor at the CSU School of Dentistry and Health Sciences, said staff are now taking appointments for the state-of-the-art equipped facility which was completed in late 2010. “After a preparatory period for the new staff, we are delighted that this wonderful clinic will soon be open and operational as planned,” Dr Foster said. “This is an exciting milestone for CSU and for the people of Bathurst and the region. While we will not have CSU dental students here gaining practical experience until 2012, the clinic will operate from Monday to Friday, depending on my tutoring commitments.” The dental clinic operates as a private dental clinic, not a public or hospital dental clinic. As in all private dental clinics, fees will apply. Members of the public who wish to make an appointment should phone 1300 278 642.