Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music (CQCM) students are in for a double treat when two internationally renowned musical theatre artists visit for three days at CQUniversity Mackay.

Cabaret and musical theatre star Queenie van de Zandt, well known for her incredible versatility, will workshop with students on Sunday, May 20 from 10.30am.

Cabaret star Queenie van de Zandt will workshop with students in Mackay. Queenie is considered one of the country's best musical theatre performers and Australia's leading teacher of audition technique for musical theatre.

Her workshop is a result of the Bachelor of Music Theatre Club's fundraising efforts to pay for extra workshops from visiting professionals.

She will also be performing ‘The Best and Words of Queenie Van De Zandt' at the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre on Monday, May 21 from 7.30pm. Visit http://www.mackayecc.com.au/ for more information.

Students will also work side-by-side with Associate Professor Peter Cousens, who is the new Artistic Ambassador for CQCM's Bachelor of Theatre program.

Peter's workshops will run from May 21 to May 23, where he will mentor musical theatre students.

Recognised among Australia's major music theatre stars, Peter is the only Australian to play The Phantom on London's West End and his four solo albums testify to a superb voice of broad range, colour and musicality. Peter also performs the role of Chris on the International Symphonic Recording of Miss Saigon.

He has starred alongside Russell Crowe in Blood Brothers and with the late Richard Harris in Camelot, and has had an extensive career playing major roles in musicals throughout Australia and New Zealand. 

International renowned theatre star and tv veteran Peter Cousens will participate in workshops with Musical Theatre students from May 21 to 23. On television he was last seen on McLeod's Daughters and previously had starring roles in Return to Eden, The Sullivans, Carson's Law, The Young Doctors, Son and Daughters, The Timeless Land and Under Capricorn.

Senior Lecturer Dr Judith Brown said it was a great opportunity for students to learn and be inspired by two of Australia's leading professionals.

"It will be a very busy time for us at the Con over those few days but the students will get a great benefit by working with these industry professionals," Dr Brown said.  

CQUniversity Mackay played host to representatives of the Engagement Australia board recently, with members from all over Australia spending two days in the region.

Engagement Australia (formerly Australian Universities Engagement Alliance) is a not-for-profit organisation which brings together representatives from Universities across Australia and Asia Pacific to build better networks and partnerships with business, industry and community.

Visiting Mackay this week were the Engagement Australia board members from left, Executive Officer Dr Jan Strom, directors Dr Diana Whitton and Jacqui Martin and Deputy Chair Professor Pierre Viljoen. Board members and CQUniversity staff also took part in two days of workshops, discussing engagement activities and how to improve approaches to building relationships and connections with internal and external communities. 

Pro-Vice Chancellor for Community & Engagement at CQUniversity and Deputy Chair of the Engagement Australia board, Professor Pierre Viljoen gave members a demonstration of the innovative Engagement Database E-DNA.

E-DNA, which has been in operation since November last year, logs the engaged learning and teaching, research and innovation and service activities conducted by staff members at CQUniversity. To date there are approximately 90 engagement activities logged on E-DNA.

The database enables the University to track and continue building relationships and partnerships with external organisations. It also allows staff members to flag opportunities for partnerships to be made by logging the activity through E-DNA.

During the workshops, CQUniversity staff members Steven Pace, Judith Brown and Steve Noakes demonstrated their unique approaches in representing CQUniversity through their engagement activities.

The workshops also gave Engagement Australia's Executive Officer Dr Jan Strom from Southern Cross University a chance to exhibit her online EngagEnable program, which assists users in better planning and developing their engagement activities and techniques.  

Mackay is earmarked as the location for the annual 2014 Engagement Australia Conference, an international forum for those working in community engagement within their organisations or communities.

For more information on Engagement Australia, visit http://www.aucea.org.au/. 

Congratulations to CQUniversity Multimedia student Jason Craddock who has reached the finals of the 'Serious Games Challenge', in conjunction with simulation training conference SimTecT'2012, scheduled for mid-June.

Jason has developed a prototype mobile device application which enables people to test and improve their musical pitch recognition.

Jason Craddock

The Intonation Realisation 'app' was developed during his study of 'DGTL13002 - Mobile Application Development', as a distance education student based in Sydney. Jason got the idea for the app from his passion for music and attending adult musicianship classes, run by Sydney Musicologist and Piano Teacher Ms Susan Deas.

Jason says he is looking forward to heading to Adelaide for the SimTecT conference, demonstrating his app, as well as partaking in networking and "schmoozing" with other students and developers.

SimTecT2012 is the Asia Pacific Simulation Training Conference and Exhibition held by Simulation Australia since its inception in 1996.

It has grown to become Australasia's premier simulation conference for industry, government and academia. The conference currently attracts over 450 attendees annually with 15% being international delegates.

SimTecT attracts delegates from defence, education, emergency management, manufacturing, resources and infrastructure, and transportation.

CQUniversity has been invited to stage research exhibitions during the Capricorn Innovation Festival open days, scheduled for Friday May 25 and Saturday May 26 at the Chameleon Group site, 3.8km south of the Rockhampton roundabout.

This event is being organised through a collaboration between Capricorn Enterprise, the CQ Innovative Regions Centre, CQUniversity, the Australian Institute for Commercialisation, state and local government, and the generosity of local businesses - especially Chameleon, which has offered to host the festival at its premises, just south of the Rockhampton Roundabout. CQUniversity will showcase its:

 'Sustainability Precinct' concept;

 Renewable Energy research;

 Cement-fibre Boards;

and Biodiesel Initiatives.

The festival business lunch and workshop is being sponsored by the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Health (SEH) and the Institute for Resource Industries and Sustainability (IRIS), and will be dedicated to forming iBEN - the Innovative Built Environment Network. At CQUniversity, it's not just about education; it's about connecting, partnering and building relationships with local people to achieve great things.

Festival visitors are being invited to explore innovations across renewable energy, water, construction and R&D, to witness cutting-edge building, design, construction and sustainability services, to tour the Chameleon site and meet local innovators, to discover products and services, and to learn about government assistance programs.

The FREE festival will be hosted by Chameleon Research & Development (Australia) Pty Ltd. It will run from 10am-4pm on the Friday and from 9am-2pm on the Saturday.

This event will attract those interested in displays on green living, renewable energy, low-carbon products, sustainability research and recycling.

On the day, visitors can:

• Get a guided tour of the ‘Chameleon' construction site - an award-winning local business that designs and manufactures modular concrete buildings;
• Test drive an electric car - with the added novelty of having this powered from the wind turbines on the property! Organisers hope to have not one, but two vehicles available for the public to view and get hands-on with;
• See displays of new research being conducted by CQUniversity staff and students;
• Get information about the products and services available from local businesses to help make our built environment more sustainable.

LINK ALSO for Buzz on campus about GE Energy visitor

Writers gathered over the weekend for the popular Idiom 23 Magazine Writers' Workshop on North Keppel Island.

The theme of this year's workshop was Stories of the Sea. The event focused on visual narrative storytelling - telling stories through words and imagery.

LINK ALSO to Topical wiles on a tropical isle

L-R Professor Bronwyn Fredericks, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement), Workshop Coordinator Dr Lynda Hawryluk, a special guest who provided a moving Welcome to Country, Woppaburra woman Angela Leitch, and her son, emerging writer Adam Leitch

Workshop organisers arranged involvement by CQUniversity multimedia lecturer Brendan Murphy, along with local singer-songwriter Nicole Leah. Woppaburra woman Ms Angela Leitch's contribution, as a representative of North Keppel's Traditional Owners, was organised jointly through Idiom 23 and the office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement).

Workshops encouraged participants to write about the sea and our connection to it. All kinds of writers were welcome, as were artists and photographers.

Writers may also be interested in the Facebook group: Writing@CQUniversity

CQUniversity multimedia lecturer Brendan Murphy had the chance to be creative with North Keppel's sunsets

CQUniversity Gladstone has developed a course in Academic Writing for Year 10 STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics) extension students, in partnership with Toolooa High School.

 
Toolooa High students focus on an academic writing workshop activityThe Toolooa students can study the course at their school but have occasional visits to Gladstone Campus for certain components.

CQUniversity staff involved include Val Cleary (STEPS) and Karen Simon (Library).

Tourism in the Mackay region is in a wide-ranging transition period, claims a leading CQUniversity tourism expert.

Steve Noakes, Senior Lecturer in Tourism says that the Mackay region is "well down the road of transiting from traditional old world holiday based tourism to a new era of business and special events tourism".

Steve Noakes

"And this is all within the context of the new Asian century driving international tourism demand into Australia," he added.

Mr Noakes said that tourism is a multi-faceted industry drawing upon services offered by a range of providers in the accommodation, attractions, activities, transportation, construction, entertainment, retail and other service sectors.

"It remains the largest service export sector, worth $34 billion to GDP or 10% of export earnings and directly employs half a-million Australians. By contrast, the car industry employs about 60,000 people."

A big regional influence on the transition of the local tourism sector is the mining industry.

On top of an already buoyant Mackay region mining/resources sector industry, the multi-billion-dollar Dudgeon Point Coal Terminal Project will bring substantial economic and employment benefits to the Mackay region, the State of Queensland and the nation as a whole.

From the tourism and hospitality industry sector viewpoint:

The upsides Dudgeon Point Coal Terminal Project will bring include:

• Accommodation: Increased spending on commercial accommodation, increased rates and revenue/profits for hotel owners/operators.
• Hospitality sector: Increased job opportunities directly within accommodation and food and beverage sectors and within businesses who service those sectors (e.g. catering, laundries, food suppliers etc).
• Transport: Extra demand on vehicle hire operations, more revenue generated for the airport owner/operators in the region.
• Meeting, Convention & Exhibition facilities - more potential for use of such infrastructure and service providers by companies, industry and government organisations conducting conferences/meetings/exhibitions in Mackay region.
• Infrastructure: Improved infrastructure such as roads, telecommunications and marine navigation facilities.

The downsides will include:

• Pressure on commercial accommodation availability for tourists to book for overnights.
• Fewer tourists available to purchase short duration excursions - putting pressure on existing small tourist operators and discouraging new entrants to invest in expanding the variety of local tour options to spread local visitor dollars and develop new local tourism destinations and attractions.
• Difficulties for owners of some resorts outside key population centres to justify the investment to continuously enhance their products in a competitive marketplace - easier to close the doors (e.g. Laguna Whitsundays and island resorts)
• Difficulty in attracting and retaining tourism and hospitality staff due to sectoral shifts in labour into higher paying resource sector jobs.
• Cost of living increases for tourism and hospitality workers - especially with housing.
• The regional reputation/brand being dominated by the resource sector - there is a shift to city-based tourism experiences especially from major growth markets such as China.
• More coal ships within the Great Barrier Reef marine Park zone - a major tourist attraction for Australia

Mr Noakes said that the Dudgeon Point Coal Terminal project will add to the challenges leisure-based tourism operators have to accommodate to survive in business.

"However, new opportunities will arise for such businesses who can adapt to the needs of travel and visitor experiences induced by increased attendance in conventions, meetings, exhibitions and major sporting, social and cultural events held within the Mackay region."

CQUniversity's Professor Bronwyn Fredericks, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) and BMA Chair in Indigenous Engagement, and Ms Angela Leitch, Woppaburra Traditional Owner (Keppel Islander) met with Year 11 Biology students from Toolooa State High School (Gladstone South) at the North Keppel Island Environmental Education Centre recently.

Ms Leitch talked passionately about the Keppel Islands, expressing her hope that students had learnt a lot about the Keppels during their stay and had also enjoyed themselves on North Keppel Island.

