The pharmacy program at Charles Sturt University (CSU) has been learning throughout June from the experiences of a visiting Professor from Denver in the USA. Professor Christopher Turner is Director of Experiential Programs at the School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado. Taking the opportunity of a change in the registration requirements for pharmacists in the USA, the University revised its pharmacy program so that students would gain experiences that would better position them to accept their professional responsibilities at graduation. This was based on progressively pushing students beyond their comfort zones through a range of experiential learning throughout their training. “This has had the effect of bringing students to greater competence and confidence at graduation,” said CSU Professor of Rural Pharmacy Patrick Ball, who has been accompanying the visiting US Professor. “Being competent in specific tasks before taking up a student placement has allowed the students to contribute actively to their workplace,” he added. More than 120 students started in CSU’s pharmacy program in 2006 including 45 in Orange and 79 in Wagga Wagga. This brings the total number of students in the first non-metropolitan pharmacy program in Australia in 2006 to about 340.    

David Hunter was determined to complete his PhD thesis before he died of bone marrow cancer in December 2003. After 10 years of juggling study, caring for three young children and cancer treatment, David completed the draft of his thesis on the hermeneutics of French philosopher Paul Ricoeur applied to the Gospel of John, just two weeks before his death at the age of 41. David’s widow, Rev. Jeanette Mathews accepted David’s posthumous Doctorate of Philosophy on his behalf at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Theology graduation earlier this month (June 2). As well as working on his PhD, David was a sessional lecturer in New Testament studies at CSU’s School of Theology which is based at St Mark’s National Theological Centre in Canberra. David Hunter did a degree in Agricultural Science at Melbourne University before switching to theology. After he and Jeanette were married they both completed Bachelor of Divinity degrees at the international Baptist Theological Seminary near Zurich, Switzerland.  They moved to Canberra when Jeanette was appointed Associate Minister at the Canberra Baptist Church in 1997. David combined his PhD work with being a househusband and primary carer of the couple’s three young sons as well as his active involvement in social justice issues and Aboriginal reconciliation. After being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in 2000, David kept up his study which Jeanette says was “life-giving and sustaining” for him during his illness. “As I stood in David’s place to accept his PhD I felt his life’s work had been completed but it wouldn’t have been finished without the help and support of our friends and colleagues at St Mark’s,” said Jeanette who is also a sessional lecturer at St Mark’s National Theological Centre.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Professional Development Unit (PDU) has been contracted by the NSW Aboriginal Land Council to develop a training and development strategy for Aboriginal Land Councils. The PDU will evaluate the current training packages, make recommendations for the development of new ones to fill any gaps and provide recommendations regarding delivery schedules and methods. Pat Bradbery, manager of the PDU at Bathurst CSU, says this is an important step for the PDU in its efforts to develop targeted business-related courses for Indigenous people. “The PDU will ensure the training is aligned with the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (ALRA) with the object of making the local Aboriginal Land Councils more effective and efficient in carrying out their work which primarily is to acquire and manage land on behalf of Aboriginal people.” He says the strategy can’t be the same for all as Land Councils can vary considerably. “It certainly is an interesting project because of the ALRA requirements. It is very different to developing a training strategy for a corporate customer. Because of the community involvement in Local Aboriginal Land Councils, we need to be conscious of what the executive wants as well as what the rank and file members desire,” Mr Bradbery added.

It has been an exciting six months for Dr Sharynne McLeod, senior lecturer in language acquisition at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Teacher Education. As a world-renowned speech pathologist, she is just back from Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University College after successfully applying for a prestigious British Academy Visiting Fellowship worth over £8000. Dr McLeod was there for a project entitled Mapping tongue/palate contact for speech sound production. “I needed to go to Edinburgh to finish analysing my work. They have been developing new technology combining ultrasound and electropalatography so you can actually map the tongue’s movement during speech. No one has combined these techniques before,” Dr McLeod said. Whilst in Europe, Dr McLeod presented some of her mapping research to the British Association of Academic Phoneticians in Scotland as well as presenting to speech pathologists, students and academics at universities in London, Sheffield and Edinburgh. There was more good news waiting for Dr McLeod on her return home when she discovered she had been awarded a Fellowship of Speech Pathology Australia, one of only two Fellowships awarded throughout Australia.

