At its final meeting for 2008 on Thursday 18 December, the University Council of Charles Sturt University (CSU) congratulated Associate Professor David McKinnon and Dr Lena Danaia from the School of Teacher  Education for winning a prestigious 2008 Australian Award for University Teaching. The Chancellor of CSU, Mr Lawrie Willett, AO, said “The Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) award reflects the dedication and expertise of Professor McKinnon and Dr Danaia, and that of their School, the Faculty of Education and the whole University. We are proud of their contributions to the education of the professions for our regions and the nation. This award reflects Charles Sturt University’s mission to provide education and research to national and international standards, for the people of inland Australia.” Read more about the ALTC award here.

CSU Media wishes all our readers a very safe and happy Christmas and New Year. The team says a big ‘thank you’ for your support of CSU News during 2008. CSU Media is looking forward to an exciting 2009 when CSU will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Charles Sturt University will be closed from 12.30pm Wednesday 24 December until 9am Monday 5 January 2009.

A passion for education, the pursuit of excellence and a commitment to children were attributes recognised in three students at Charles Sturt University in Ontario, Canada, who were awarded the Kate Graham Learning Communities Awards in December 2008. The winners, Mr Roland McDougall, Ms Melanie Childs and Mr Farran Glynn, were presented their awards by Ms Kate Graham and her husband Paul during ‘Careers Week.’ The $400 in prize money for the award was raised by CSU Ontario’s 2007 and 2008 graduating students after Ms Graham was involved in a serious car accident which interrupted her Bachelor of Primary Education Studies. The three students to receive the Kate Graham Learning Communities Awards in 2008 were recognised as representing Ms Graham’s dedication to learning. Read more about the CSU Ontario School of Education here.

The Mid-Western Regional Council has committed $30 000 to the Charles Sturt Foundation at Charles Sturt University (CSU) to create an annual scholarship to support local students.   The scholarship will be available to students in any course on any of CSU’s five main campuses at Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange or Wagga Wagga.  The scholarship will be valued at $2 500 per year and will be available to students who reside in the Mid-Western Regional Council area, or who have completed the majority of their high school education there.   The Mid-Western Region covers an area of 9 000 square kilometres, includes the towns of Gulgong, Kandos, Mudgee and Rylstone as well as many rural villages, and features agricultural diversity ranging from producing quality wines to fine wools.   “Council is delighted with this opportunity to help young people from our region to obtain a higher education,” said Mid-Western Region Mayor, Cr Percy Thompson. “Students and their families can face numerous financial challenges in fulfilling their dreams of university study. Many students may not take up the opportunity of tertiary study because of the costs involved.  These costs can include travel, accommodation, textbooks, fees and other living expenses. “More than 100 students from this Region are enrolled each year at one of the five campuses of Charles Sturt University. By funding the Mid-Western Regional Council Scholarship, Council looks forward to helping ease the financial burden of a higher education for someone each year,” said Cr Thompson.   “The generosity of donors who support the Charles Sturt Foundation, such as the Mid-Western Regional Council, is assisting the University to recognise and reward our best and brightest students,” said Ms Jan Hudson, Manager, University Relations for the Charles Sturt Foundation. “Scholarships provide students with an excellent start and on-going support during their studies, as well as providing students with vital industry links.   “The establishment of these scholarships is a demonstration of Mid-Western Regional Council’s support for Charles Sturt University and its students, and an example of a local council providing financial support for its students.”   Businesses interested in supporting the Charles Sturt Foundation should contact the Foundation Office on (02) 6338 4832. Information on CSU scholarships can be found here.

Having survived wind, rain, freezing cold, searing heat and a lightning strike, the Peregrine Falcon chick at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) in Orange has come of age and is preparing for its first flight from the campus’ 50 metre-high water tower. “By all recorded accounts, Peregrine Falcons first fly between six to eight weeks old,” says Dr Cilla Kinross, Adjunct Lecturer in Environmental Management at the CSU School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences. “The chick has reached the six week mark so its first flight could happen any minute. It is likely to stay close to the nest-site for the next several weeks and with its parents for two to three months to learn to hunt before becoming independent.” The chick has been named Migii, the Aboriginal name for ‘lightning’, and was the sole survivor of two eggs hatched in October last year.

The Remote Telescope at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst has a full calendar of observation events plotted for the UNESCO 2009 International Year of Astronomy, which celebrates 400 years since Galileo first turned a telescope to view the night sky. The initiator and administrator of the CSU telescope, Associate Professor David McKinnon at the CSU School of Teacher Education says that images of the southern night sky through the telescope can be seen via the Internet, weather permitting, around themes that depend on which celestial objects are visible at that time. “The observation calendar centres on special events such as the particular phases of the Moon and planets, as well as requests that are lodged via the Remote Telescope website,” Professor McKinnon said. “This year is a wonderful opportunity for school students and anyone interested in astronomy to access the telescope and website to see planets and other objects as they may never have seen them before.”

An executive with over 25 years experience in the Australian advertising industry says she understands why Charles Sturt University (CSU) advertising and advertising/marketing graduates are so highly sought by the industry. Ms Anne Llewellynn has joined the CSU School of Communication at Bathurst as lecturer in advertising after a career as a senior account director for major agencies including McCann-Erickson, MDO (Mojo) and DDB, where her expertise contributed to the success of a range of national and international products and services in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, consumer goods, banking and finance sectors. “Last year I worked with final year students in the School’s advertising agency Kajulu Communications to prepare complete communications recommendations for real clients,” Ms Llewellynn said. “The presentations and the calibre of the work produced by some of these students were industry standard. The students graduating from this School enter the industry with the highest academic qualifications and hands-on industry experience.”

Recent media reports of a dengue fever ‘plague’ in northern Queensland are an overstatement of what periodically occurs in that State, according to a senior Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic and member of the Institute for Land, Water and Society. “I don’t see dengue fever marching south from tropical Australia as a great plague, but rather gradually moving with the fluctuations and movements of climate change over many years,” says Professor Kevin Parton. “My work on Ross River fever, a similarly mosquito-borne disease endemic to parts of southern Australia, shows that the virus is present in humans across NSW – which would surprise many people. It becomes more common in certain weather conditions, hence the appearance of an ‘outbreak’. Sure, take public health precautions such as use insect repellent, fix fly screens and tip out standing water around your house, but some current reports are a little sensationalist.”

New buildings at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Orange and Wagga Wagga are rapidly taking shape as the University prepares to welcome the inaugural students in its new dental and oral health therapy courses in 2009. After receiving hundreds of applications from across Australia and overseas, CSU is preparing to fill 40 places in the Bachelor of Dental Science program starting at Orange and 20 places in the Bachelor of Oral Health (Therapy/Hygiene) program starting at Wagga Wagga. “We are thrilled with the calibre of applicants,” said Associate Professor in Oral Health Barbara Taylor. “The student selection process has been very competitive, particularly for dentistry as it included an online questionnaire and interview.” “We had a diverse and skilled applicant pool and are confident this will result in a committed student group,” added the Head of the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences, Professor Ward Massey. Work on the dentistry buildings in Orange and oral health therapy facilities at Wagga continued over Christmas, as well as progress in the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment such as dental chairs and clinical software.