Prof Fredericks and Ms Angela Leitch (centre) pictured with the Toolooa students on North Keppel Island

Professor Fredericks discussed the benefits of education in such an environmental education centre and encouraged students to follow their education aspirations and goals, whatever they might be.

She stated that they could "be whatever they wanted to be" and that they "just needed to make a plan and stick to it to achieve". She encouraged those that wanted to follow a pathway to university to "go for it!".

The presentations were followed by casual discussion with students and teachers and the sharing of cake as part of one student's birthday celebrations.

An International Nurses Day (IND) event hosted by CQUniversity became a celebration of local talent, after Rockhampton's Jenny Anderson was announced as Australian Nurse of the Year for rebuilding the hospital renal service.

The IND event also coincided with CQUniversity Noosa lecturer Nicholas Ralph being announced as the Australian Nurse of the Year (Innovation in Nursing) award winner, thanks to his concept for a multi-functional Mobile Clinical Learning Unit for the Sunshine Coast.

International Nurses Day organising committee members and presenters gather at CQUniversity Rockhampton

Meantime, CQUniversity student Sherrie Lee was recognised as one of only five Australians chosen for an Emerging Nurse Leader Program, an initiative of the College of Nursing.

And CQUniversity's Dr Judith Applegarth, an assisted reproductive technology nursing specialist, was feted for completing her PhD and being an invited speaker (and on an award short-list) for a major conference in Turkey in July this year.

Around 70 participants listened as State Midwifery Advisor Belinda Maier delivered a keynote address and Queensland Nurses Union Legal Officer Jamie Shepherd spoke about legal issues for nurses.

L-R Nursing Director Matthew Johnson, Jamie Shepherd from the QNU and Norma West OBE (who was the organising committee Chairperson)

There were enough audience members to attend concurrent sessions on 'Midwifery' (chaired by Sue Nouwens from the Mater Hospital) and 'Nursing' (hosted by CQUniversity Associate Professor Trudy Dwyer), featuring both health service and academic speakers.

CQUniversity prides itself on hosting community events that bring people together and contribute to the diversity of regional town and city life. Our presenters included Engaged Research Chair Professor Brenda Happell and Jenny Davis, Head of the Midwifery Program.

Associate Professor Kerry Reid-Searl chaired the evening session in her guise as patient 'Stan'.

ALSO LINK: Nursing students to enjoy Florence Nightingale window, thanks to retired doctor

A presentation was made to Dr Judith Applegarth (left), recognising completion of her PhD and her status as an invited speaker and award nominee for a major conference in Turkey 
Nurse of the Year Jenny Anderson is congratulated 
Sherrie Lee from the Emerging Nurse Leader program is recognised

Dr Tom Dewar presents his stained glass window tribute to Florence Nightingale

CQUni lecturer Justine Connor with evening speaker 'Stanley' a MaskED character creation of Associate Professor Kerry Reid-Searl

In support of National Volunteer Week (May 14 - 20), CQUniversity staff have been thanked for their valuable contribution to science in local schools.

Staff members from campuses in Rockhampton, Mackay and Adelaide have contributed to the Scientists in Schools program, where they had the opportunity to visit schools across the region and provide valuable ideas and inspiration for students and teachers alike.

Dr Bob Newby brings real practice into the classroom during the Science in Schools program. Those who participated in the event included Dr Andy Hammond, Dr Bob Newby, Dr John McGrath, Dr Judith Wake, Dr Rob McDougall, Dr Sarah Blunden, Kylie Hopkins, Brendan Donnelly, Dr Delma Clifton and Lisa Bricknell.

Dr Bob Newby, who visited Glenmore State School in Rockhampton, said one of the most popular sessions he conducted was when he took models of various pre-human skulls for students to handle.

"I think it is an important way that we can get across to the younger generation, our enthusiasm for science," Dr Newby said.

"It also assists the teachers if they can have a visiting scientist come in with some interesting support material that would otherwise not be available to them."

Director of Scientists in Schools, Marian Heard said it was inspiring for both students and teachers to see the practice of real world science brought into classrooms.
Dr Delma Clifton is a welcome visitor at Chelona State School with the Prep students.

"Our program relies primarily on highly-skilled volunteers from organisations like CQUniversity to carry out our aims and to bring the practice of real world science and mathematics to students and teachers," Ms Heard said.

 "We would like to take this opportunity, during National Volunteer Week, to congratulate CQUniversity staff members on the wonderful work they are doing with the Scientists in Schools program."

Cementing Emerald as a hub for education and health will be the big ticket issue for CQUniversity's Gai Sypher who has newly been elected as councillor on the Central Highlands Regional Council.

From humble beginnings at the Emerald Campus 12 years ago, Ms Sypher has moved through the ranks as administration officer to her current position as Operations and Project Manager.

CQUniversity Emerald's Operations and Project Manager Gai Sypher will share her time between CQUniversity and the Central Highlands Regional Council as she celebrates her new election as councillor for the region. During that time she has gained a Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology and Welfare and a Master of Management (HR).

Her recent election to regional council will give Ms Sypher the opportunity to strengthen the region's access to healthcare professionals and provide better links with education.   

 "I will work closely with Queensland Health, the new GP Super Clinic and State and Federal Government representatives to attract long-term health professionals to the region," she said.

"This will open up the opportunity for clinical placement of CQUniversity's allied health and nursing students."

Ms Sypher said Emerald is positioned to become an education hub for the Central Highlands area. 

"No other regional town in Queensland with a population of 15,000 has an Agricultural College, a University campus, TAFE Campus and a large number of training providers," Ms Sypher said.

"At council level, I will push for this aspect to be profiled as a major liveability characteristic."

Ms Sypher said it has always been an ambition of hers to run for council, but decided to wait until her children had left school so not to impact negatively on the family due to the enormous responsibility and workload that comes with the job.

"I have always been very involved in the Central Highlands Community as a volunteer as well as a professional representing the University."

Ms Sypher will be one of eight councillors representing an area of almost 60,000 square kilometres from the Arcadia Valley in the south to the Peak Ranges in the north, east to Boolburra and Bogantungan in the west.

 "I have never worn rose tinted glasses so I have no illusions about what I have put my hand up for," she said.

"I look forward to the challenges of council and to my continued role at CQUniversity."

While many of CQUniversity's founding fathers and pioneers are commemorated by names on buildings, Dave Cardnell still strides confidently through the campus on his way to his office, more than 40 years after first reporting for duty.

It will be the end of an era when he finally retires as an employee on Thursday, May 17.

Dave Cardnell relaxes in the Engineering precinct ahead of his retirement

Dave started work back in 1969 at the then two-year-old Queensland Institute of Technology (Capricornia), which later gained university status* and changed names several times to become CQUniversity Australia.

He will continue his association with the University as an enrolled student for a while longer as he completes a Graduate Diploma of Learning and Teaching, enabling him to apply for teacher registration so he can seek contract work as a maths and physics specialist in the high school system.

That's right! After more than 40 years as a lecturer, Dave is looking forward to being a classroom teacher.

"The interaction with young people helps keep you agile and young," he says.

Originally a Londoner, Dave started his career in electronics with the English Electric Valve Company, researching colour TV tubes, but decided to come to Australia under the '10-pound Pom' migration program. He didn't have a job lined up but had been interviewed for a teaching position by staff at Queensland House in London.

Arriving in Sydney in February, 1969, he discovered he had a job waiting for him in Rockhampton. Catching the Rocky Mail train was then the quickest travel option (although the 'dining car' consisted of a guaranteed meal stop in Gladstone).

A parting gift presented by School of Engineering & Built Environment Dean Dr Alan McPhail

Dave began teaching in shared premises at the TAFE building in Bolsover Street before moving out to the newly constructed science buildings on the current northside campus.

He was living in the residential building at one end of campus and teaching evening classes in the science buildings at the other end, with plenty of scrub in between.

"As a newly-arrived Englishman the cries of the curlews were really spooky at night," he said.

After gaining additional qualifications in semiconductive physics (he's also completed degrees in business and mathematics), Dave has been able to lecture for electronics, physics, mathematics and computing subjects over the years.

As the only specialist in acoustics in the region, he's also been called on to monitor disco noise on behalf of the liquor licensing authorities, meaning he's spent a few lonely hours in the odd back alley behind nightclubs.

Outside work and study, Dave has been a soccer player and referee (he was once called upon to referee a game when Rockampton hosted the visiting English team Charlton Athletic) and he still enjoys playing squash at the age of 68.

* This year is the 20th anniversary of university status for CQUniversity.

A farewell morning tea

Suspected of fairytale crimes committed a long, long time ago, Goldilocks will face trial in Rockhampton for damage to the home of the three bears.

CQUniversity will join Rockhampton's legal profession, the Department of Justice and Attorney-General, and Victim Assist Queensland (VAQ) to present an interactive mock trial loosely based on the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in the historic Supreme Court building.

The mock trial will be held from 10.30am on Friday May 18, with a repeat performance at 1.30pm.

Rockhampton Solicitor and Special Advisor to Law at CQUniversity's School of Commerce and Law, Wayne Jones, welcomes all members of the public, school children, TAFE and university students to come along and see Goldilocks face criminal charges.

"Charges of breaking, entering and stealing are cases heard in our court system on a daily basis. Hopefully, the Goldilocks mock trial will give students a better understanding of what happens on a typical day in our court system," Wayne Jones said.

"This performance aims to expose the underbelly of this twisted tale which has painted Goldilocks as the villain of the piece without a fair trial.

"Performers will demonstrate the subtle art of courtroom cross-examination to get to the truth of this sorry tale. The audience will get an opportunity to see real lawyers in action and act as a jury to determine the fate of the accused, all in a historic court room setting."

The cast includes Assoc Prof Robert Fisher, Dean of the School of Commerce and Law, as 'Judge'. All cast members, including 'Mummy Bear', 'Goldilocks' and 'Baby Bear' will be wearing costumes relevant to their character.

* CQUniversity is proud to be associated with Law Week in Central Queensland and will use the day as an opportunity to introduce its new on-line three-year law course to students and the public. The course has around 150 students iin its second year, and its first cohort is due to graduate in early 2014.

CQUniversity Rockhampton is set to host Dragos Tita, who is the ANZ Product Engineer and head of GE Energy's Industrial Solutions, on Thursday afternoon, May 24.

Dragos is part of the team bringing up the GE i-MIEV electric car for the CQ Innovation Festival, and he has agreed to do a presentation and meet/greet with CQUniversity staff and students regarding new innovations in GE's products. 

The GE i-MIEV electric car

GE's Australian operations span many industries including aviation, electrical distribution, energy, finance, healthcare, lighting, oil and gas, transportation and water (http://www.ge.com/au/) .

This event is currently scheduled for 2-4pm in the Dennis Handley Theatre (bottom floor of building 30).

Congratulations to CQUniversity Noosa lecturer Nicholas Ralph who has won the Australian Nurse of the Year (Innovation in Nursing) award of $10,000, thanks to his concept for a multi-functional Mobile Clinical Learning Unit for the Sunshine Coast.

Mr Ralph was announced as the HESTA* Australian Nursing Awards 'innovation' winner during a ceremony at Melbourne's Crown Entertainment Complex, on Thursday evening (May 10).

He'll get to spend his prizemoney to help develop his mobile unit.

The design includes simulation spaces where health professionals can sharpen their skills.

The M-CLU will also visit schools, shopping centres, sports grounds and public parks to give participants a taste of the opportunities a career in health can offer.

Noosa lecturer Nicholas Ralph

Mr Ralph believes the unit can aid efforts to tackle a looming skills shortage in a region that will require 50,000 new health professionals over the next 20 years.

It also has huge potential for remote areas such as mining towns, where initiatives like this are of great value to the community.

