Australian academics from a variety of disciplines will meet to discuss ethical engagement in academic writing at a conference at Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Bathurst Campus on Friday 18 July. Dr Sue Saltmarsh from CSU’s Faculty of Education said the one-day invitational conference includes leading scholars whose work addresses key issues to do with ethical academic writing. “In an era of intense competition to attract and retain students in the global knowledge economy, it is vital to recognise the importance of ongoing discussions about scholarly ethics in all aspects of academic writing. The conference will focus discussion on locally relevant issues from international perspectives. We are fortunate to have Dr Tracey Bretag, from the School of Management at the University of South Australia, as a keynote speaker, and we have people travelling to the conference from as far away as Adelaide,” Dr Saltmarsh said.

Four Charles Sturt University (CSU) Middle School education degree students will travel with three Wodonga Middle School teachers to the United States next week to attend the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Summer Institute. Jane Hill, Caralea Glen, Courtney Mitchell, and Mandy Walker will participate in the latest professional development with middle and high school teachers from the United States when they attend the program in Sacramento, California. The students will also meet local middle school teachers, students and families involved in the AVID program. CSU middle school lecturer Dr William DeJean said this was an opportunity for pre-service teachers to acquire professional insights into how to increase academic performance, engagement, and eventually university enrolment for middle school students.

Dubbo families will soon benefit from the skills and support of a very talented woman who was recently nominated for the 2008 Western Institute TAFE Outstanding Graduating Student Awards. Ms Jill Morris, who is co-enrolled in a Bachelor of Social Work between Dubbo TAFE and Charles Sturt University (CSU), is hoping to work with families in the Dubbo area after she graduates and is especially interested in early intervention and prevention strategies. At the TAFE Institutes’ Awards luncheon, held last week, CSU was given special mention in relation to Ms Morris who fitted her studies around part-time work and the responsibilities of caring for her family.

Students enrolled in Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) equine science degree have received a Wagga Mutual Credit Union Safety Awareness Award for improving safety for students engaged in the high risk activity of ‘breaking in’ young horses at the University’s Equine Centre on the Wagga Wagga Campus. Injuries to ‘horse breakers’, which include the students, can be significantly reduced by having a mature and steady horse - a ‘lead pony’ - to accompany and settle the younger horses. The Centre had a suitable horse on loan, but could not afford the $4 000 needed to purchase the pony, named Buck. Undaunted, 50 students worked together to raise the funds by producing a promotional CD about Buck and the ‘breakers’, obtaining donations, running a chocolate drive and hosting a trivia night. The students raised over half of Buck’s purchase price in short time, while the University provided the balance. Equine Centre manager Mr John Smart said the University’s safety culture was enhanced by the student team as they resolved what could have been a long-term safety issue. Buck now lives at the Centre. A second safety award was presented to a team of Educational Designers from the University’s Centre for Education, Learning and Teaching.

The youngest student to ever study at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will receive a special award to mark her participation in the first year university level Information Technology (IT) subject in Wagga Wagga this week. Fourteen year old Ms Kaitlin Salzke, from Wagga Wagga High School, is on the verge of completing the subject. She studied through the Gifted and Talented program run by CSU’s Faculty of Business. “This program targets talented high school students and gives them an opportunity to study a university subject,” said the Dean of the Faculty of Business, Professor John Hicks. Also from Wagga Wagga High School, Year 12 student Ms Isabelle Walsh, is due to complete a first year mathematics subject through the same program. Professor Hicks, along with Associate Professor Irfan Altas, the Head of the CSU School of Computing and Mathematics in Wagga Wagga and Ms Lorran Hall, the Manager of the Division of Student Administration, will visit Wagga Wagga High School on Wednesday 25 June for a special presentation to the two teenagers. The Department of Education and Training’s Regional Director, Mr Colin Parker will also attend.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic says that communal memory lies at the heart of a feature-length documentary film about former Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley and his wife Elizabeth. Dr Robin McLachlan, an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in History and Cultural Heritage Studies in the University’s School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies on Bathurst Campus, was co-producer and historian for The Chifleys of Busby Street – A Community Remembers. He says the film, which will be launched in Bathurst on Wednesday 25 June, is an exercise in ‘people’s history’. “It’s an attempt to find and share the communal memory of the Chifleys which lives on in their hometown of Bathurst, NSW, where Chifley’s extraordinary compassion and idealism are still treasured 50 years after his death. He was a politician who lived by principles of compassion and concern for his fellow Australians and he had a profound effect on the path of Australian history following World War Two,” Dr McLachlan said.

Research into the use of biometric authentication to curb the growing problem of identity theft is the subject of a seminar at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Bathurst Campus on Monday 30 June. Mr Jason Howarth, a lecturer at the School of Computing & Mathematics, said the research will affect individuals and organisations alike. Mr Howarth explained that identity theft (IDT) refers to any impersonation or misappropriation of an individual's identity. “It can take many forms, such as misusing personal information to open new credit card accounts, take out loans or obtain passports. Aided by the increase in digitization and online information, identity theft is rapidly becoming a major worldwide problem for businesses, governments and citizens. Biometrics has emerged in recent years as a way to combat identity theft because it can unequivocally identify individuals, but little is known about consumers’ readiness to accept biometric identification (such as palm prints).”

Borenore Public School students from Years 3 to 6 recently became university students for a few hours to further their understanding of micro organisms. The students visited Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Orange Campus where they received a short lecture, used microscopes and looked at and drew fungi and bacteria. They learned basic differences between fungi and bacteria, facts about good and bad micro organisms, and were somewhat unimpressed to return to school with a short homework activity. Associate lecturer at the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, Mr Yann Guisard, said this was the first workshop he had given to primary school students at the campus. “It all went well and we hope to develop this workshop with other primary schools in the future.”

Year 12 students from high schools across the NSW Central West region will converge on Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Bathurst Campus on Thursday 26 June to attend the 2008 Higher School Certificate (HSC) Seminar Day. The day is an initiative of secondary teachers with the NSW Department of Education and Training in the region, and is sponsored by CSU. Organisers estimate that about 300 HSC students will attend from schools in Bathurst, Blayney, Boorowa, Orange, Cowra, Grenfell, Kandos, Lithgow, Molong and Oberon. Ms Kerry Browning, Manager of the CSU Contact Centre which provides information and advice to prospective students, said the day would provide students with information relevant to their HSC exams, as well as provide a positive experience of life at university. “The students will attend separate seminars and lectures on a variety of HSC topics provided by experienced HSC teachers. Then they will have lunch in the CSU cafeteria and be able to go on a tour of the Bathurst Campus and seek course advice from University advisers,” Ms Browning said.