An increasingly significant disease in grapevines in eastern Australia is the subject of new research at Charles Sturt University (CSU). PhD student Micheal Qiu is examining the grapevine trunk disease known as Bot canker in the Hunter Valley and Mudgee wine grape growing regions. The disease is thought to be responsible for productivity losses of overseas grapevines of up to one-third. The postgraduate research is being conducted through the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) at CSU in Wagga Wagga. It aims to provide a better understanding of the disease and therefore better management of the problem. The project will examine the distribution, identity, pathogenicity and genetic variation of the causal agents of Bot canker. Several fungicides will also be tested in the laboratory for their ability to control the disease. The research is being funded by the Australian Research Council, Bayer Crop Science Pty Ltd, Hunter Valley Vineyard Association and the Mudgee Wine Grape Growers Association.  

Researchers at the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will present their latest studies and the research benefits for industry during the annual symposium on Thursday 22 June in Wagga Wagga. Entitled The Full Circle, the symposium will cover topics such as environmental issues surrounding irrigation and nitrogen management of vineyards; vascular transport in grapevines and the impact of vineyard floor management researchers.  “The communication of our research results to industry is a major and key component of the NWGIC,” said centre Director Professor Geoff Scollary. President of the NSW Wine Industry Association David Lowe will open the 2006 research symposium at 10.30am. The program for The Full Circle can be found here. The NWGIC is an alliance between Charles Sturt University, NSW Department of Primary Industries, the NSW Wine Industry Association and Deakin University.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will have a strong presence at the first international Growing Regions Conference in Brisbane in July. Professor Margaret Alston, Director of CSU’s Centre for Rural Social Research, is one of the keynote speakers at the conference which will draw together leading contemporary regional policy experiences and research from across the globe. CSU staff member, Steven Gibbs and student Nicole Creaser are among the 15 young people from around Australia who will be sponsored by the Australian Government to attend the conference. Steven Gibbs, a research support officer in CSU’s Spatial Data Analysis Network (SPAN), says his main interest regional policy and development. He is particularly looking forward to the sessions dealing with “issues of population and government services and how policy can improve the well-being of people living in rural areas.” Nicole Creaser is in the fourth year of her Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) course at CSU’s Wagga Wagga campus. Originally from Melbourne, Nicole says she is interested in “everything to do with health in regional and rural Australia".

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Professor of Theology and Executive Director of the University’s Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Reverend Professor James Haire, was made a member of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2006 announced on 12 June. Reverend Professor Haire was awarded a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to religion and the community through the promotion of ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, the Uniting Church in Australia and theological education. Born in Ireland, James Haire studied at Oxford University in UK and was ordained a minister in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in 1972. Since moving to Australia in 1985, Rev. Professor Haire has held numerous positions including current president of the National Council of Churches in Australia (since 2003); president of the National Assembly Uniting Church in Australia (2000-2003); and joint chair of the Uniting and Roman Catholic Church Australian National Dialogue (1992-2004). CSU Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ross Chambers praised Professor Haire’s leadership in promoting dialogue between the churches and between Christians, Muslims and Jews. “Reverend Professor Haire’s high quality work in ecumenism and interfaith dialogue is particularly important in Australia at this time in history. Under Professor Haire’s leadership it has become an important focus of teaching and research at CSU,” Professor Chambers said.

Researchers from across Charles Sturt University (CSU) will present their latest studies covering a wide-range of health issues during a two day forum at Wagga Wagga  this week. Many of the University’s lead health researchers will present their work on various topics, including rural health, complementary medicine, mental illness, injury management, nuclear medicine, cardiovascular disease and farmer health and pesticides. The forum entitled Health Research at CSU: A Showcase of Current Strengths and Strategies for Success, will be held at the Convention Centre, CSU, Wagga Wagga from 2pm Wednesday 14 June until 12.30pm Thursday 15 June. “This forum demonstrates the University’s commitment to meeting the needs of our communities and health professionals for high-quality research that addresses their priority health concerns,” said CSU senior research fellow and forum co-organiser Dr Rod Pope. The event has been organised by the University’s Faculty of Health Studies.Click here to see program.