"The aim of this initiative is improve healthcare in the region - whether it be through opening up career opportunities in health to the public, upskilling the regional health workforce or improving the health of our communities using health promotion strategies," Mr Ralph said.

Mr Ralph plans to use the development grant prizemoney provided by ME Bank to undertake an evaluation of the mobile unit to improve its usefulness to the community.

*HESTA is one of Australia's largest superannuation funds.

CQUniversity graduate and aspiring film maker Anoop Lokkur is keen to lead his audience on a tantalising dance, starting with the short teaser of his latest film featuring a ballet student. In the proposed film, Into the Light, the relationship between a terminally ill father and his daughter takes us into a magical world of animation and dance.

LINK HERE for the teaser clip.

As a management graduate who works as a Project Officer at Xchanging*, Anoop understands the potential of crowd-sourcing to raise funds for the project and has established a web-based interface for potential investors.

Anoop pictured along with stills from his previous and next film projects

After spending his formative years in Bangalore, also known as the 'Garden City', in southern India, Anoop completed a Masters of International Business at Monash University. He then enrolled at CQUniversity Melbourne to complete a Diploma in Management.

CQUniversity gets a supporting credit in Anoop's previous short film as director - Vue/View - which was nominated as a finalist for the 2010 Poetry in Film Festival (PIFF).

"Film making is a creative process but there are a lot of management skills also required. The units I studied have helped me in my current full time job as well as in film making," Anoop says.

"I found that at CQUniversity the relationship between students and lecturers was more personal and that lecturers genuinely took their time to assist you with any concerns or issues you had. The lecturers not only took interest in University related matters but also encouraged students to pursue their dreams."

Anoop's short film teaser is now live on the crowd funding website http://intothelight.pozible.com/ . He says there are exciting rewards for investors with various pledged amounts, including being mentioned in the film and DVD credits, being part of the film shoot and attending the wrap-up party.

"I hope that students and staff at CQUni find our project interesting and exciting enough to pledge their support," Anoop says.

Anoop has a Facebook page so supporters can receive regular updates on the progress of the film : http://www.facebook.com/whitelightfilms

* Xchanging provides business processing, technology and procurement services.

Nursing students and academics at CQUniversity can enjoy walking past a beautiful stained glass window depicting Florence Nightingale, thanks to a donation by a prominent obstetrician and gynaecologist who created the artwork in his retirement.

Dr Tom Dewar said the location would be fitting, since Florence Nightingale was a practical nurse and nurse educator as well as an academic who excelled at languages, history, philosophy, theology and statistics.

Retired doctor Tom Dewar shows his artwork to CQUniversity Nursing academics L-R Assoc Prof Kerry Reid-Searl, Justine Connor and Julie Bradshaw

"She was a reformer and radical theologian who was called upon by God three times," he said. "Her renown as the Lady with the Lamp in the Crimean War was really only a small part of her inspiring life."

Dr Dewar recalls the (originally) controversial movement to establish nursing as a university-level program, around 20 years ago, including the pioneering work by former director of nursing Norma West OBE and foundation dean of health science Professor Amy Zelmer.

"There's always been an admiration between the medical and nursing professions," he said.

Nursing is now a flagship program for CQUniversity. Fittingly, the stained glass window will be displayed in the foyer of the Amy Zelmer Building, which is home to the School of Nursing and Midwifery on Rockhampton Campus.

Dr Dewar's stained glass window was a feature of ceremonies for International Nurses Day on May 12, and it will also be in the spotlight during a conference in October to celebrate 20 years of nursing programs at CQUniversity.

Speaking during the May 12 event as be presented the artwork, Dr Dewar said he had been captivated by the concept of light passing through a leadlight panel to tell a story.

Dr Dewar with the stained glass artwork

"The red crucifix signifies the part God played in her (Florence Nightingale's) life. He called her three times, and this powerful stimulus altered the course of her life and sustained her," he said.

"History remembers her as The Lady with the Lamp. Florence elevated the status of nursing to a noble profession and initiated a formal training course.

"Florence was home-schooled by her father so there was a huge male influence. She understood Latin, Greek, German, Italian, History and Philosophy.

"I have used the term Reformer rather than Feminist. Florence was also an administrator and a whistleblower. Florence completed her education by spending several years in Europe.

"This Lady did not succumb to the cult of celebrity and refused a State funeral and interment in Westminister Abbey."

The best of the CQUniversity Art Collection is being displayed until May 23 at Rockhampton Art Gallery.

This exhibition is part of the 'Collection in Focus' series which explores the unique and diverse art collections of Central Queensland.

VC Scott Bowman chats with internationally recognised potter and ceramic sculptor Steve Bishopric, whose work is on display in the exhibition

The CQUniversity Art Collection currently holds more than 500 artworks, including significant 1970s works by Australian artists, historical works and contemporary pieces from international, national and local artists.

This exhibition brings together a selection of the finest works from the CQUniversity Art Collection and showcases historical, Indigenous Australian, Pacific Islander, European and Australian artworks across a diverse range of media.

When it comes to enhancing mining education pathways, it's not just a case of 'build it and they will come'.

CQUniversity has proven it's best to work hand in hand with peak bodies and individual companies, giving workers the chance to progress their qualifications without being drawn away from the coalface (literally).

Kerrie Dark is showing it's possible to turn mining experience into mining qualifications, without losing time at the coalface

Workers on mine sites have been able to access tailor-made qualifications without having to pause their careers or halt their income stream.

The concept of 'associate degrees' is gaining favour, with Newcrest Mining one of the latest companies to pilot a cadetship for an Associate Degree in Mine Technology.

CQUniversity already offers associate degrees in Mine Technology, Engineering, Geoscience and Mine Operations Management in conjunction with employers such as BMA and AngloCoal.

Undergraduate options also include specialised civil, electrical and mechanical streams within the suite of Engineering and Engineering Technology degrees.

The University is also working hand-in-glove with mining services companies including SGS STAX and Mastermyne, giving undergraduate students the chance to gain bursaries and scholarships while becoming enriched and enmeshed with the mining industry.

One student who has been progressing in her mining career and studies is Kerrie Dark, who is working for Aurecon Hatch in Mackay, as a Project Management Engineer and assisting the Resident Civil Engineer on the Hay Point Expansion 3 at BMA Hay Point. Kerrie has been studying the Associate Degree of Mine Technology via distance learning.

Kerrie began her mining career around 16 years ago and is now focused on gaining the extra knowledge and qualifications to match her broad experience.

"I have worked in the mining sector in the capacity of geology right through to underground miner. I have also had the experience of working in exploration and both underground and open cut metalliferous mining," she said.

As an aspiring dual-sector institution, CQUniversity aims to create seamless pathways across vocational and tertiary qualifications within the next few years. 

The University recently consulted with Xstrata Coal Newlands Mine to offer a customised graduate certificate in management, leading to a graduate diploma in mining management which can articulate into an MBA or a Master of Management (Engineering).

At postgraduate level, mining-related options also include Maintenance Management and Power Generation.

CQUniversity has also responded to industry pleas for high-level project management skills with a new suite of postgraduate Project and Program Management programs developed especially for the resource and infrastructure sectors.

There is a capacity for students to do postgraduate and research higher degrees in mining-relating fields, with recent project examples including 'blast scheduling' and 'coal mine spoil dump stability and hydrology'.

The University is also working to improve its overall responsiveness. The revamped Queensland Centre for Professional Development (QCPD) will help as a brokerage to ensure business and industry can find the best available solutions for upskilling employees, all the way from one-day sessions, to short courses to full degrees.

QCPD will offer a holistic approach to workforce skills development, skills analysis, articulation and credit transfer, and recognition of prior learning. It will continue to offer careers guidance services and to arrange supported pathways into the most critical careers.

A group of Sunshine Coast youngsters were moving, shaking and mask-making today during an event organised by CQUniversity's final-year Early Childhood Education students, to celebrate Early Childhood Australia's Under 8s Week. 

Held in the picturesque Noosa Library, ‘Language and Activity: Connecting Children to the World' celebrated the value of play-based learning by encouraging the three to seven year-olds to connect with all forms of language through story telling, dance and arts and crafts.

CQUniversity Early Childhood Education student Nikita Barnett (left) and Lecturer Kathy Bauer enjoy the Under Eights Week activities with Jack Lafferty (left), 5, and Luke Stevens, 5.The day's emphasis on incorporating play into early childhood education is part of an effort from educators to integrate leading play-based learning techniques with the national literacy curriculum.

CQUniversity Lecturer in Early Childhood Education Kathy Bauer said the value of play as a learning technique was widely recognised by early childhood researchers.

"Australian curriculum literacy outcomes guide teachers on how to measure a child's language development and they're most successfully met through a combination of play and explicit teaching techniques," Ms Bauer said.

"Play-based activities address a range of developmental levels for children and allow them to learn at their own pace and within their own interest areas."

Around 100 youngsters from Good Shepherd Lutheran School and Noosaville Childcare participated in the tasks, which included story interpretation, parachute activities and making musical instruments. 

Ms Bauer said the activities were all based on age-appropriate literacy outcomes and benefited both children and adults.

"Each task involves language, reading and fine motor-skills and applies a level of difficulty that suits the particular age group involved," Ms Bauer said.

"They also have aspects that encourage parents and carers to continue to develop their children's skills at home - such as a recipe for play-dough accompanied by a brochure on its benefits as a learning tool."

Ms Bauer said her students also developed skills - including teamwork, leadership and advocacy of early childhood teaching methods - which they would use professionally after graduating later this year.

"We place this course at the end of the students' teaching degrees so that the link between theory and practice is fresh in their minds when they begin teaching," Ms Bauer said.

CQUniversity Early Childhood Education student Nikita Barnett said play-based literacy encouraged self-expression and helped form the basis of a child's future communication skills.

"The early years of education develop a child's ability to identify with language and form the foundation of their communication skills," Ms Barnett said.

"Today's activities involve kids identifying what is happening in the story or task and developing the skills to then communicate their feelings and thoughts about it."

Early Childhood Education is an option within the Bachelor of Learning Management degree and provides pre-service preparation for students aiming to pursue a career as an early childhood teacher or educator.

Reverend Bill Crews AM is a Minister of the Exodus Foundation, an organisation that exists to meet the immediate material, emotional and spiritual needs of disadvantaged and marginalised people.

Our staff and students have a regular, ongoing engagement with their community through the Exodus programs, including feeding homeless people and boosting schoolkids' literacy.

Others are providing expertise to help with the establishment of the Bill Crews Trust, which will have a more international focus.

Rev Crews' positive community leadership and many achievements were recognised in early May during a graduation ceremony for CQUniversity Sydney, held at Sydney Town Hall.
Rev Bill Crews AM has been recognised at the graduation for CQUniversity Sydney

LINK HERE for Rev Crews' Honorary Doctor of Social Work Citation

 LINK also for Volunteering at Redfern Tutorial Centre

LINK also for Sydney students volunteer to help homeless youth

 The degree of Honorary Doctor of Social Work was conferred on Rev Crews, who was also guest speaker for the ceremony catering for 224 graduates, including three with doctorates:

- Reyad Hamdan El Madi was awarded a Professional Doctorate (Transdisciplinary Studies) for examining logic control language;

- Francis Bobongie was awarded a Doctor of Professional Studies for strategies to enable girls and women in the Solomon Islands to access education through a creative mobile classroom;

- and Meng-Yi Huang was awarded a Doctor of Professional Studies for incorporating an on-line exchange student language program with second language curricula (in a case study involving Taiwanese and Australian students).

