An initiative to curb the critical shortage of midwives in rural and regional Australia has been recognised in the recent New South Wales health awards. A midwifery training program at Leeton District Hospital and conducted in partnership with Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Griffith and Wagga Wagga base hospitals was nominated for the Director General’s Encouragement Award in the 2007 NSW Health Awards. Three students have completed the program, which includes clinical work at Leeton District Hospital and 12 months of study for CSU’s Postgraduate Diploma in Midwifery. “The program is one way to develop sustainable maternity services in rural areas, including continuity in care and local antenatal services for women having babies,” said Leeton District Hospital clinical midwifery specialist and CSU graduate Tania McVittie. 

As drought continues to tighten its grip on inland Australia Charles Sturt University (CSU) has received two Federal government grants for the provision and installation of water saving measures at its Wagga Wagga Campus. A water tank will be installed as part of the Veterinary Clinical Building which is currently under construction to collect water for washing horses and for irrigation. Senior CSU architect Chris Nesakumar developed the successful grant application, worth nearly $ 50 000. CSU Wagga Wagga Campus also received a Community Water Grant worth $15 000 to enlarge a dam to store stormwater collected from residences and to install a solar powered pump and associated water systems. The water will be used in a composting program to recycle waste on the Wagga Wagga Campus. It is envisaged that the dam will save around 500 000 litres of water per year.

A new book that looks at quality assurance tools and certification programs in ecotourism will be a valuable guide for new and existing ecotourism operators world-wide. Co-edited by Dr Rosemary Black from Charles Sturt University (CSU), the book, Quality Assurance and Certification in Ecotourism, is the fifth in a series of books on ecotourism published by UK publisher CABI. Dr Black, a social scientist with CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society, said the book has developed from her research on certification of ‘ecotour’ guides. “The book also includes information on quality assurance and certification for different aspects of ecotourism operations like transport, tours and accommodation,” said Dr Black, who spent four years researching and writing the book. Apart from her own work, the book includes contributions from authors around the world including the UK, Australia, America, the South Pacific, South Africa and South America.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Dubbo Campus farewelled 26 graduating nurses at a barbeque on Monday 12 November following their return from a four week placement that focussed on the transition to practice as Registered Nurses. Lyn Croxon, lecturer and clinical coordinator in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, said that having completed a three year CSU nursing degree, the students can register with the NSW Nurses’ and Midwives’ Board. “CSU’s nursing students received great support from staff in the various western region hospitals in which they undertook their clinical placements,” she said. “The University thanks all the personnel in the various health settings for their support of our programs and the clinical practicum which is an integral component of the nursing course.” The graduating nurses come from Dubbo, Parkes, Peak Hill, Narromine, Warren and Gulgong. The majority have accepted positions as Registered Nurses at hospitals and health facilities across the western NSW region, while several will pursue careers in Sydney, Gosford and Canberra.

Cadet journalists working at National Radio News (NRN) at Charles Sturt University (CSU) have gained a number of paid internships with leading media organisations. NRN manager Mr Peter Hetherington said that the success of NRN staff in gaining outside internships and other placements is quite significant. “This is the pilot for an ongoing program, and those who show aptitude during the internship will be fast tracked into fulltime work at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC),” he said. “It demonstrates that the training our students receive in their CSU journalism course and the practical experience they gain through their NRN cadetships equips them to step straight into on-air roles with major broadcasters.” Three NRN cadets - Rebecca Bruce, Frank Ienco and Cameron Green - commenced paid internships with ABC Radio in Sydney from 5 November. Former NRN journalist Matthew Reardon has been accepted for an internship with Deutsche Vella, Germany’s major public broadcaster NRN cadet Patrick Cronan has commenced with 2TM Tamworth as on-air news journalist, while CSU graduate Rochelle Nolan has commenced as fulltime journalist with NRN.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students at the Wagga Wagga Campus are contributing to the social fabric of the Riverina in regional NSW, by supporting charities that assist those in our community who are less fortunate or are struggling to make ends meet in these tough times of drought. Students in the CSU Halls of Residence pay 50 cents at each social barbecue that they attend during the year, with this money donated to charity. In 2007, students raised nearly $2 700 which will be donated to the Salvation Army - Wagga Wagga Drought Appeal and Movember. The cheques will be handed over to representatives of the charities by CSU students at the Full Board Christmas Dinner commencing at 6pm on Thursday 15 November in the student dining room.

The founders of the theory of thermodynamics in the 19th century did not find it easy to make themselves heard by the scientific community of the day, and it did not help that they did not grasp fully what they had found. They revolutionized everyday life by using energy and by creating methods for the production of fuel, and they rendered traditional philosophy redundant. Charles Sturt University (CSU) is hosting a visit to the Riverina, in regional NSW, by Professor Emeritus Ingo Muller of Technical University, Berlin, who will deliver a public lecture, The terroristic nimbus of entropy and other fanciful stories from the early history of thermodynamics. The lecture will be held on Monday 19 November at 5pm in building 11 - room 208. Professor Muller is a leading expert in thermodynamics and was the recipient of the Leibniz award of the German Science Foundation in 1988 and the International Award for Theoretical Mechanics of the Academy of Sciences of Turin, Italy, in 2006.

A study conducted by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher has revealed disturbing links between diabetes and depression. Medical science honours student, Ms Marina Jeeawody, reports that the level of depression in people with diabetes is much higher than those without diabetes. Based on the analysis of 750 participants from Albury and surrounding areas, the research showed depression is more prevalent in older women, and despite the stigma of mental illness, there is a shift towards recognition and the acceptance of depression and a willingness to discuss mood changes with health professionals. “For the people with diabetes, depression may be an additional barrier to achieving effective self-care. As a risk that can be modified, depression treatments could decrease the risk of diabetes-related complications,” said Ms Jeeawody.

“Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Centre for Inland Health (CIH) is a valuable resource for the communities of south-eastern NSW that not only provides insight into the health and wellbeing of communities within the Riverina, but also supports allied and primary health care professionals in rural and remote areas,” said Riverina Division of General Practice & Primary Health CEO, Mrs Nancye Piercy. The Centre for Inland Health was established at CSU in response to the lack of information and realistic solutions to meet the health needs of inland Australian communities. The Centre co-ordinates cooperative research and development programs designed to examine and address the priority health issues and concerns of inland Australian communities, which also aid the Division in identifying models of care consistent with the needs of Riverina communities. “During the past 12 months the Division has formed a very close relationship with the CIH by providing support and direction to program managers through training and education, providing support for local doctors and partnering the Division in numerous funding proposals to better support primary health care needs in the Riverina,” said Mrs Piercy.