“The main purpose of his visit was to establish a research culture amongst the paramedic staff and he has done that brilliantly,” Associate Professor Peter O’Meara from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Public Health said of Visiting Professor Malcolm Woollard. “He managed to get a project up and funded and complete the research in seven weeks. One miracle he achieved was approval of the project in just two working days.” Professor Woollard returned the compliment. “I have been very impressed by the professionalism and can-do attitude of the team here. (Head of School) Lyn Angel in particular made it possible for us to speed through the approvals process but still make sure that the project was of an appropriate standard.” The visit was part-funded by the Australian College of Ambulance Professionals (ACAP). Chair of ACAP, Ian Johns, said “we feel like we have hit a home run. Malcolm cuts through the fog of that high level stuff. Now we can see a nice clear snapshot of how it can be.”

“The big question is, do some adults improve their lives after a parent’s cancer experience? It sounds quite odd, because how could anything good possibly come from this?” Janelle Levesque from Charles Sturt University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences will research how having a parent with cancer impacts on their adult children. “For some, cancer can act as a wake-up call. Some realise life is too short to stay in work they don’t like while others switch to more family-friendly or part time work. Another change may be the realisation that the little things are not so important. The wet towel on the bathroom floor really doesn’t matter, what matters is making time to speak to the kids for 10 minutes before bed.” Ms Levesque says the biggest area of change is that “most people find that their family grows closer through the experience”.

A senior Charles Sturt University (CSU) social researcher is leading research and discussion into the influence of globalisation on economic development and human security in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr Manohar Pawar, a principal researcher in CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society, believes globalisation “is good if it helps erradicate poverty and reduce global inequalities”. In October, Dr Pawar organised a major international conference on the topic in Thailand, in collaboration with Thailand’s Thammasat University and Taisho and Kyushu universities, Japan. “Confronted by extreme poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, disorder and violence and many other social problems, the conference delegates presented positive examples from the region showing that alternative social development approaches must include and allow participation in the planning and implementation of projects by the people affected by them,” Dr Pawar said.

A Valedictory Service this Friday 10 November in Canberra will see Charles Sturt University (CSU) strengthen and renew the existing partnership with St Mark’s. Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of CSU, Professor Ross Chambers says the signing of the renewed CSU/St Mark’s Agreement will further enhance a relationship that has “has proven robust, sustainable and effective for both parties. It is the basis of the excellent performance, academically, of CSU’s School of Theology”. The Valedictory Service will recognise the Reverend Dr Stephen Pickard’s leadership and welcome his successor as Director of St Mark’s National Theological Centre. The Right Reverend George Browning, President of St Mark’s Council, announced the appointment of The Right Reverend Dr Thomas Frame as Director of St Mark’s National Theological Centre last week. The appointment follows the resignation of Dr Pickard to take up an appointment as Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Adelaide.

The Politics of Water - What Are the Real Issues? is the topic of a Politics in the Pub discussion by Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Professor Shahbaz Khan in Sydney on Friday 10 November. Internationally regarded for his work in hydrology and water management, Professor Khan joined the University in the middle of 2004 when CSIRO Land and Water and CSU jointly funded the position of Professor of Hydrology to head up work in the critical research areas of land and water management. Having worked on nearly every continent of the world, particularly in developing nations, Professor Khan is the Regional Coordinator for UNESCO’s International Hydrology Program, HELP (Hydrology Environment, Life and Policy), based at CSU. Politics in the Pub started in the Harold Park Hotel in inner-city Glebe in 1988 and forums are held at 6pm each Friday in the Gaelic Club, Devonshire Street, Surrey Hills.

Superlatives flow like fine wine when it comes to the James Halliday Australian Wine Companion: “a must have for any serious lover of Australian wine”, “the No. 1 bestselling guide to wineries and wine in Australia”, “keenly anticipated by winemakers, faithful collectors and wine lovers alike”. In the 2007 edition, it is James Halliday who waxes lyrical about the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Winery, giving it, and its 2005 Orange Chardonnay, the highest rating. Only “outstanding wineries capable of producing wines of the highest calibre” can receive five stars from Halliday, while the 2005 Orange Chardonnay was an “outstanding wine of the highest quality” and “outstanding value”. CSU’s winemaker Andrew Drumm says the Winery is “very pleased to receive this honour, especially from someone like James Halliday. It makes the students feel proud of the time spent in the winery and reinforces our education and research activities.”

As Year 12 students continue sitting their Higher School Certificate (HSC), latest performance research on the NSW HSC Online study resource by Internet research company Hitwise shows it is in the top 10 education websites in Australia. Now in its tenth year, NSW HSC Online was heralded for providing access to quality learning resources, especially for students in rural and remote areas. The current performance data support this success in providing equity, with high use by students living in provincial centres, who traditionally have below average use of the Internet. There were also more boys than average for an educational website going to HSC Online in the lead-up to the HSC, with 58 per cent males and 42 per cent females using www.hsc.csu.edu.au. The research also revealed excellent brand recognition and a strong association of the site with CSU. Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Lyn Gorman said the website’s success highlights its value in bringing high quality resources to all HSC students, regardless of where they live. The NSW HSC Online project was initiated and continues to be maintained and updated by the University in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education and Training.

“At a time of unprecedented global ecological degradation, I believe popular television has a responsibility to educate audiences about environmental issues,” says Bruce Fell, a lecturer with Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Communication. He has spent two years interviewing Australian television executives, producers, directors, scriptwriters and performers as part of PhD thesis. Bruce will present some of his findings in Melbourne at the upcoming CSU Alumni event, Tell me about the environment. “My work looked at who are the most influential people in television when it comes to communicating with the audience. I discovered that the stars of soap opera and drama had the most influence. Fans mimic the stars purchasing habits, fashion, language, and indeed what the stars strive for in life. In a way, the TV stars are part of our new religion, they are the people we admire and worship — they lead, we follow.”

Winemaker Vikki Fischer is already taking out awards after graduating from Charles Sturt University (CSU) last year. Vicki’s Kardinia 2006 Riesling won the ACT Chief Minister’s award for the best Riesling for the Canberra district at the recent 2006 Hyatt International Riesling Challenge. Director of the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) and CSU Professor of Oenology Geoff Scollary said the University played a significant role in the Challenge, with wine science and viticulture students and the CSU Winery assistant winemaker acting as stewards for the tasting program, while NWGIC experimental winemaker, Emily Rouse, was Associate Chief Steward. Professor Scollary also convened the event’s Winemakers’ Seminar, which he said is an important part of the University’s outreach to the wine industry and assists with the ongoing training of winemakers.