LINK also to Educational reformer addresses our Melbourne Graduation
Seasoned political reporter addresses Brisbane and Gold Coast graduates

More than 100 participants took part in the 8^th annual Indigenous Family Violence Prevention Forum 2012, hosted by the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research (CDFVR) at the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre (MECC) recently.  

Guest speaker Venessa Curnow said a stronger connection to past generations and embracing culture will help reduce violence in Indigenous families.

"Since I was young I've had a special bond with older people in my family; I enjoyed listening to their stories," Ms Curnow says.  

Tom Powell and Randall Ross, presenters of the Red Dust Healing workshop at the Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Prevention Forum."They are our living link to knowledge from past generations - healthy older people are crucial to healthy communities."

Currently working as a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Liaison Officer for Alzheimer's Australia and secretariat for the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dementia Advisory Group (NATSIDAG), Ms Curnow is also a director on the National Congress of Australia's First People's board.

She has been involved in the health and aged care industry for the past 16 years and has held various positions as a registered nurse, clinical nurse and consultant in urban, rural and remote areas.

Ms Curnow was one of the many inspiring guest speakers including Tom Powell, Randall Ross, Ed Mosby and Gil Thomsen, who participated in the forum entitled ‘Culture and Healing - the hard yarns'.

The forum incorporated two days of workshops, healing sessions and open discussion.

CDFVR Director Heather Nancarrow, who is based at CQUniversity Mackay Campus, said the program gave Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the opportunity to highlight and celebrate the good work that they are doing themselves within their communities to end domestic and family violence.

The forum gave support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in sharing information and knowledge about strategies and programs that they can take back to their communities.

The scenario might be hypothetical but the events described are all too real, as Heather Nancarrow, Director of the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research (CDFVR) can attest.

On May 15, Heather will take part in Law Week Hypothetical 2012 as part of an invited panel of experts discussing domestic violence.

Heather Nancarrow

The Hypothetical is loosely based on the format made popular by Geoffrey Robertson and broadcast on television periodically since the early 1980s. To be held in Brisbane's Banco court, this particular event will be facilitated by Kay McGrath, the well-known newsreader from Channel 7.

Other panel members include Judge Brendan Butler (Chief Magistrate) and representatives from Queensland Police, the Department of Communities, Legal Aid and the Brisbane Domestic Violence Advocacy Service.

The panel will be presented with a fictional domestic violence scenario and invited to answer questions about the scenario as it progresses.

An audience consisting of secondary school and university students, members of the general public, and delegates from the community/government sector as well as the legal profession will be in attendance.

The Hypothetical will be recorded and posted on YouTube as well as on the Legal Aid Queensland website.

Next week (May 14-20) is Law Week, which coincidentally falls in the middle of Domestic Violence Prevention Month each year.

The Mackay-based CDFVR is part of the Institute for Health and Social Science Research at CQUniversity.

CQUniversity Gladstone Library invites all interested people to attend a morning tea event to meet local authors, share favourite stories and investigate the Port Curtis collection.

This FREE event to mark the National Year of Reading will be held from 10.30am on Thursday May 24 at the Cyril Golding Library on Gladstone Campus.

Visitors to the library will soon be able to see entries in the 'extreme reading photo competition'. Details are available via 4970 7357.

Sari Fulton graduated from CQUniversity with a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) last year, and she's back in the limelight again.

Returning to Indonesia after graduation, Sari has established her own business as a freelance holiday rental agent.

Sari Fulton provides a five-star service

Sari provides a five-star service to tourists by providing pre-departure advice about accommodation,  and in-country airport/hotel transfers, guided tours and a personal service to help tourists have a relaxing and enjoyable holiday.

Her entrepreneurial skills led to her being nominated by CQUniversity in the Business Leadership and Business Management category of the OzMate Indonesian Alumni Awards 2012.

The Streamlined Student Visa Processing (SVP) system applies to applicants for bachelor degrees, masters degrees, PhDs and student exchange programs.

Professor Jennelle Kyd welcomes the visa reforms

"It will surely make it faster for applicants to get their student visa," said Professor Jennelle Kyd, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of CQUniversity Australia, one of the participating universities in the SVP program.

Under the new policy, visa applicants with a confirmation of enrolment (COE) from a participating university will be automatically assessed as a Level 1 applicant, which means fewer documentation and financial requirements, Professor Kyd added.

The policy also introduces a post-study work visa program, which enables international students to gain valuable work experience in Australia after graduation. This visa will be available starting November 5, 2012.

"Under the new policy, a bachelor degree student can stay in Australia for up to two years, and our school is very concentrated on students to help them to achieve their career goal and to gain international work experience," Professor Kyd said.

Currently, there are 39 universities participating in the program; all high-quality education providers. The new visa policy is perceived as a great opportunity as well as a big challenge.

"For CQUniversity, the new visa program also means big responsibility," Professor Kyd said. "The University has to take responsibility to make sure they take students who genuinely want to have the international education experience."

Currently, there are international students from over 60 countries at CQUniversity. Popular choices among international students are business, information technology, and engineering.

ABC TV 7.30 Qld host and political reporter Jessica van Vonderen delivered a guest address during the graduation ceremony for CQUniversity's Brisbane and Gold Coast campuses...

Jessica van Vonderen from ABC TV is set to address our Brisbane and Gold Coast graduates

Held in early May at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, the ceremony catered for 123 graduates, including three with PhDs:

- Angela Buntain for devising A Cultural Learning Program for Acculturation: A Social Cognitive Approach;

- Xin Ma for studying Delay effects on Network Control Systems; and

- Prabha Prayaga for estimating Changes in values for recreation in the Capricorn Coast region of the Great Barrier Reef.

Christina Sharon Esparon was selected to provide a response on behalf of graduates.

Link also to Educational reformer addresses our Melbourne Graduation AND Champion of diversity and inclusiveness recogised during Sydney Graduation

Ariane Anderson is grateful to have access to Indigenous student scholarships to support her study in the Bachelor of Oral Health at CQUniversity.

While her current focus is tackling the course content, in years to come she's looking forward to working somewhere she can help improve the oral health of Indigenous communities, most likely in far north Queensland.

Ariane Anderson has a vision for her future in Oral Health. LINK for a larger image

Ariane has previously worked as a dental assistant, after stints in hospitality and real estate administration, but this degree will enable a much more complex role. She'll become an oral health therapist who is qualified to perform preventative and operative dentistry, including examination, risk assessment, diagnosis of periodontal disease and dental care, scaling and cleaning, and oral hygiene instruction.

LINK also to CQUni Oral Health leader welcomes 'blitz' on public dental waiting lists

Associate Professor Leonie Short, the Discipline Leader for Oral Health, says there are only a small number of Indigenous people working as dentists and oral health therapists around Australia. Eighteen dentists and 15 oral health professionals is very low number when compared with over 140 Indigenous doctors and over 1136 nurses.

She said that, as well as Ariane who has started her degree, another Indigenous student, Charlene Homes, has indicated she's keen to apply for Oral Health at CQUniversity in 2013.

Ariane (right) enjoys her first residential school in the new Oral Health laboratory

Ariane is among 26 new Oral Health students who are learning with dental equipment and instruments* that are the envy of some dental practitioners.

Outside her study life she enjoys a bit of fishing and hopes to have time one day to return to the netball courts.

"I'm coping with the transition from a work environment back into study while enjoying the chance to study anatomy and physiology," Ariane says.

"It's appealing to be learning with new, state-of-the-art equipment, having the opportunity to expand on the oral health knowledge I already have from four years as a dental assistant."

Ariane has praised the availability of support from the Nulloo Yumbah Indigenous Learning, Spirituality & Research Centre  on Rockhampton Campus.

"Nulloo Yumbah has been a massive help, from organising tutors to someone to talk to when things get tough."

[* Rockhampton Campus now has a purpose-fitted oral health laboratory of 15 A-dec simulation units with Columbia manikins and teeth models. These units simulate a dental chair with a patient laying in it. The unit can be raised and lowered, with the simulated patient placed in a seated or reclined position. The manikin head can also be rotated to the left or right, and with the chin tilted up or down. This simulates the normal operating position when the student is working on a tooth in the upper right or the lower left quadrant of the mouth.]

Ariane discusses her degree with Assoc Prof Leonie Short (centre) and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) Professor Bronwyn Fredericks

Until a few years ago, Mojibul Sajjad lived near the Tropic of Cancer in Bangladesh and he's now brought his family to the Tropic of Capricorn in Rockhampton, so he can progress a Masters degree with CQUniversity.

Based at the Centre for Railway Engineering, his research investigates the costs and benefits of lubricants for the wheel-rail interface, for the best friction management in our extreme Australian climate.

Mojibull is currently doing his Masters by research on Top Of Rail Lubrication under the supervision of Professor Gopinath Chattopadhyay and Dr Dhamodharan Raman

"My son and daughter are really happy and enjoying their school and friends. So it is simply expressed that Rockhampton is my second home," he says.

Mojibul Sajjad during the recent Conference on Asset and Maintenance Management

Mojibul was part of the student committee which helped stage the third annual Conference on Asset and Maintenance Management, held during May this year at CQUniversity Gladstone Campus.

LINK also to More than 130 delegates focus on asset performance in Gladstone

"As a representative from the student side we had a great opportunity to be involved in the events and activity like circulation of the fliers, invitations to my network as well as to other links, conveying the invitation to the Engineers Australia Rockhampton Branch etc. On the other hand we had to present and display the posters in the CQUniversity pavilion. Above all we presented the image of the student forum for our discipline and hospitality to the industry people," he says.

Mojibul says around 90% of students from well-off Bangladeshi families are moving to Australia for their higher education, and he encourages Australian youth to consider travelling to his homeland at a time when the Grameen 'bank for the poor' concept is providing no-deposit loans to bolster economic activity, especially in rural areas.

"All of the Bangladeshi people would welcome Australian people because many of the Australians are working on social welfare activity, coaching cricket teams, and working in trading and engineering fields."

Despite being a chemical engineer, with more than 10 years' experience in managing, design and installation of natural gas pipelines and networks for a broad range of clients in her home country of Romania, Iuliana Cismaru initially found it difficult to secure employment when she migrated to Australia around five years ago.

Not deterred, she has secured a Masters scholarship with CQUniversity, evaluating the best corrosion-resistant materials to use in a shale oil refinery proposed for the Gladstone region.

Masters candidate Iuliana Cismaru pictured at the CAMM Conference - Gladstone Campus

Iuliana has been examining the performance of stainless steels and similar alloys used for a technology demonstration plant established by Queensland Energy Resources Pty Ltd.

She recently presented a poster on her research during the Conference on Asset and Maintenance Management hosted by CQUniversity Gladstone. [The CAMM conference is associated with postgraduate qualifications offered by CQUniversity to hundreds of students all over Australia and South East Asia.]

LINK also to More than 130 delegates focus on asset performance in Gladstone

Iuliana lived through a turbulent time in the history of Romania. She was a young Quality Control Technician in 1989 when dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena were deposed and executed on live television on Christmas Day.

She says Romania may be more democratic nowadays but the economy is not fully recovered so she appreciates the opportunities that have come to her in Gladstone.  

CQUniversity's Anthony Weber will be able to bring a paramedic academic perspective to the table, as he's been invited to join the Queensland Trauma Registry, a case study review program involving around 20 public hospitals and the University of Queensland.

Mr Weber's input as a senior lecturer in Paramedic Science will be valuable as the Registry strives for evidence-based practice through data collection, clinical review and scientific research.

Senior lecturer in Paramedic Science Anthony Weber

"They tend to review when things have gone wrong in a trauma situation to ensure better procedures next time," Mr Weber says.

