Charles Sturt University (CSU) human movement graduate, Paralympian and current world wheelchair marathon champion Kurt Fearnley won the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday 4 March smashing the course record by more than a minute. Kurt is originally from Carcoar in the NSW Central West region. Yesterday he said from LA, “It was a particularly sweet victory - my fifth straight win. I have definitely hit something - whether it is my peak I don’t know. I have conditioned myself to race week in and week out, and I am not sure how long it will last, so I am trying to do as many marathons as I can and figure out which ones I enjoy most”. This weekend Kurt travels to Japan for a track meeting before the Rome Marathon on 18 March. In April he will compete in the Paris and London marathons and attend the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards in Spain as Australia’s only nominee.

World Health Organisation predictions of a 60 per cent increase in Type 2 Diabetes between 1995 and 2030 have been challenged by a new study from Ontario. Researchers there have found a 69 per cent increase in the rate of the disease between 1995 and 2005 - far greater than previous projections for Canada. The authors of the new research say this could have devastating consequences worldwide. Professor Patrick Ball from Charles Sturt University’s School of Biomedical Sciences isn’t surprised. "The clear evidence is that we are losing the battle. There are so many different facets to the problem including lack of exercise and modern diets packed with fats and sugar. People are starting to accept diabetes as a normal part of the ageing process. I believe it is a worse health problem than tobacco."

Close collaboration between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and TAFE NSW now enables students to gain computing qualifications from both institutions during three years of full-time study. After completing pilot courses in Albury and Wagga Wagga, the joint program, which incorporates subjects from TAFE NSW’s Diploma of Technology (Networking) and CSU’s Bachelor of Information Technology, is being extended across NSW, with CSU units available via distance education. “This totally integrated approach allows students to study concurrently at both institutions to combine the practical industry experience presented by TAFE NSW with the theoretical rigor of CSU subjects. These students will become even more employable and better qualified in a very competitive industry,” said CSU’s Sub Dean of Information Technology, Dr John Atkinson. Dr Atkinson will meet with TAFE NSW’s Program Manager in Telecom and Networks, Franco Salaun at the Albury campus of TAFE NSW Riverina Institute on Thursday 8 March to discuss further developments in the joint program.

India is the new booming economy – surpassing even China in recent economic growth. It is an amazing success story that is much more evident in the cities than the countryside according to Kirsty Hommel, a recent Charles Sturt University (CSU) social science graduate who spent her practicum in rural southern India developing skills she had learnt at CSU. “The area I lived in was very untouched by western influences. The village I was based in was without a road.  Many people in this area live without running water or electricity - they use local wells and designated trees for toilets.” Kirsty says the Healthy Districts program aims “to increase the overall standards of health in the community through addressing poverty.  We used community development to assist the community to generate income. I really enjoyed being there. Even after I met my practicum requirements, I chose to stay another month. I felt very immersed in the community and the culture there.”

The country's top economic reform agency has called for the introduction of carbon taxes as a way to cut greenhouse emissions. The Productivity Commission, the Australian Government's principal review and advisory body on microeconomic policy and regulation, last week submitted the proposal to the Prime Minister's task force on emissions trading. Dr Roderick Duncan, lecturer in economics at Charles Sturt University (CSU), says if we are serious about cutting emissions, a carbon tax is inevitable. “But to reflect the true cost of our energy, we are going to have to drastically increase the price of petrol and electricity. People say they are very concerned about global warming, but when I tell them we could triple the price of energy, then they become a lot less enthusiastic.”

Students of Australia’s largest inland university Charles Sturt University (CSU) have been awarded seven of the nine Pharmacy Guild of Australia 2007 scholarships as part of the Guild’s Rural Pharmacy Scholarship Scheme. Faculty of Science Dean Professor Mark Burton was “thrilled” with the announcement. “It’s a testament to our health-based courses at CSU that our students receive such positive recognition. The scholarships encourage recipients to seek work in rural and remote areas which ties in with CSU’s commitment to providing trained professionals who will enhance rural communities,” said Professor Burton. To be eligible, Pharmacy students must be from a regional, rural or remote area. The students then make a presentation to the scholarship committee. Each scholarship is worth $40 000 per student over four years.

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.