In what’s been described as a "U-turn of dramatic proportions", the same study that in 2002 warned menopausal women to abandon Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has now released findings that show HRT risks are not as bad as first thought. The Women's Health Initiative Study (WHIS), a major 15-year research program to address the most common causes of death, disability and poor quality of life in postmenopausal women, last week stated any additional risks may apply only to older women. Charles Sturt University (CSU) biomedical researcher Dr Christopher Scott says he is not surprised by the new findings. “The initial findings were quite scary, but since then they have done a lot more thorough number-crunching. HRT is considered to be beneficial to deal with the symptoms of menopause, but a woman with a strong family history of breast cancer and cardiovascular should not take HRT long term. You have to look at the particular person and what they want to use it for and how long they want to use it.”

The Australian wine industry will benefit from Charles Sturt University (CSU) research to prevent revenue loss for Shiraz growers. A research team, led by senior lecturer in viticulture at the School of Wine and Food Sciences Dr Dennis Greer, is using business intelligence software to investigate water loss from Shiraz grapes. The project has received about $2 million funding from the Australian Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation. Shiraz grapes lose up to 20 per cent of their water content at the end of the growing season which means growers, who are paid on weight, lose up to 20 per cent of their potential revenue. Data including grape bunch weights, carbon dioxide and water vapour emissions is collected every five minutes over several days. According to Dr Greer, "This is relatively new science that has not been done on Shiraz grapes before".

Young people’s access to educational opportunities can be adversely affected by drought, according to new research that will be presented at a national conference soon. Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Professor Margaret Alston and Dr Jenny Kent will present the final report on their research at the conference which will be hosted by the Federal Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), the Foundation for Regional / Rural Renewal (FRRR) and CSU. Former Deputy Prime Minister and conference convenor Ian Sinclair will join with members of the Myer family, who are the major donors to the FRRR, at the official welcome starting at 2pm on Tuesday 17 April at the Nowik Auditorium, CSU Albury City site, Guinea St, Albury.

Prospective students are investigating the hundreds of course options at Charles Sturt University (CSU) as part of the 2007 mid-year intake. Tuesday 1 May is the mid-year deadline for enrolling to study nursing fulltime on the University’s Albury-Wodonga Campus or performing and visual arts on its Wagga Wagga Campus. More than 200 courses are available at undergraduate and post-graduate levels through distance education, including courses in business, theology, communication, information technology, applied science, health science, paramedic and rural studies. CSU nursing student Jessica Roennfeldt, from CSU’s Albury-Wodonga Campus, said: “I’m glad I applied for the 2006 mid-year intake because it’s been a great way to start my professional training. There was no need to wait another six months.”

Associate Professor Sharynne McLeod’s new International Guide to Speech Acquisition lists the components and phonetics of Korean, Israeli Hebrew, Hungarian, Arabic and even Zapotec (spoken by about 2 000 people in a small area of Mexico), as well as 21 other languages and twelve English dialects, making it the most comprehensive text of its kind. “The International Guide to Speech Acquisition describes the process by which children learn different dialects and different languages. Some of the information has never been translated into English before. If an English-speaking child has a Norwegian mother and a Filipino father, and they are having difficulty in all three languages, this guide can assist the speech pathologist or teacher in helping the child. Many of the 72 authors involved have now set up research projects to fill in the gaps in research that have been exposed by this book.”

Does the race of an accused person influence the jurors’ decision of guilt or innocence? The answer is ‘no’ if the accused is of Asian ethnicity, according to a Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher. Pamela Henry will receive her doctorate for her PhD Race and Juror Decision at CSU Bathurst Campus graduation on Friday 11 May. “The findings were counter-intuitive. There is no evidence to suggest that an Asian accused is more likely to be found guilty. An explanation could lie in theories of modern racism where the general public is more aware that it is not socially acceptable to have their prejudicial views influence their decisions”. Ms Henry is keen to continue her research, next concentrating on Indigenous people. “If jurors, judges and magistrates are aware of the factors that can influence decision making then they can do something about it.”

Dr Elaine Dietsch, a Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, will give a public talk about violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at a forum on CSU’s Bathurst Campus on Wednesday 2 May. After several trips to Kenya and the DRC in recent years, Dr Dietsch pledged to publicise the plight of Congolese women who are the ongoing victims of rape and mutilation by warring factions and rebel forces in central Africa. Dr Dietsch will explain how Australians can contribute to improving the lives of Congolese women and their babies. A fund-raising ‘Quilt for Congo’ made by fellow CSU School of Nursing and Midwifery lecturer, Debbie Clatworthy, will also be on display. Intending audience members are advised that this presentation - No longer silenced … Congolese women share their stories of survival - is for adults only; strictly no children.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher says the Australian public is still clinging to damaging stereotypes in regards to the victims of domestic violence, despite public campaigns such as the Federal Government’s Violence Against Women Australia Says No. Trea Sanson-Fisher will be awarded her doctorate about public perceptions of domestic violence at CSU’s Bathurst graduation on Friday 11 May. She says although her community interviewees was more likely than the judicial system to recommend jailing the perpetrator, the interviewees thought the victim was partly responsible for the domestic violence if she had been drinking. Ms Sanson-Fisher added, “However, when the violence was severe and required a trip to hospital, the sample would ‘let go’ of a lot of stereotypes. It seems society is getting the message about severe domestic violence, but not quite getting the message about a slap or a push.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Bathurst Regional Council (BRC) hope to join forces on a grey water project which “will put Bathurst on the map as a leading water conservation city,” according to CSU research fellow Mr Daryl McGregor. The project will see 200 Bathurst homes fitted with a variety of grey water reuse treatment systems. “In partnership with BRC, CSU will take samples of what goes in the treatment plants and what comes out,” Mr McGregor explained. “We will measure power usage for pumps and how much cleaning and maintenance are required, while the treatment efficiency will be measured by laboratory analysis.” The subsequent recommendations could benefit people around Australia, says BRC’s manager of waste and water authority, Mr David Swan. “In the first instance, we are doing it in Bathurst but there is a wider application as well.”