"I'll be providing an academic perspective where I can supply current best practice evidence-based medicine from throughout the world, but more importantly offer a link between CQUniversity and the QTR for research opportunities and health promotion/prevention strategies based on monthly findings of trauma epidemiology, as well as offer the paramedic simulation labs to QHealth as an area to train in certain high risk trauma cases to facilitate a better patient care outcome."

The Registry has been operating since 1998 and has been state-wide since 2002. It strives for better results by collecting, analysing and distributing clinical and population data to support the quality assurance process and inform trauma service management and research.

LINK HERE for more details on the Queensland Trauma Registry

CQUniversity's China Office recently hosted an alumni event in conjunction with the Australia China Alumni Association, at Xiao Wang Fu restaurant in Beijing.

Deputy VC (University Services) Alastair Dawson attended in his capacity as Acting CEO C Management Services, while Danielle Horvath, Director of Marketing and Business Development, also represented CQUniversity.

Deputy VC Alastair Dawson addresses alumni in China

The event was an excellent opportunity for CQUniversity to build relationships with prominent alumni. The University will be looking to further engage graduates based in China through the establishment of an alumni network, facilitated by Richard Li in the Beijing office.

Attendees included: David Chen (Country Manager - Ad Platform Solutions, Google), Jun Zhu (Director - International Communication Office of Foreign Languages, Shandong Uni of Technology), Rui Fan (Project Manager - Department of Corporate Development and Technology, China Post Group).

During a visit to Brisbane in early May, Professor Bronwyn Fredericks, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement), and Bridget Saplos (Nulloo Yumbah) attended a meeting of the Queensland Indigenous Higher Education Network (QIHEN).

The QIHEN meeting is held four times a year and was hosted this time by Queensland University of Technology. In attendance were representatives from Queensland's universities and TAFE and government sectors.

L-R Prof Bronwyn Fredericks (CQUni), Mary Kelly (QUT), Geoffrey Mitchell (Widening Tertiary Participation Queensland) and Bridget Saplos (CQUni)

Mary Kelly, Director, Equity, QUT, and Geoffrey Mitchell, Project Manager, Widening Tertiary Participation Queensland provided an overview of the Widening Participation Higher Education Partnership and Participation (HEPPP) Grant Program.

The HEPPP program is a state-wide approach to stimulating demand for tertiary study involving collaboration between all eight public universities in Queensland and the Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE). CQUniversity is involved in this collaboration.

Professor Fredericks stated that "it was great to get an update on what is happening with the HEPPP program and to have the opportunity to hear from other universities what they are doing to increase participation at their universities".

The HEPPP program is a holistic and multi-layered approach which comprises a suite of six projects over four years encoded in a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The MOU is between all partners and aims to create interest, aspiration and participation in tertiary study amongst people form low socio-economic backgrounds and Indigenous people.

Ms Saplos added that "such an opportunity for sharing offers valuable lessons that we can all learn from, along with showcasing what CQUniversity is contributing through HEPPP".

‘What we bring back is knowledge gained from across the sector that we can now share within CQUniversity," concluded Professor Fredericks.

Gladstone has hosted its third CAMM event in three years, helping businesses, industries and organisations extract the maximum performance and value from their assets.

The Conference on Asset and Maintenance Management 2012 was once again hosted at CQUniversity Gladstone on May 4, after lead-up workshops on 'Asset Management' on May 2 and 'Reliability' on May 3.

Conference speakers included Ben Hayden, Glenn Schumacher and Professor Gopinath Chattopadhyay

Over 130 delegates came from as far afield as Singapore, Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gympie, Mt Isa,  Moranbah, Rockhampton, Mackay, Gladstone, Biloela and many other places around central and north Queensland.

Delegates represented power generation, railways, process industries, regional council, mining, ports, consulting and many other industries, professional bodies including Asset Management Council, Engineers Australia and Australian Society of Operations Research, and a range of universities, as well as government and wider community representatives.

Conference Chair Professor Gopinath Chattopadhyay says there are numerous examples every year of outstanding achievement by academics, researchers, consultants, students and sponsoring industries in the best practices, research and application in related disciplines.

Networking is a feature of the conference

"These examples are of such high value that it is to the advantage of industry and universities to make the results available to a wider community," he says.

Conference speakers for 2012 included Glenn Schumacher and Ben Hayden from NRG Gladstone Power Station (Improving the bottom-line using Leadership in Asset Management) and John Abbott from Fluor Global Services (Improving shareholder value through Asset Management).

Conference Chair Professor Chattopadhyay and CQUniversity Adjunct Professional Fellow Malcolm Leinster spoke on E's in Asset Management.

Larry Woodland from AssetFuture Pty Ltd spoke on Whole of Life Asset Planning, Raja Ratnam from Aurecon spoke on Key Success Factors, and Mark Mueller, who has recently directed asset management (global) for the AES Corporation, spoke on the Global Trend in AM Standard.

Andrew Gibson from Rockhampton Airport spoke on The Change Journey for Introducing Asset Management, Stephen Broad from Downer EDI spoke on Hydrocarbon Infrastructure, and Michael Birch from QCLNG spoke on Gas Plant Asset Management.

Keeping kids entertained during school holidays can be difficult at times.

However, there'll be plenty of options for students able to attend the Indigenous Youth Sports Program (IYSP) at CQUniversity Rockhampton over the June and September school holidays.

The IYSP is a week-long program for the region's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students aged 10 - 15 years.

Participants at last year's event

The event is coordinated by the University's Widening Participation team to engage school students and build aspirations towards higher education through a range of unique and inspiring activities.

The Program is a unique partnership between CQUniversity, the Department of Communities and the Central Queensland Indigenous Development Ltd (CQID). CQID is involved in the planning and design as well as the promotion and delivery of the Program, ensuring it meets the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

CQID`s Project Manager Justin Loomans said this is a fantastic experience that allows students to have fun learning about sport in an inspiring environment.

"The confidence and familiarisation being built with the University throughout the program will hopefully create a real option in the future to pursue higher education at CQUniversity," Mr Loomans said.

CQUniversity's Widening Participation Officer, Melinda Mann-Yasso said the program aims to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students the opportunity to become familiar with a university campus.

"The students learn about the impact of nutrition on athletic performance and develop their self-awareness by exploring Indigenous history, identity and cultural values such as caring for country. The kids are divided into age groups and work with mentors to improve sports performance through agility training, speed testing, athletic development, and coaching clinics," Ms Mann-Yasso said.

University teaching staff also get involved, providing a range of fun learning activities. A graduation ceremony is held at the end of the week with prizes being awarded to students who demonstrate outstanding participation and leadership throughout the program.

CQUniversity, in partnership with the Central Queensland Indigenous Development, will host two Indigenous Youth Sports Program events in 2012. The first event will be held from June 25-29 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from Barcaldine, Emerald, Blackwater, Bluff, Woorabinda and Gladstone. The second event will be from September 24-28 for students in the Rockhampton region.

For more information, contact Melinda Mann-Yasso on 07 4930 9456.

PhD candidate Jillian Adams recently represented CQUniversity's School of Creative and Performing Arts in Boston USA, thanks to her interest in celebrity chefs.

Her paper - Dione Lucas Down Under - which explored the 1956 visit of American celebrity cordon bleu chef and TV cookery demonstrator Dione Lucas, and her place in the launch of televison in Australia, was accepted into a prestigious international conference held during April.

PhD candidate Jillian Adams examines a Dione Lucas cookbook

The paper was selected for the Australasian stream of the US Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association (PCA/ACA) conference.

The PCA/ACA offers a venue for scholars and enthusiasts who study popular culture to come together and share ideas and interests about the field or about a particular subject within the field. The Australasian stream tends to investigate links between American and Australasian culture, both contemporary and historical.

While in Boston, Jillian took the opportunity to access the Dione Lucas Archive in the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study at Harvard University.  The library's principal holdings date from the founding of the United States to the present and are especially rich in the areas of women's rights movements, feminism, health, social reform, education, professional life, volunteer and civic efforts, family relationships, and travel.

The Schlesinger Library at Harvard University and (inset) a recipe from an original Dion Lucas notebook

Personal documents such as diaries and letters provide fascinating insights into the ordinary lives of women of all ages and pursuits and record the struggles and triumphs of women of accomplishment.

The Library holds one of the world's most important collections of historical cookbooks - over 20,000 volumes from around the world: It also holds the papers of important culinary figures including Julia and Paul Child, M.F.K. Fisher, Elizabeth David, and Dione Lucas.

From 1940 to 1970 Dione Lucas ran successful restaurants and cookery schools in New York. She also had a very popular cooking show on television from 1948, published cookery books and contributed food articles and recipes to popular magazines. On a brief stopover in New York City, Jillian located the sites where Lucas' schools and restaurants had operated.

Have you ever wondered why staff at CQUniversity Gladstone campus seem so relaxed?

In the context of promoting community engagement and work wellness, regular yoga classes have been offered at the campus since October last year and have been a resounding success, according to yoga instructor and lecturer Muriel Strahm.

Upon gaining international yoga teacher registration with the Yoga Alliance, Ms Strahm was approached by several staff members who suggested the ancient form of yoga should be offered to staff in-house.

Taking part in yoga classes in Gladstone are (back row) Charmaine Thompson and Debbie Hunt and (front row) Paul Hannah, Sandra Pugh and Valarie Hough.Support from the campus manager Sue Oakey resulted in general and beginner classes being made available for staff, students and local community members.

"Participants value yoga for the overall benefits including greater flexibility, strength and relaxation, as well as better posture, breathing and concentration," Ms Strahm said.

The yoga classes are now serving as the platform for a collaborative research project with Dr Wendy Madsen as co-researcher and mentor. The project explores the perceptions of CQUniversity students who have attended a series of yoga classes on campus and how their yoga practice has influenced their approaches to study.

"In other words, the project explores a different avenue of addressing student retention and academic achievement," Ms Strahm said.

"Yoga is an easy, low-cost and safe preventative approach that could help decrease stress and improve general wellbeing, factors that influence academic success and retention."

Yoga instructor and CQUniversity staff member Muriel Strahm demonstrates breath work with a student. The study will also provide the foundations of further research to investigate how yoga could be used to support student retention and academic success.

The CQUniversity Mackay Library Society will officially launch its new, state-of-the-art community exhibition cabinets, which have been purchased through on-going fundraising efforts by CQUniversity Library Society and Film and Arts Mackay.

The displays will feature a range of different exhibitions that will be rotated once every six weeks to keep the displays current and exciting.

Mackay Campus Library Manager Pauline McNee and CQUniversity Mackay Library Society secretary Annie Webster are looking forward to officially launching the new exhibition cabinets at the Mackay Campus library. One of the main purposes behind the purchase of the exhibition cabinets was to enrich the learning experience of CQUniversity students, academics, researchers and community members when visiting the Library on campus.

The current display coincides with Anzac Day. Organisers have earmarked future displays to include pottery from the Pioneer Potters, gemstones and jewellery from the Mackay Gem and Craft Society, a postcard exhibition from Artspace and a white glove display.

The official opening will be held on Saturday, May 19 at 5pm in Building 19 at CQUniversity Library, Boundary Road, Mackay.

The exhibition will be opened by well-known local identity Carmel Daveson and special entertainment will be provided by Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music lecturer Kim Kirkman on the harp. Drinks and finger food will be provided.

Community members are invited to attend, but bookings are essential for catering purposes. Please contact the CQUniversity Mackay Library on 4940 7536 or email mack-lib@cqu.edu.au by Monday, May 14 to RSVP.

Bundaberg has produced two out of the four CQUniversity education students who were among 21 applicants selected throughout Queensland for a Department of Education and Training 'Teacher Education Centre of Excellence' experience.

