Charles Sturt University (CSU) academics and medical imaging students will be present to discuss a career in medical imaging when Regional Imaging Riverina holds an open day in Wagga Wagga on Sunday 8 November - the day in 1895 when Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered x-rays - as part of National Radiographers and Radiation Therapists Week (Monday 2 to Sunday 8 November). Radiographers are the health professionals who operate x-ray, mammogram or ultrasound diagnostic technologies. CSU medical imaging students will also mark the Week with their annual end of year dinner at 6.30pm on Wednesday 4 November at the University’s Convention Centre. “There are around 40 radiographers working in Wagga Wagga alone,” said Mrs Kelly Spuur, lecturer with the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences at CSU at Wagga Wagga. Mrs Spuur is course coordinator of the Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Medical Imaging) and a former radiographer with Regional Imaging Riverina (RIR). “Given the national and international shortage of radiographers, our region is fortunate to have this many professionals working in local private practice and public hospitals.”  The open day is an opportunity for the local community to tour the facility at Calvary Hospital which includes a 16 channel short bore MRI scanner, 16 slice CT and digital mammography unit. Radiographers will also be on hand to discuss their work.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic and artist Mr Jamie Holcombe will explore his photographic exhibition Civic Melancholy  in a public seminar at CSU at Wagga Wagga from 3.10pm on Wednesday 4 November. The exhibition, which will be officially opened by CSU lecturer Mr David Gilbey at 6pm on Saturday 14 November in the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, focuses on large-scale urban landscapes in the Riverina. During the seminar, the artist will present an overview of the project’s evolution, drawing on his ongoing PhD research into the concept of the melancholy in photography, with particular reference to urban landscape in regional community environments.  “This body of work is a personal response to my surroundings,” said Mr Holcombe. “After a long period of passive observation, this exhibition represents an interchange with the region that I now call home.” Mr Holcombe lectures in photography and digital imaging in the School of Visual and Performing Arts at CSU at Wagga Wagga.

Early-career researchers will receive advice from more experienced academics and meet other researchers at a similar stage in their careers at the biennial Environmental and Resource Economics Early-Career Researcher Workshop (E-CReW 2009) at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst on the Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 November. The head of the E-CReW management committee, Professor Mark Morrison, from the CSU School of Business at Bathurst, said E-CReW 2009 also provides a forum for employers to meet young researchers who will shape the future of environmental research, and for research agencies to discuss current research needs. “The workshop will involve mentors with a strong reputation and experience in environmental and resource economics, and developing researchers looking at vital issues involving climate change, sustainable development, and natural resource management,” said Professor Mark Morrison. E-CReW 2009 is hosted by the CSU Institute for Land, Water and Society.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) research and teaching links with Pakistan will be highlighted when the High Commissioner of Pakistan visits Wagga Wagga on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 October. CSU has forged strong relationships with Pakistan in the areas of animal and veterinary sciences and water. The High Commissioner, His Excellency Mr Jalil Abbas Jilani, will meet the University’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Ian Goulter, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Sue Thomas. The senior diplomat will also meet CSU researchers from the University’s International Centre of Water for Food Security (IC WATER) and the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation. He will tour the campus including the Veterinary Clinical Centre, and visit Coleambally in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA).

Two experts will be at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Albury-Wodonga this week to demonstrate and discuss the latest techniques in managing lower limb injuries. Chief Orthotist for Medical Accessories of Australia, Mr Andrew Torney, will speak on the latest bracing systems for lower limbs. Mr Torney has special interests in managing orthotics with children, sports injuries and lower limb orthotics. He provides orthotic care for major sporting teams such as the Australian Cricket Team, the AFL Brisbane Lions and the NRL Brisbane Broncos. His workshop will commence at 7pm on Wednesday 4 November in the Nowik Lecture Theatre, Guinea Street, Albury. Specialist sports physiotherapist and Fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapists, Mr Matthew Stewart, will speak on and demonstrate the diagnosis and rehabilitation of ankle injuries. Mr Stewart is in private practice, has extensive experience in sports and orthopaedic rehabilitation, and is a clinical educator and lecturer with the University of Sydney and Sports Physiotherapy Australia. His workshop will commence at 7pm on Thursday 5 November in the Nowik Lecture Theatre, Guinea Street, Albury. Visit coordinator and CSU podiatry lecturer, Ms Caroline Robinson, said the free public lectures would be particularly interesting to Border health professionals who deal with lower limb injuries. “Charles Sturt University’s School of Community Health is committed to inter-professional education and the University plays an important role in the education and professional development of health professionals in regional Australia,” Ms Robinson said.

Schools and other institutions around Australia, including Charles Sturt University (CSU), will burst into song – the same song – at 11am Thursday 30 August. Life is a Song has been especially written for the project entitled Music, Count Us In, which is an initiative of the Federal Department of Education, Science and Training. CSU choir master and music lecturer in the School of Teacher Education Dr Christopher Klopper calls the project “fantastic” and confirms that Life is a Song will be performed on CSU’s Bathurst Campus. He says the timing of the project also coincides with his fourth year student’s practicums, so they will take the project into schools around New South Wales. “This is an opportunity for everyone in Australia to be learning one shared song. It will raise awareness of music education and, if it is successful, could become an annual event.”

Staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Wagga Wagga are being encouraged to participate in a Walk at Work on Thursday 5 November. The University’s Occupational, Health and Safety (OH&S) Committee at Wagga Wagga has reshaped the annual national Walk to Work Day to try to get staff and students out and about for a brisk four kilometre walk before a hearty but healthy breakfast at the University. “It would be wonderful to see as many staff and students as possible take part in this exercise within their work environment and to take advantage of the walks around the local campus,” said OH&S Committee presiding officer Mrs Marion Kater.

The hospitals and health facilities across rural NSW will soon get a boost after 15 nursing students celebrate their last days at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Dubbo with a barbeque on Monday 9 November before their exams and graduation. Ms Cathy Maginnis, lecturer in nursing and academic advisor for the Bachelor of Nursing  at Dubbo, said, “CSU's School of Nursing and Midwifery has an excellent rapport with the many health facilities across NSW, both rural and metropolitan, to ensure the clinical experience for our students is second to none so they are ready to fulfill their duties as Registered Nurses upon completion of their degree. These students have just completed their last clinical placement which enables them to integrate the theory and skills taught at university to the workplace setting. Students are currently being notified of their acceptances into postgraduate programs for next year as Registered Nurses. As most will be staying in Dubbo and surrounding areas, this reinforces the importance of CSU at Dubbo in providing professional, qualified nurses for regional NSW.”

A seven-week pilot project at Masterfoods in Bathurst will expand into a larger study later this year, according to Dr Rob Duffield, lecturer in the School of Human Movement (SOHM) at Charles Sturt University. Twenty shift workers participated in an exercise training program with predictable results – improved fitness and weight loss. As well, the participants reported lower stress levels, less fatigue, and clearer on-the-job decision making. There was even “a small trend in improved absenteeism and reporting of sickness,” said Dr Duffield. Sport and exercise psychologist in the SOHM Dr Les Podlog interviewed the participants about their on-going commitment to the program. He identified camaraderie amongst the group and enhanced self-confidence as key contributing factors. In addition, “shift workers require convenient scheduling times to ensure sustained participation, and it is important to mix people who already get along,” Dr Podlog said.