With research indicating that Australian children and teenagers are showing increased rates of tooth erosion, the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Dentistry and Health Sciences is  training dentists and oral health therapists to work in regional and metropolitan centres. Senior lecturer at the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences at CSU in Orange, Dr Sabrina Manickam says, “Through patient care, research, and community service, our students will play a major role in helping to improve the oral and systemic health of people in regional and remote NSW, across the nation and world-wide”. Public Dental and Oral Health clinics recently opened at CSU in Orange and Wagga Wagga. Clinics at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst and Dubbo will open later this year, ensuring more children and teenagers have access to quality professionals. “We teach our students that the role of a dentist is to help prevent tooth erosion in young mouths through regular cleaning and education,” Dr Manickam said. Organised by the Australian Dental Association, Dental Health Week runs from Monday 2 August to Sunday 8 August.

The musical production, PEACE TRAIN - The Cat Stevens Story is about to embark on an Australian tour under the directorship of Mr John Saunders from Charles Sturt University (CSU). An actor, writer and director, Mr Saunders is a lecturer with the School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU in Wagga Wagga. Written by John Misto, PEACE TRAIN stars Darren Coggan, who performs 23 hit songs in a theatre production hailed as a night of music and story-telling. The show premiered at the Civic Theatre in Wagga Wagga in 2008 and since then has played in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. “Everyone who has worked on or seen PEACE TRAIN is affected and changed by the experience,” Mr Saunders said. “It is thrilling to think that by the end of 2010 audiences all over Australia will have had the opportunity to see and experience PEACE TRAIN live.” The Australian tour starts in the Esperance Civic Theatre in Western Australia on Tuesday 10 August and concludes on Saturday 27 November at Sale in Victoria. Read more here.

A student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo has been awarded a prestigious scholarship for her dedication to teaching. Ms Lea O’Keefe, a fourth year Bachelor of Education student, received a $4 000 NSW Teacher’s Federation scholarship for her commitment to public education. A mother of two, Ms O’Keefe plans to use the money to finance the cost of her studies. A record number of applicants applied for the scholarship funds and Ms O’Keefe was praised for her exemplary original written submission demonstrating understanding of the value of public education. Ms O’Keefe hopes to pursue a career in teaching with a special interest in working in schools with high Indigenous populations. “My course has prepared me for teaching in remote and regional areas, which is where I am most interested in working,” Ms O’Keefe said. “I’m looking forward to putting my training into practice as soon as I complete my degree.”

A book co-written by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic argues the need for long-term reforms to the ways in which schools address the learning needs of students currently not well served by the education system. Dr Dominic O’Sullivan, senior lecturer in political science at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at CSU in Bathurst, says his book, Scaling up Education Reform: Addressing the Politics of Disparity, probes fundamental questions such as: What is school reform?; What makes it sustainable?; Who needs to be involved?; How is scaling up achieved? Dr O’Sullivan said, “Using New Zealand’s Te Kotahitanga Project as a model, my co-authors and I sought to uncover how an educational reform can become both extendable and sustainable to improve long term educational outcomes for all students. Our model can be applied to a variety of levels in education: in the classroom, in schools and system-wide.”

Year 10 and 11 students from Dubbo and western region towns in NSW will explore course options and university life when they attend the MyDay information event at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo on Tuesday 10 August. CSU Marketing Officer, Ms Kath Perry, said, “High school students can get a taste of the courses offered at Charles Sturt University at MyDay Dubbo. They will also learn about the programs, support and opportunities that CSU can offer, such as international experience through CSU Global and financial support. The courses on show include the Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of Social Work, and Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) and courses in the Faculty of Business. MyDay Dubbo also provides an opportunity for students to get an understanding of the career paths available to them after they complete a university course.”

The Agribusiness Today 2010 Beef forum, to be held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange, will focus on building better beef business. With speakers including representatives from Industry & Investment NSW, Meat and Livestock Australia, Woolworths, and the Australian Farm Institute, the annual forum attracts producers and industry leaders from around the region. Coordinator and lecturer from the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences at CSU in Orange, Dr Karl Behrendt says, “The forum will provide an insight to the impact of the proposed Federal emissions trading scheme on livestock producers, low stress cattle handling and what type of cattle are needed from a processor’s perspective and supermarket’s perspective.” The Agribusiness Today 2010 Beef forum will run from 8.30am to 3.30pm on Thursday 12 August at the Machinery Centre at CSU in Orange.  

Agricultural and animal science students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will have the opportunity to meet with a wide range of potential employers from the rural sector when the annual Agricultural and Animal Industry Careers Fair is held at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 4 August. The student-organised event, first held in 2009, involves the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences and the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at CSU. The Fair includes talks on career development for first and second year students. For those closer to completing their course, about 30 potential employers from the rural sector have been invited including banks, wine companies, rural suppliers, catchment management authorities, corporate farms, recruitment agencies, rural development corporations and industry bodies such as NSW Farmers' Association and the Australian Institute for Agricultural Science and Technology.

Current long-term donors who have contributed to scholarships for students attending Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo will be thanked at a ceremony at the University on Tuesday 3 August. CSU Head of Campus in Dubbo, Dr Beverley Moriarty, said, “This occasion provides an opportunity for Charles Sturt University to acknowledge the long-term contributions of Orana Education Centre (OEC) and Country Energy in particular. These organisations have been scholarship donors for 11 and 10 years respectively. Their contributions have helped to support our regional students to gain their qualifications and enable them to contribute to their communities while pursuing careers in regional Australia or any where in the world. The University is very proud of its students and extremely grateful to the Orana Education Centre, Country Energy and all our donors.” Members of the Tony McGrane Memorial Scholarship Fund will also attend and will meet afterwards.

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Computing and Mathematics in Bathurst will host a week-long cultural visit by 14 students and a lecturer from Dali University in China, starting on Monday 26 July. Mr Errol Chopping, the Courses Manager, Computer Science and Information Technology, and Director Industry Placement at the CSU School of Computing and Mathematics, said, “Following mutual agreements between the universities, the visit is designed to show the students what a Charles Sturt University campus is like, and what university life is like here in Australia. While these particular students might not study here, students like them possibly will under the +1 Year Program, which enables Dali University computer science students to do two years study there to gain credit to then study here for one more year and graduate with our Bachelor of Computer Science. These visiting students will be able to tell others at Dali University what Charles Sturt University and Bathurst are like, and we expect this will attract more applications to study here.”