Final-year Bachelor of Learning Management students Di Barrett and Kylie Barrand were among those pre-service teachers selected as part of a Statewide competitive application and interview process.

They had the chance to swap notes recently during a visit to Bundaberg Campus, which is also the home base for Education Dean Professor Helen Huntly.

Ms Barrand says the extra focus and direction provided by the Centre has helped her find the areas she needs to work on to 'round out' her education.

"The extra days at school over and above my normal prac placements are allowing me to have many more valuable experiences, setting me up to feel more comfortable and competent when I step into my own classroom," she says. "I got so much out of summer school and I am looking forward to winter school in June."

Pre-service teachers Di Barrett and Kylie Barrand catch up on Bundaberg Campus to discuss their 'centre of excellence' journey

The Morayfield Cluster Teacher Education Centre of Excellence* is working alongside the CQUniversity students to place them with a trained mentor teacher who will support them throughout their time with the centre. Access to extended classroom experiences will help the students hone their teaching expertise.

Morayfield Cluster Head of Mentoring Kerri Holzwart says the program participants will be prioritised for employment with Education Queensland schools and may receive early offers of employment. 

The program provides an extended employment induction process and continues into the students' first years as working teachers, to ensure additional mentoring.

The CQUniversity participants are able to attend special professional development programs at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane. They will also engage with Morayfield Cluster online, to help them specialise in 'literacy and numeracy in low SES settings'.

"Participants can access extra professional resources at Education Queensland even before they become teachers," Ms Holzwart said.

Pre-service teachers Di Barrett and Kylie Barrand catch up on Bundaberg Campus to discuss their 'centre of excellence' journey

* MTECE is one of five Queensland Centres of Excellence established as part of the Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership. The purpose of this Department of Education and Training initiative is to develop a new generation of highly skilled teachers and in turn enhance outcomes for students. The centre is partners with schools throughout Queensland, with a focus on schools in low SES settings.

CQUniversity's Senior Women's Breakfast group recently welcomed guest speaker Arlene Roberts from the Queensland Country Women's Association, at a time when the QCWA is celebrating its 90th anniversary.

Ms Roberts is the QCWA Divisional Press Secretary and International Officer, as well as Secretary of Mount Morgan Branch.

QCWA rep Arlene Roberts (foreground) with participants in the Senior Women's Breakfast

She addressed the breakfast about the QCWA Anniversary and changes that are taking place in the ways that the QCWA communicates with members.  

In August 1922 an open conference for women decided that a Country Women's Association should be formed in Queensland.

In the beginning, only women whose income was derived from the land were eligible to become members. Over the decades this has changed with members now coming from across the State in both urban and rural areas. What hasn't changed are the objectives of the QCWA - to support women and children, to be active in the local community and to promote friendship and understanding. 

Visiting Thai teens have been having an Aussie adventure while sharing their own culture, thanks to a program hosted by CQUniversity's English Language Centre at Rockhampton Campus.

The teenage students have been looked after by local Homestay families, enabling them to enjoy language classes, 'buddy days' at local schools and the region's best tourism attractions.

LINK for a larger image

They have also presented displays of their own culture and dance for enthusiastic audiences. The visit was arranged via the Universal Cultural Exchange (UCE) organisation.

The Defence University Sponsorship that Kristian Cruickshank completed seven years ago while studying at CQUniversity in Rockhampton has enabled him to fulfil an Engineering career far beyond his expectations. 

Like many other first-year university students, Kristian had not given much thought to where his degree in Electrical Engineering might take him.  While his father’s time as a Reservist in the Army had an impression upon Kristian, he didn’t initially intend on joining the Australian Defence Force (ADF) straight out of high school. 

Flight Lieutenant Aerospace Engineer Officer Kristian Cruickshank began his career at CQUniversity Rockhampton. However, in the latter half of his first year of study at CQUniversity a presentation by Defence Force Recruiting on the Defence University Sponsorship took Kristian’s eye. As a student of Electrical Engineering, Kristian’s sponsorship began after one and a half years of study.

Following completion of his undergraduate degree under the Defence University Sponsorship, Kristian is now a Flight Lieutenant Aerospace Engineer Officer specialising in electronics based at RAAF Base Williams in Laverton near Melbourne. 

The main drawcard of the Sponsorship for him was the excellent job prospects upon completion of university.

“It also didn’t hurt to not have to worry about HECS, textbooks, and having a fortnightly income was a huge bonus,” he said.

While Kristian was able to make the most of his time at university living in a flat with mates from his hometown of Biloela, he still felt an obligation to the ADF.

“I knew I had to do well with my study, I didn’t want to disappoint my future employer, but it was made far easier by not needing to commit to a part-time job.”

Kristian chose to join the Air Force for the diverse and challenging opportunities within the Service’s engineering industry. Although he had an interest in aviation as a teenager it was also the sophisticated machinery that drew him in.

“It’s Air Force personnel who get to play with the most expensive toys and technology,” he said.

Kristian got an insight into the work/life balance in the Air Force while undertaking work experience trips while he was still a student.

“There was the opportunity of doing work experience in a civilian workplace, but I was more interested in getting onto the RAAF bases and getting stuck into it.”

For work experience Kristian made trips to RAAF Bases Amberley and Townsville, giving him a taste of what was to come – and he liked what he saw.

As an Aerospace Engineer Kristian now works as a Software Specialist overseeing the airworthiness certification of many Defence aviation projects. Kristian says the role gives him great insight into Defence aviation.

While he is more than happy with his life in the Air Force and enjoys the education, training and experience the ADF has given him, the possibility of employment in the private sector at some point in the future adds further flexibility in his career.

On top of his usual workload Kristian is always keen to undertake further study. Currently studying a Masters of Project Management by distance with the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), Kristian is intent on making the most of the opportunities at his fingertips.

“I’ve only been on one overseas posting, but it was an exciting one,” he said.  After a rigorous application process, Kristian was selected for a posting to California to study a Master of Science in Software Engineering. Kristian credits this time at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey as the highlight of his career in Defence.

This amazing experience emphasises the various career opportunities within the ADF. While he would head back to California in a heartbeat, Kristian is hoping future posting opportunities may take him to other parts of the world.

After completing the Defence University Sponsorship and holding positions at RAAF Williamtown in New South Wales, Monterey in California, RAAF Williams in Victoria, and soon Canberra, Kristian suggests students with any form of interest in the ADF look into the fantastic career opportunities the Sponsorship facilitates.

CQUniversity Professor Kerry Walsh and his PhD student Umesh Acharya recently took part in the 15^th Australian Near Infrared Spectroscopy Conference, held at Queenstown, New Zealand...

PhD student Umesh Acharya and Professor Kerry Walsh visit the Plant and Food Research facility in New Zealand

They presented two papers namely:

Managing temperature variation in the assessment of internal fruit quality using near infrared spectroscopy; and

Assessment of dry extract system of pesticide residue analysis on fruit surface using near infrared spectroscopy.

Mr Acharya earned a student presentation award for his oral paper. Further, he also scored a prize in a chemometric data analysis competition conducted during the conference.

While returning from the conference, Professor Walsh and Mr Acharya visited Plant and Food Research, Hamilton, New Zealand to present their work and to negotiate activity within a prospective Horticulture Australia-funded project. 

Apart from his research and supervision, Professor Walsh is Director of the Institute for Resource Industries and Sustainability, known as IRIS.

Umesh (left front) at the conference

CQUniversity Sydney Campus recently hosted the CEO and key board members of Operation Eyesight Universal, which strives to prevent blindness in the developing world...

Campus Director Susan Loomes says that "CQUniversity prides itself on engagement, and staff and students from the Sydney Campus will work closely with Operation Eyesight to help make a difference".  

Susan Loomes welcomes Operation Eyesight CEO and President Pat Ferguson and Fund Development Manager Mark Simms to Sydney Campus

Ms Loomes has proudly accepted an invitation to join the board of Operation Eyesight Australia. She hosted the organisation's CEO and President Pat Ferguson and other key board members for their meeting at Sydney Campus.

Susan later joined board members for a dinner function with TV celebrity Michael Caton, who is an Operation Eyesight Ambassador.

Since 1963, Operation Eyesight has prevented blindness in more than 35 million people by working with partners in the developing world. The focus is on building capacity for sustainable eye care and community development.

Details are available via www.operationeyesight.com

Susan Loomes joins the Operation Eyesight dinner guests including TV celebrity Michael Caton

Ana Marie Cardon blames (or thanks) her 'Spanish blood' for her habit of doing things differently.

From choosing an abseiling wedding theme, to enrolling in university after having five children, she has tended to follow some challenging pathways. Her latest transformation is from a comfortably employed aged care nurse to a medical student facing years of study to become a doctor.

Ana (right) catches up with lecturers Sheila Jeffery and Associate Professor Steve McKillup before heading south to study medicine

Ana Marie was born in the Philippines to Spanish parents and her father represented their homeland in basketball at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

After the family moved to Australia, Ana Marie progressed to Year 11 before getting married and starting a family. The abseiling wedding was to her second husband, with whom the family moved to Yeppoon.

At a time when her children were growing up and leaving home, Ana Marie saw a TV advert for CQUniversity's STEPS preparatory program. She said STEPS seemed like the best opportunity to get back into study as it was more than 30 years since school.

Ana Marie jumps of Melbourne's Carlton Crest Hotel during her second wedding, which had an abseiling component

Ana Marie enjoyed STEPS so much she recommended it to her daughter Marissa who joined an accelerated program. The pair celebrated their STEPS graduation together in 2008.

STEPS led Ana Marie into Nursing studies and then to a job as an Assistant in Nursing working in aged care at Eventide in Rockhampton.

Now Ana Marie has been accepted into Medicine at Bond University on the Gold Coast, after a highly competitive application process. However, she has her sights set on returning to a remote or rural area to practice as a doctor one day.

Ana Marie celebrates completing STEPS with daughter Marissa 

The Sunshine Coast could host the next education revolution with a dozen new CQUniversity doctoral students preparing to tackle teaching theory's toughest challenges...

The changing role of homework, parents' impact on early childhood learning and the influence of digital technology are just some of the dilemmas on the agenda for the Noosa Campus-based students, who presented their confirmations of candidature recently.

Research students and supervisors gather in Noosa recently

And with Noosa's12 new doctoral students now making up one third of all CQUniversity Research Higher Degree (RHD) entries this year, their induction is further proof the campus is fast becoming the Coast's research hub.

CQUniversity Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Kevin Tickle said fostering high level study would give the University access to ground-breaking research critical to the future of Australian education.

"Doctoral studies enable students to push forward the frontier of human knowledge," Professor Tickle said.

"They study a specific subject in such great depth that they are capable of becoming the world's foremost expert in their particular field.

"As a result, CQUniversity will have immediate access to solutions to complex educational problems, such as the improvement of teaching or a new understanding of how students learn.

"And by facilitating educational research, our students are given more opportunities to publish their findings and continue to build on their knowledge.

"As the current RHD students achieve their goals we expect to see even more students undertaking higher education studies based at the Noosa Campus."

This year's intake will also be among the first to take advantage of a new Education Flagship research centre, constructed during the Noosa Campus' recent $2.5 million expansion.

Among them is high school math teacher Maria Casey from Brisbane who is exploring the connection between student mathematical learning and the use of online communication technology.

"The amount of digital hardware in schools is steadily increasing and my research revolves around how to best integrate its use into classroom learning," Ms Casey said.

"Current students are able to use technology much more intuitively than older generations - today's students use it in a way most adults don't even understand.

"They are tending to use it to network and form relationships, as opposed to older generations who use technology as a tool to perform tasks.

"Through my research I hope to gain a better understanding of the benefits and impacts the use of technology in the classroom will have on students and teachers."

