Is it possible to exercise to improve thinking skills? This is being investigated by researchers at Charles Sturt University (CSU). “The high school jock stereotype is not usually associated with great intelligence, but maybe they are smarter than if they didn’t exercise,” explained Dr Matthew Thomas from the School of Social Science and Liberal Studies at CSU at Bathurst. “We know there are benefits in aspects of mental processing from a short bout of exercise and also for people who exercise over several months. What we want to test in this study is whether there is an effect on the mental performance of healthy young and middle-age adults with just four weeks of exercise.” Residents of Coffs Harbour and Bellingen in northern NSW are being invited to participate in this new study. “We’re looking for people who don’t usually exercise. Couch potatoes if you like,” said Dr Thomas. Assessments of participants’ mental processing will be conducted by local resident, Ms Jenny Grant, as part of her Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology). “It’s like having your brain fitness tested,” said Ms Grant.

It’s hoped a trip to the Philippines will contribute knowledge towards research currently underway into plant breeding for disease resistance. E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation research student Mr Ray Cowley will travel to the major rice producing country this Saturday 16 May to participate in a three-week workshop into the practical aspects of plant breeding at the headquarters of the International Rice Research Institute. “The challenges faced by plant breeders are common across many agricultural crops and I’m hoping to learn the practical aspects of plant breeding and genetics and how they manage the breeding and plant selection process in rice,” Mr Cowley said. “Despite focusing on lupins, the research addresses universal problems relating to breeding crops which are disease resistant.” He said the outcome of this type of research can mean the development of better plant varieties which leads to improved crop yields, which in turn improves the livelihood of farmers, not only in Australia but overseas.

Residents around Albury-Wodonga with peripheral vascular disease – a common complication of diabetes - are sought to assess an early detection system being developed by Charles Sturt University (CSU) researchers. With diabetes now the most likely chronic disease to affect people over 50 years old, for the past 10 years Dr Herbert Jelinek and his team have been studying new and more accessible methods for detecting diabetes in patients in regional Australia. “Peripheral vascular disease constricts blood flow in the extremities of our bodies, particularly feet,” said Dr Jelinek.”We are assessing the use of a simple, hand held instrument to measure blood flow into feet and so detect this condition before nasty complications, such as infections and gangrene, can develop.” The study is being conducted through the Diabetes Complications Research Initiative at CSU in Albury-Wodonga. People already affected by peripheral vascular disease and who would like to take part in the study should contact Ms Bev de Jong on 02 6051 6858.  

On International Nurses Day on Tuesday 12 May, lecturers and students at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Nursing and Midwifery at Dubbo have marked the contribution nurses make to the community. “Nursing is an increasingly important profession which plays a vital role in the health care of individuals and communities,” said Head of School, Professor Elaine Duffy. “On International Nurses Day, I am proud to say that CSU, as the University of inland Australia, plays a major role educating nurses who can work in rural regions throughout the nation or anywhere in the world.” Ms Lyn Croxon, lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Dubbo, said the Bachelor of Nursing course has been running at CSU at Dubbo for nearly ten years and students undertake their clinical placements in a variety of rural and metropolitan settings. “Each year graduates commence work in regional hospitals to boost the nursing workforce in country areas,” said Ms Croxon. “The first year nursing students are about to embark on their first clinical placement in rural community health settings.”

The international response to the outbreak of the new virus known as influenza A (H1N1), formerly known as swine flu, reveals the tremendous advances that have been made in monitoring and diagnosis of these new strains of influenza in recent years. “It is very encouraging to see the co-ordinated response to the outbreak by the World Health Organisation and countries around the world, including Australia, to prevent the influenza A (H1N1) becoming a pandemic,” said Dr Heather Cavanagh, a specialist in infectious disease and senior lecturer with the School of Biomedical Sciences at Wagga Wagga. Dr Cavanagh noted that “until we know the exact number of people who have been infected we are unable to determine the exact risk of fatality.  People should not panic at the publicity over this outbreak but should use common sense in avoiding areas where there have been confirmed cases, practice high hygiene standards such as hand-washing and see medical attention if flu-like symptoms persist or appear particularly severe.  This virus is currently responding well to anti-viral drugs, however, there is a need to catch it in time to prevent fatalities.”   Dr Cavanagh says there is nothing unusual in influenza viruses crossing species. “But the concern with this outbreak is due to the unusual combination of species susceptible to it, the fact that it can be passed directly from person-to-person and the potential ability of the virus to further mutate as it passes around the world,”  said Dr Cavanagh.

