Researchers from Charles Sturt University (CSU) will hold a number of focus groups in Cowra in March so that residents aged 60 years and over can share their experiences of what is it like to live in a rural community as they get older. Dr Rhonda Shaw and Ms Judith Gullifer, lecturers from the CSU School of Psychology in Bathurst, argue that it is important to understand what it is like to grow older in rural communities like Cowra to gain a more complete picture of ageing in Australia. “Too often research about ageing is conducted using samples from metropolitan areas, and issues or views raised from this research are assumed to apply across rural, regional and remote areas,” Dr Shaw said. “This is a metro-centric perspective of ageing which places emphasis on averages across states or territories rather than on the needs and views of specific communities. This is despite evidence that non-metropolitan areas have older age profiles than metropolitan areas, which is, in part, due to a process that has become known as a ‘tree change’, whereby many older adults from metropolitan areas migrate to rural areas in their retirement.” Cowra residents aged over 60 years who wish to participate in the research can contact Dr Rhonda Shaw on (02) 6338 4826.

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) Dental and Oral Health Clinic in Orange is now open to the public with the Rural Dental Action Group’s Ms Marj Bollinger the first to open wide for qualified dentist Dr Ying Shi Chang. Providing general and specialist dentistry services to the Central West, the CSU Dental and Oral Health Clinic, featuring state-of-the-art equipment, aims to service the oral hygiene needs of the local community while providing valuable clinical experience for the University’s dentistry students. Dr Chang, a qualified dentist from Sri Lanka, recently moved to Orange to work in the new Dental and Oral Health Clinic. “By the end of 2010, patients will have the opportunity to have simple procedures completed by CSU dentistry students if they choose to do so,” said Dr Sabrina Manickam, senior lecturer at the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences. To make an appointment at the CSU Dental and Oral Health Clinic in Orange call 1300 278 642.

Local science enthusiasts are over the moon to hear the newest branch of Australia’s oldest scientific society will hold its inaugural free public lecture on how Australian radio-astronomy will solve the origin of the galaxies. The Royal Society of NSW was the first scientific society formed in the colony of NSW in June 1821. Initially named the Philosophical Society of Australasia, “with a view to enquiring into the various branches of physical science of this vast continent (Australia) and its adjacent regions”, the Royal Society of NSW now has a Central West branch. “A program of meetings, guest speakers and other activities is being compiled,” says local branch president and Head of Campus at Charles Sturt University in Orange, Professor Kevin Parton. “Essentially the Society exists for the promotion of science, art, literature and philosophy. Many local scientists and researchers have already joined the Central West branch but more are expected to do so once regular meetings begin. We welcome anyone with an interest in science to attend the first public lecture.”

Having recently received three scholarships, final year Clinical Science student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) Ms Cassanne Eccleston will travel to Kenya today to work as a volunteer in St Joseph’s Mission Hospital in Migori. “These scholarships have allowed me to travel overseas to get some practical work in the areas of surgery I am interested in,” Cassanne said. “I’m hoping to secure one of the 10 places in Sydney University’s Medical degree offered to Charles Sturt University Clinical Science students next year.” Associate Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences, Dr Heather Robinson agrees that the scholarships and her clinical placement in Kenya will give Cassanne a huge advantage when she begins her medical degree. “It’s a great benefit to have that practical experience and the Clinical Science course has given Cassanne a depth of knowledge in medicine that most other students won’t have.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) can boast that it breeds both top graduates and champion horses. At a recent dressage championship event in Bathurst, nine horses associated with the breeding program at CSU in Orange competed with all placing credibly in their classes. Some won champion and reserve championship awards. “These horses were purchased at auction a few years ago and they are now coming of age and competing,” said CSU Orange Equine Management Centre  technical officer Ms Cheryl Gander. “What is exciting is that, the horses are not only proving to be trainable and worth working with, but many of them are showing super talent. It is not unusual to see one of our ’Harvest Horses’ competing and winning against some of the very best horses. The Charles Sturt University horses have the reputation of being talented, well-handled, quiet and affordable.”

Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) Faculty of Arts graduates are finalists in the 2010 Australia China Alumni Awards. At a reception in the Australian pavilion at Shanghai Expo on Tuesday 25 May, Ms Kara Jenkinson, a disaster preparedness delegate for the Australian Red Cross, was announced as a finalist in the Australian Education International Young Australian Alumni of the Year for the second year in a row, while Ms Anthea Webb, director of the United Nations World Food Program in China, was announced asa finalist for the Women in Leadership award. Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Anthony Cahalan said, “The fact we have two graduates listed as finalists in these internationally recognised awards is testament to the high quality degrees we offer at Charles Sturt University.” The winners will be announced at a gala dinner in Shanghai on Saturday 10 July.

The efforts of Charles Sturt University (CSU) to continually improve its environmental initiatives have been recognised in state-wide awards. Under the NSW Government’s Sustainability Advantage Recognition Scheme, CSU has been awarded a Bronze Partnership for its demonstrated commitment to business sustainability. In 2008, the University established CSU Green  to coordinate and monitor the organisation’s sustainability efforts. “Sustainability is a central theme of Charles Sturt University’s strategy and one of the four key themes of our Institutional Development Plan,” said CSU Green Manager Mr William Adlong. “This award gives us an indication we are on track with our environmental initiatives in biodiversity, energy, transport, waste and water.” Ahead of World Environment Day, Mr Adlong accepted the Bronze Partnership on Friday 4 June during a ceremony in Sydney. Read more about CSU Green here.

Winning awards isn’t everything, but for one Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic it’s made all the hard work even more worthwhile. Every year the world’s leading publisher of business and management research, Emerald Group, invites their 200 journal editorial teams to nominate what they believe has been that title’s outstanding paper from the previous 12 months. CSU’s School of Accounting academic, Associate Professor Jayne Bisman’s paper Making the mainstream: An analysis of the scholarly literature on accounting in China 1999-2008 published in Asian Review of Accounting, has been chosen as an Outstanding Paper Award Winner at the Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2010. Professor Bisman was thrilled with the acknowledgement. “Myself and co-author Weini Liao worked extremely hard on the paper and were proud of the finished product. This award is the icing on the cake.”

A passion to assess the impact of climate change on some of the world’s driest places has attracted Dr Antonio Castro from his native Spain to Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga for the past six months. A visiting research fellow with CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS), Dr Castro is assessing the possible impacts of global climate change on Spain, especially the dry south-eastern Andalusia region. He was drawn to Australia to investigate Associate Professor Gary Luck’s major project on assessing ecosystem services, those services provided by the natural environment that enhance the man-made environment, such as carbon storage, timber production, pest control, flower pollination and biodiversity conservation. He hopes to incorporate the skills and knowledge he has developed with Professor Luck into his own research. Dr Castro said he was impressed with the Institute, having never seen ecological, social and cultural views coming together in one institution. “Albury is also a very comfortable city and Australians are very friendly,” Dr Castro said.