Live music is thriving on the Sunshine Coast with the help of the Retrovert Concert Series supported by CQUniversity's Bachelor of Music program* in association with Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE.  

 A recent Retrovert concert at the popular solbar in Maroochydore featured students performing as The Electric Zippers, The Uni-Versals and Wet Velvet. The variety and versatility of the musicians in each band make this Retrovert Concert Series a very special one.  It's being promoted as ‘Tomorrow's Stars Today'.

The Retrovert Concert Series has a facebook account www.facebook.com/retrovertconcertseries and a twitter account www.twitter.com/retroverters, where it's building a steady stream of followers. 

A unique partnership between Sunshine Coast TAFE and CQUniversity enables TAFE music graduates to earn direct entry into the second year of the Bachelor of Music Program.

The Electric Zippers rock the solbar in Maroochydore as part of the Retrovert Concert Series. Steph from The Uni-Versals and rapper George joined the stage too. LINK for a larger image

Students completing SCIT's diploma-level music program gain credit for articulation into the second year of CQUniversity's Bachelor of Music (Creative Music Technologies) or Bachelor of Music (Contemporary). One stream is aimed at people interested in commercial and artistic sound production while the other targets those keen to expand their performance skills.

With practical experience based at a recording studio and support for live gigs, Sunshine Coast TAFE Music Department teacher Charlie Macneil said the partnership between TAFE and CQUniversity provides the best of both worlds for the music students.

"This innovative music degree demonstrates the successful engagement of both students and industry throughout the program," Mr Macneil says. 

CQUniversity Head of Music Dr Derrin Kerr says the collaboration with SCIT is an excellent opportunity for students to align their studio music and live performances with the learning outcomes of a university-level program.

Dean of Creative and Performing Arts Professor Matthew Marshall says the Retrovert Concert Series is a welcome addition to CQUniversity's Creative and Performing Arts Events Calendar.

LINK for a larger image of The Uni-Versals on stage

"This sort of activity makes a significant contribution to CQUniversity's aim to be Australia's most engaged university," Professor Marshall says.

* CQUniversity's Bachelor of Music program is based at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music, within the School of Creative and Performing Arts.

 
LINK for a larger image of The Electric Zippers 
LINK for a larger image of The Uni-Versals

A landmark partnership between CQUniversity Australia and the Skytrans Cairns Taipans is set to secure the future of basketball talent in the Cairns region - and hopefully change a few lives in the process...

The CQUniversity Taipans Academy - the latest incarnation of the youth basketball program first established in 2001 - will return to action in 2012 thanks to a two-year, naming rights sponsorship deal between the two organisations.

CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman and SkyTrans Cairns Taipans General Manager Mark Beecroft shake hands after announcing their new partnership

CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman said the partnership, which includes an initial $50,000 commitment from the University, supported CQUni's philosophy of "giving back" to local communities it operates in.

"CQUniversity aims to be Australia's most engaged university, and that includes strong, genuine community engagement wherever the University has a presence," Professor Bowman said.

"With around 350 distance education students already enrolled in the Cairns region, and a brand new study centre set to open in 2012, it's only right that we give back to Cairns through initiatives such as the CQUniversity Taipans Academy.

QUniversity Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman flanked by Taipans players and coaching staff, including future Olympian Aron Baynes (second from left).

"This is an investment in the grassroots of the game. For many young people in the Cairns region and the Indigenous communities of Cape York, the opportunity to join the Academy will be life-changing."

In past years, the Taipans Academy has produced such national basketball stars as Nathan Jawai, Aron Baynes and Kerry Williams - and Mark Beecroft, General Manager of the Skytrans Cairns Taipans, said the CQUniversity partnership should see this trend continue.

"The Taipans are a community-owned club and just like CQUniversity, we are in the business of developing and educating the future leaders of our community," Mr Beecroft said.

"With a new sponsor in place, the CQUniversity Taipans Academy can now get back to the business of teaching basketball skills - and, just as importantly, life skills - to our region's talented young people.

"The sponsorship deal with CQUniversity will allow the Taipans to employ a second assistant coach, who will oversee the CQUniversity Taipans Academy, and work with Cairns Basketball's junior coaches on strategy.

"Cairns' junior basketballers and coaches will now have the opportunity to access and learn from a full-time National Basketball League coach, something a lot of other clubs don't have as a resource.

"This is a massive step in the right direction for the Taipans, and I am really looking forward to working closely with CQUniversity as this partnership develops."

Head Coach of the Skytrans Cairns Taipans, Aaron Fearne, echoed Mr Beecroft's sentiments.

"For CQUniversity to come to Cairns and support grassroots community sport in this way, it really is a sign of respect and a vote of confidence in our club and our city," Mr Fearne said.

"The work we do in the Academy is so important - not only are we working with these young athletes on the court and in the weight room, but we are also teaching them how to be responsible adults and prepare for life as a professional sportsperson."

Further afield, CQUniversity is engaging with community sport in Rockhampton, as a partner of the CQ NRL national rugby league team bid, as well as undertaking a feasibility study for a multi-million dollar community sports hub at CQUniversity Mackay.

"Sport is a great leveller and, in CQUniversity's case, so is education. As one of Australia's most inclusive universities, we want to even the playing field for people from all walks of life, so engaging in community sport is a natural fit for us," Professor Bowman said.   

• CQUniversity is Australia's most diverse university with around 20,000 students enrolled via distance education and located at campuses, support hubs and research centres stretching the length of the Queensland coast and in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Find out more at http://www.cqu.edu.au/

Rail researchers and rollingstock engineers could be using more software data-crunching and less physical testing of locomotives if a CQUniversity Masters student achieves his goals.

Andrew George says there are now combinations of software simulation tools that can comprehensively analyse locomotive systems, traction performance and locomotive dynamics using virtual multi-body models. The approach will allow virtual testing of different locomotive types and train configurations.

Rail researcher Andrew George in front of a computer screenshot of a virtual locomotive

A key issue is the accuracy and credibility of the mathematical modelling. There are no prescribed methodologies or standards for developing and verifying such models before they are used.

Mr. George will soon head to Stuttgart in Germany to present a paper at the 2nd Joint International Conference on Multibody System Dynamics.

He will discuss a proposed locomotive model acceptance procedure which is intended for Australian freight locomotives, although it could also be modified for other countries and locomotive types.

Mr George's work could prove valuable to help rail operators avoid the need to perform expensive track tests in the real world, for what are minor vehicle or design changes.

"Virtual multi-body locomotive models can allow detailed analyses ... to be completed with less time, cost and effort," he said.

Mr George is presently conducting research as part of a larger project on locomotive adhesion funded by the national CRC for Rail Innovation project.

New locomotives with AC traction motors and advanced slip controls can exert more traction force onto the track and haul more weight for the same engine power than older locomotives with DC motors.

Although fewer AC locomotives are needed to haul a train of a given weight, this is offset by a reduction in the total engine power available in the train.

"Due to the lower power per train (which reduces costs) trains hauled by AC locos tend to travel more slowly through curves and load up force against the inside rail," Mr George says.

"The potential for track damage in some cases can be increased and so the development of virtual locomotives capability is a key part of the research."

Mr George is helping the project team calculate the extent of the wheel-rail forces imparted by the new AC motor locomotives, compared with the older DC motor locomotives.

Rockhampton parents are welcome at a series of free seminars to be delivered by students enrolled in the Masters of Clinical Psychology program at CQUniversity.

The student presenters are registered or provisional psychologists and the seminars extend the outreach work of the Psychology Wellness Centre on campus.

Seminars on May 9 include Tracy Bauer with Stop Arguing with your Kids! (1.15pm) and Cassarndra Hackett with Family Roles: Heros, Mascots and Others (2.40pm).

Seminars on May 16 include Priyanka Komandur with Bullying (1.15pm) and Kate Bulbrook with Mental Health in Children with Chronic Physical Health Problems (2.40pm).

Organiser Dr Kumari Fernando says the seminars of between 50-60 minutes will be presented in the Arthur Appleton Building - Building 5, Room G.09 on Rockhampton Campus.

"We'd like to welcome parents, educators and health professionals to the seminars," she says.

Spaces are limited! To book a place at the seminar, please email Karren Tyrrell (mailto:k.tyrell@cqu.edu.au) or phone 07 4923 2233. For further information, contact Dr Kumari Fernando (k.fernando@cqu.edu.au)

Dr Fernando says that families are also welcome to arrange one-on-one sessions or assessments via the Wellness Centre. Bookings can be made via wellnesscentre@cqu.edu.au or (07) 4923 2233 or via the Centre website www.cqu.edu.au/wellnesscentre .

Advances in Australia's beef industry have been driven by extension of knowledge.

Now there's a fresh push with a focus on technology to help refine production performance, working on scopes as fine-tuned as the individual farm, individual paddock and sometimes ‘sub-paddock' and individual animal.

Some of CQUni's beef-related researchers include Daniel Gregg (rural economics); Dr Sandrine Makiela (pasture soil quality); Dr Dave Swain (precision livestock) and Dr Kym Patison (cattle behaviour). The team also covers embryology and information technology systems

Researchers at CQUniversity are looking into the potential economic benefits of a range of emerging information technology systems including GPS, pasture mapping using remote sensing, walk-over weighing, automated drafting and electronic pregnancy testing.

The research team are also exploring the development of next generation technology including an automated calving alert system and virtual fencing.

The CQUniversity researchers aim to identify information and management systems that meet the unique needs of an individual enterprise. There are more advantages in tailoring the delivery and analysis of scientific technology at the individual enterprise and animal level than what can currently be achieved using generic whole-of-industry approaches.

The research into precision livestock management aims to identify the unique set of conditions that will enable each individual enterprise to remain viable and provide opportunities to maximize productivity.

Dr Dave Swain has been working within the North Australian Beef Research Committee to determine what precision livestock management research capability is needed.  He says the goal is to provide research that enables local optimisation within each production system.

"It's evolution in practice, we aim to provide tools that support a producer to identify a system that works for them," he said.

"The goal is to refine management decisions by looking at data at the paddock level and sometimes even sub-paddock level to provide more regular and complete information on individual cow performance."

The CQUniversity Precision Livestock Management team includes expertise in animal behaviour, rural economics, embryology, information technology systems, soil and pasture biology. The goal is to bring the different technologies and tools together to provide a systems overview that is grounded by economic evaluation.

Dr Swain and some of his CQUniversity colleagues and industry associates will present a seminar on 'How Information and Technology Systems will enhance your business', from 9.30am-11am on Wednesday May 9, as part of Beef Australia in Rockhampton. More details are available via http://www.beefaustralia.com.au/

"A number of short talks will demonstrate how emerging information and management systems can enhance strategic planning and also improve the daily operational management of beef production systems," he said.

A few weeks ago, while some folks were surfing and swimming at Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, a few kilometres away CQUniversity's Professor Bronwyn Fredericks was participating as a member of a PhD Oral Examination Panel at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa.

Professor Fredericks is our new Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) and BMA Chair in Indigenous Engagement. She was invited to be an examiner for Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi (Indigenous University), New Zealand.

Prof Fredericks (red shirt) with others involved in the PhD Oral Examination

The Doctor of Philosophy (Indigenous Studies) Thesis by Malcolm Naea Chun was titled ‘KA MO'OLELO O KA ‘OIHANA LA'AU LAPA'AU "Traditions of Native Hawaiian Healing Practices". The oral examination was held in Hawaii and not in New Zealand.

Professor Fredericks explained that this was different to other oral examinations she had participated in.

"In this instance there was a combining of university protocols in terms of the formal academic requirements and Māori, Hawaiian and broader Indigenous protocols around introductions, process and knowledge."