The Bathurst Alumni Common will be dedicated by Charles Sturt University (CSU) Council on Saturday 18 April as part of the University’s 20th anniversary celebrations. The establishment of the Bathurst Alumni Common, which is bounded by Allen House, the Ponton Theatre, Cunningham House and the Heffron Building, aims to honour the student and staff alumni of the Bathurst Experimental Farm (BEF), Bathurst Teachers College (BTC), Mitchell College of Advanced Education (MCAE) and Charles Sturt University (CSU). The Deputy Chancellor of CSU, Ms Kathryn Pitkin, will preside at the unveiling and proclamation which will also include the official unveiling of the Bathurst Teachers College Commemorative Water Feature, a tree planting in memory of Lionel J Allen, and a tree planting to mark the 25th anniversary of the naming of the Ponton Theatre. Mrs Margaret Allen and family will plant the Lionel J Allen tree, and Ms Sarah Ponton, the daughter of Mr Frank Ponton for whom the Theatre is named, and Mr Bill Blaikie, a former lecturer in drama at the CSU School of Communication, will plant the Ponton Theatre tree.

Despite a gloomier national and international economic outlook, 36 organisations that employ university graduates will participate at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) 2009 Careers Fair at the Bathurst Campus on Monday 9 March. The Event Manager and Student Services Career Counsellor at CSU Bathurst, Ms Vicki Anderson, said that the global financial crisis was now impacting on jobs nationally and the next few years could make it harder for graduates to attain a job or career in their chosen area. “Employers of graduates are now making hard decisions about where they can recruit the best graduates. The world of graduate employment has turned face-about, and it is now an employers’ market,” Ms Anderson said. “The 2009 Careers Fair will showcase Charles Sturt University as a professional organisation that encourages its students to be proactive in shaping their futures.” Employer organisations will host displays and present workshops throughout the day to educate students on the attributes that graduates require, and CSU representatives from Alumni, Marketing, Career Services and Faculties will also attend to advise students.

The development of the study of victimology will be explored by Dr Diane Westerhuis, lecturer in Justice Studies at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies, during the conference, 'Stalking' on Friday 6 March in Bathurst. “Victimology is an indication of the concerns we have as a society about ever-increasing levels of violent crime,” Dr Westerhuis said. “In order to understand how to respond to such levels of violence and to program for prevention, we need to study the impact such violence has upon the innocent, particularly children and women, who are most often the victims. Victims of stalking are particularly vulnerable, because the nature of stalking affects the victim’s long term psychological, social and interpersonal functioning. This is a particularly difficult issue to research, because stalking is not always reported, and you will not find stalking identified in the latest crime statistics.”

Many business leaders around the world are aware that they must ‘do something’ about HIV/AIDS. However, in order to take effective action, they need to understand the diverse economic, social, political and health issues relating to the epidemic. Charles Sturt University (CSU) postgraduate student Ms Saskia Faulk aims to develop a risk management tool for companies seeking to understand the extent and dynamics of HIV/AIDS so they can put into place HIV/AIDS workplace programs. Ms Faulk is completing a CSU Doctorate of Business Administration by distance education from Switzerland. Ms Faulk has also co-written a book, AIDS and Business, which presents case studies of businesses in countries including Brazil, India, Mexico, Morocco, Thailand, South Africa, and Switzerland. “The spread of HIV/AIDS affects businesses in all sectors, all industries and all countries, so companies and organisations must take action,” she said.