Jane Caldwell, a Charles Sturt University (CSU) PhD candidate enrolled through the School of Clinical Sciences, has been awarded a Certificate of Merit at the 4th Annual Victorian Government State Nursing Excellence Awards. Her supervisors, Dr Elaine Dietsch and Dr Sandi Mackey, are full of praise for Jane’s work. “It is a very, very prestigious award. Jane’s PhD thesis is looking at parenting strengths in vulnerable families, so she is doing it from a positive perspective. In regard to the two thousand dollars she won, she said ‘that will buy heaps of things for the families I visit’. She is highly esteemed by colleagues as well as the families she works with,” said Dr Dietsch. Jane Caldwell describes those families as “great people. They are fabulous families. They don’t have a lot, they don’t have material things but they are rich people in what they give back.”

Trainee primary science teachers from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Murray School of Education (MSE) are making science fun for local school children. Each year CSU students take “practical science activities” to a host school, according to John Rafferty, a lecturer with the School of Education. “Walbundrie Primary School is hosting this year as part of their Small Schools Cluster ongoing commitment to innovation and five schools are coming in by bus. There will be 11 activities in all, with children working with undergraduate teachers on interesting and practical science issues such as a volcano and solar ovens made out of pizza boxes in which they cook little biscuits. It is just a really good example of trainee teachers in the field working with schools with University support. This idea that you go away to university for four years and come out as teachers is a myth, the CSU students are involved with schools the whole time, and the local schools have a big say in their development.”

Veterinary issues concerning the Australian cattle industry including trade risks and maintaining export markets in light of animal disease and public health threats will be the focus of a speech by Australian Cattle Council Executive Director Mr David Inall. Mr Inall will join former Chief Veterinary Officer of Australia Dr Gardner Murray in addressing industry representatives and regional practitioners at the inaugural Charles Sturt Veterinary Foundation Dinner on Saturday 28 October in Wagga Wagga.  The Charles Sturt University (CSU) veterinary program’s multi-million dollar capital works projects will be a feature discussion topic at the dinner, with plans currently underway for a Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory to support livestock producers and veterinarians in the region, as well as facilitate training for veterinary undergraduate and postgraduate students in diagnostic procedures. “The dinner provides an opportunity to discuss the course, its particular characteristics and its educational and research directions with the veterinary community and build the networks crucial to ensuring the success of the program and our graduates,” says CSU’s Director of Veterinary Science Professor Kym Abbott. The dinner will be held in 6pm Boorooma Auditorium, CSU Wagga Wagga Campus.

Winemaker Vikki Fischer is already taking out awards after graduating from Charles Sturt University (CSU) last year. Vicki’s Kardinia 2006 Riesling won the ACT Chief Minister’s award for the best Riesling for the Canberra district at the recent 2006 Hyatt International Riesling Challenge. Director of the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) and CSU Professor of Oenology Geoff Scollary said the University played a significant role in the Challenge, with wine science and viticulture students and the CSU Winery assistant winemaker acting as stewards for the tasting program, while NWGIC experimental winemaker, Emily Rouse, was Associate Chief Steward. Professor Scollary also convened the event’s Winemakers’ Seminar, which he said is an important part of the University’s outreach to the wine industry and assists with the ongoing training of winemakers.

Leaders of the Australian cattle industry led by David Inall, Executive Director of the Cattle Council of Australia and Dr Gardner Murray Chief Veterinary Officer of Australia will join NSW veterinarians and cattle producers to attend the official opening of Charles Sturt University’s new cattle yards, which are part of the University’s new veterinary sciences building.  “The yards provide progressive teaching facilities for veterinary students and are the envy of other veterinary schools”, said CSU Professor of Veterinary Reproduction Peter Chenoweth. “They are very well designed units which allow easy animal movement and restraint for veterinary procedures, all under cover, well lit and well protected from the weather.” The yards include a hydraulic squeeze crush with electronic weigh and data download capabilities; automatic drafting gates operated manually or by electronic recognition of weight; six offset crushes for securing animals for such procedures as pregnancy testing; and a hut for basic laboratory procedures. The yards will be opened at 3.30pm on Saturday 28 October on the University’s Wagga Wagga Campus, immediately before the inaugural Charles Sturt Veterinary Foundation Dinner.    

The dream of a person with communication impairment has lead to a community project to improve assistance for this group by Border businesses. A group of Charles Sturt University (CSU) students are helping client tutor Margaret Bashford to develop a booklet for Border businesses so they are better prepared to work with people with communication impairments. The third year speech pathology students at CSU have already surveyed some pharmacists, banks and doctors' surgeries to assess their awareness of people with communication impairments, with some organisations requesting further training and advice in this area. The students are now seeking comments from people with communication impairments to rate Albury health, education and business organisation on the service and consideration they receive. “Something as simple as an individualised business communication book, which includes product pictures and prices, can improve service and make shopping a lot easier for people with a communication disability," said CSU student Jennifer Robinson. The survey results will be used to help develop a book or training program to help fulfil Margaret’s dream and help businesses better assist people with communication impairment.

Prospective students searching for financial support for their studies at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie in 2013 can apply now for scholarships. Campus Director for CSU in Port Macquarie, Dr Muyesser Durur, said the University is committed to encouraging students to participate in higher education on the NSW Mid North Coast. “Charles Sturt University has established a range of scholarships specifically available for its students in Port Macquarie that can assist with tuition fees, living expenses and learning materials,” Dr Durur said. The scholarships include: CSU Port Macquarie Excellence Scholarships for students based on evidence of community leadership and citizenship as well as high academic results at school or TAFE; CSU Port Macquarie Equity Scholarships for students studying at CSU in Port Macquarie or a distance education course administered from Port Macquarie; The CSU TAFE to University scholarship program for TAFE students; and, The CSU Pathway and Partnership scholarship program for students in a CSU Pathway, articulated or integrated program with CSU and a TAFE institute. Accounting, business, creative industries, paramedic, health sciences, justice studies and social work courses will be offered on the Port Macquarie campus to start in February 2013.

How native freshwater fish are affected by hydro-electric turbines for electricity on major rivers is a global concern. A fish researcher, who studies the ecology of migratory fish in the Lower Mekong River Basin in South-East Asia, is visiting southern NSW to investigate how Australian native fish can live with similar plants on major dams in the southern Murray-Darling Basin. Dr Phousavanh Phouvin, from the National University of Laos in Laos Peoples Democratic Republic, is currently on a three-month study tour in Australia, investigating aspects of hydro plant design that cause fish injuries and deaths. Dr Phouvin will present results from his findings at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury from 12noon on Thursday 15 November. He has worked mainly at the Narrandera Fisheries Centre as a Crawford Fund Fellow.

The risks of the sexualisation of girls, and tips on how to help girls grow up with healthy attitudes towards body image and sexuality, will be discussed at a public lecture in Tumut on Wednesday 21 November. Lecturer in philosophy and ethics at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Dr Emma Rush, will give an overview of what researchers and experts have to say about the risks associated with the sexualisation of girls and explain the government’s response. “A generation ago we didn’t see fashion and gossip magazines, padded bras and cosmetics, pitched specifically at the primary school market,” she said. “While sex appeal has been used to sell products for a long time, in the last decade or so imagery directly inspired by pornography has also become much more prevalent in fashion and advertising. The increasing pressure on girls to meet very narrow appearance ‘ideals’ at younger and younger ages is of significant concern to experts in child health and welfare.” The free lecture, Getting Real: Challenging the Sexualisation of Girls, will also identify resources for parents and professionals who work with girls.