Elders, community members and peers were invited to the event to support Malcolm and to also participate in the process. For example, they along with members of the examination panel were invited to ask questions.

"The process enabled Malcolm to demonstrate how much he knew about his research work," Professor Fredericks said.

Once the final deliberations were over there was the customary sharing of food.

"Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi (Indigenous University) demonstrated that an examination process can be academically rigorous, culturally safe and a shared learning experience," Professor Fredericks concluded.

The CQUniversity academic has invited staff from Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi (Indigenous University) to visit CQUniversity and will work towards making that happen in the future.

Women living in the Capricornia region are now able to join the ManUp health and fitness program, thanks to a broadening of the participation scope.

ManUp was originally launched to improve the physical activity and healthy eating habits of middle aged men.

However, the program coordinators are now able to broaden the project to include females who are keen to improve their health and fitness.

Participants will get FREE access to the program, which is delivered via mobile phone and the internet.

The first step to joining the project is to register  interest at http://www.manup.org.au  .

Email the ManUp project office at manup@cqu.edu.au or phone one of the ManUp Project Officers -  Marcus Ellison: 4970 7211, Cindy Hooker: 4930 6537 to find out more information about the project.

ManUp project involves a research collaboration between CQUniversity, the University of Western Sydney, the Australian E-Health Research Centre, CSIRO and the CSIRO Centre for Human Nutrition.

CQU Institute of Higher Learning recently conducted an alumni networking event for CQU Singapore-based alumni at the Melior campus in Singapore.

The event was organised by Dr Vincent Wee, himself a CQU alumnus, and attracted five alumni. 

Professor Ken Bruce briefs alumni about the University's progress

The guest speaker was Associate Professor Ken Bruce, CEO and Campus Director of CQU Institute of Higher Learning. Professor Bruce gave a presentation about the various initiatives CQUniversity is pursuing in Australia as well as outlining the University's plans in Singapore.

It is planned to offer more of these events with guest speakers to provide an opportunity for Singapore-based alumni to stay connected with CQUniversity.

CQU IHL marketing manager, Andy Tan chats with one of the alumni 
Professor Bruce and Dr Wee with some of the alumni who attended the event 
Professor Bruce presenting to alumni 

Smartphones may enhance health behaviours of people using website-delivered physical activity programs.

That's according to researchers associated with CQUniversity's Centre for Physical Activity Studies*, who have had their findings published in the prestigious Journal of Medical Internet Research (with lead authorship by Morwenna Kirwan).

Researcher Morwenna Kirwan has been checking if smartphones can boost health behaviours in concert with website-delivered programs

The research team arranged for a sample of people registered with the 10,000 Steps** website to use a new iStepLog application on their smartphones.

The smartphone group logged steps on an average of 62 days, compared with 41 days in the non-phone group. Use of the application was associated with increased likelihood to log steps daily, and also with increased likelihood to log greater than 10,000 steps on each entry.

The researchers concluded that smartphone applications may assist in maintaining participant engagement and behaviour change. However, they recommend more expansive research to replicate the findings.

The iStepLog application was designed to allow members of the 10,000 Steps program to record their daily physical activity levels on their mobile device and synchronise this with their online Step Log.

Other researchers involved in the study were Dr Mitch Duncan, Dr Corneel Vandelanotte and Dr Kerry Mummery.

#  #  #

* Part of the Institute for Health and Social Science Research (IHSSR).

** Queensland Health provided funding to CQUniversity for the development of 10,000 Steps. The iStepLog application was funded by 10,000 Steps.

Researchers have shown if you want your diesel car or truck to run more smoothly, it's best to add biodiesel produced from the seeds of an Aussie native plant known as the ‘Beauty Leaf Tree'.

The CQUniversity scientists have patented the seeds-to-oil conversion process with a view to commercialising their ‘anti-knocking' agent for diesel fuel.

Researcher Subhash (right) and Ashwath pictured with a Beauty Leaf Tree beside a 4WD engine

Using a Land Rover Freelander 3.5L engine, tests were carried out using commercially available petrodiesel and biodiesel blends, and the results were compared with those obtained from petrodiesel fuel mixed with the beauty leaf product known as Calophyllum Oil Methyl Ester (COME)*.

"The beauty leaf blend can significantly reduce vibration and knock in diesel engines, indicating better ignition properties and greater smoothness of the combustion," said Associate Professor Nanjappa Ashwath, one of the researchers involved.

"Further tests are required to determine the optimum percentage of biodiesel that gives the best reduction in vibration."

PhD scholar Subhash Hathurusingha has been undertaking this research under the supervision of Assoc Prof Ashwath and Professor David Midmore. Subhash plans to progress the project as a post-doctoral research fellow.

PhD scholar Subhash Hathurusingha and Assoc Prof Nanjappa Ashwath with a Beauty Leaf Tree growing on campus

Assoc Prof Ashwath says that, apart from the undesirable mechanical effects of diesel knock, the extra noise also leads to sound pollution.

"Extensive engine vibration wears engine components and causes an irritating noise," Subhash says.

Earlier testing by CQUniversity scientists has indicated that the wild-growing beauty leaf tree is a potential source of biodiesel, if developed into plantations. It can produce up to 4000L of oil per hectare in a year.

"The beauty of the Beauty Leaf Tree is that it grows well throughout coastal areas of tropical Australia and can thrive on salty, drought-affected, acidic or waterlogged lands, which would otherwise remain unused," Assoc Prof Ashwath says.

* Previous vibration tests were done with the help of Dr Jayantha Epaarachchi (USQ), Amila Jayaratne (Rockhampton Hydraulics) and Dr Preethichandra Gamage (CQUni).

Further details on the tree growth potential can be obtained from Assoc Prof Nanjappa Ashwath (0419 309 596). Details on engine performance may be sought from Subhash (0420 743 462) or Dr Jayantha Epaarachchi (0402 455 823).

CQUniversity's own masked educator Associate Professor Kerry Reid-Searl is the subject of a revealing story and video feature in the Sunday Mail newspaper.

The Sunday Mail compares the quality of Kerry's nursing education character masks with the advanced make-up used for the movie Benjamin Button.

LINK HERE for the Sunday Mail video feature on Associate Professor Kerry Reid-Searl.

Dr Kerry Reid-Searl teaches nursing students in character as an elderly male patient, thanks to a realistic mask and body part props

Dr Reid-Searl has teamed with a silicone mask specialist based in Los Angeles to produce masks and associated body part props that are just perfect to provide nursing students with a simulated learning experience.

The MASK-ED^TM (KRS simulation) package goes way beyond supply of the masks and props to include the workshop-based training and techniques that make them so successful.  MASK-ED^TM simply means masking of the educator and masking of the educational process, whilst KRS is about knowledgeable, realistic and spontaneous simulation.

LINK to Nursing school has a new take on role playing

Cassandra Matthews says three years of late nights and hard work will finally pay off when she receives her graduation testamur tomorrow (Friday, April 27). The Bachelor of Accounting student gained the highest Grade Point Average (GPA) among her cohort of CQUniversity Mackay graduates.

LINK also to CQUniversity staff shine at Mackay Graduation

LINK also to Industry stalwart and former Mayor to be honoured at Mackay Graduation

But it hasn't always been an easy road for Ms Matthews who, like many modern-day students, studied full-time while holding down a job.

"It was difficult but also rewarding," Ms Matthews said.

"The biggest challenge throughout my degree was obtaining sufficient time to spend with family and friends, who were very supportive and understanding of the time and resources that I needed to study."

CQUniversity Accounting graduate Cassandra Matthews will receive an academic excellence award at the Mackay Graduation ceremony.

Ms Matthews said that thanks to her employer at the time, Woodmans Mitre 10, she was able to successfully complete her degree with Distinction and be awarded the graduation medal for outstanding academic record.

"I was surprised but at the same time very proud. I was dedicated to my studies and put a lot of time and effort into the assessments."

Ms Matthews, who is now working as a full-time accountant with CE Smith & Co, will join a total of 123 CQUniversity students who will graduate on Friday, April 27 at the Mackay Entertainment Centre.

Graduates include 62 students from the Faculty of Arts, Business, Informatics and Education, 59 from the Faculty of Science, Health and Engineering and two from the Academic Board.

The graduation audience will hear from guest speaker Mackay Police Superintendant Graham Coleman.

Industry stalwart Allan Ruming and former Mayor Julie Boyd will be honoured during the ceremony. In recognition of his auspicious career in the engineering and mining industries and his advocacy on behalf of the University, the degree of Honorary Master of Engineering will be conferred on Mr Ruming. The honorary award of Companion of the University will be conferred on Ms Boyd to recognise her support of CQUniversity, her contribution as a community leader and her service to the state of Queensland.

CQUniversity Australia Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Scott Bowman will be in attendance at the graduation ceremony and said he looked forward to congratulating all the Mackay graduates.

"Each year I continue to be inspired by our graduates who have worked so hard over the course of their studies to further their careers," Professor Bowman said.

"With CQUniversity Mackay being one of our fastest growing campuses and with new courses coming online regularly, I look forward to seeing more and more graduates through our doors over the coming years."

Pro-Vice Chancellor (Community & Engagement) and Head of Campus Professor Pierre Viljoen said the University was proud to play a part in changing a student's life. 

"For our students, graduation is a very important achievement in their lives, and we are pleased to be standing beside them in their journey," Professor Viljoen said.

"We are fortunate to have one of the fastest growing universities in Queensland and we look forward to hearing success stories from our graduates as they forge a career for themselves."

CQUniversity Mackay will also celebrate the first cohort from the intensive workshop-delivered programs of the Graduate Diploma of Management.

Meanwhile, four CQUniversity Mackay staff members will receive testamurs on Friday.  Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music senior lecturer Judith Brown will be awarded with a Doctor of Education while her colleague, lecturer Kim Kirkman will graduate with a Master of Learning Management.

Nursing lecturer Sandra McLellan will graduate with a Master of Clinical Practice (Nursing) and Arthur Pinkney will be awarded with a Doctor of Philosophy.

Four of Australia's universities will use cross-institutional match-making to ensure health related researchers have the most relevant experienced mentors for one-to-one research professional development...

There are four partners in the Health Collaborative Research Network which has $5.53 million in Commonwealth funding to develop partnerships between CQUniversity, Curtin University, Queensland University of Technology and The University of Queensland.

Professor Sonj Hall and Professor Chad Hewitt are supporting the initiative

The new HEALTH CRN Research Mentor Program is open to all health-related researchers from the partner universities. It is intended that mentors and mentees will come from all of the partners.

Researchers interested in being a mentor or mentee are encouraged to visit www.cqu.edu.au/crn.

HEALTH CRN Director Professor Sonj Hall says the mentor program will give researchers a confidential sounding board to discuss and strategically plan research career pathways and to gain professional development advice from experienced researchers.

"There will be benefits for both researchers and their mentors," Professor Hall says.

CQUniversity's Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Chad Hewitt says the HEALTH CRN will assist in providing appropriate introductions and initialising relationships.

"The Research Mentors Program is just one of the exciting collaborative programs that is being rolled out as part of the HEALTH-CRN"

"Researchers will be able to access individually tailored programs to complete short-term exchanges and access specialised equipment across our network. This is all part of the effort in building sustainable research capacity at CQUniversity."

# # #

The HEALTH CRN allows researchers to engage in collaborative opportunities with partnering universities, receive research training and mentorship and increase research capacity at CQUniversity.

Researchers interested in accessing the HEALTH CRN are encouraged to visit www.cqu.edu.au/crn

Australia's most expansive Early Career Research program has begun, drawing together promising scientists and highly-credentialed mentors from about a dozen different campuses.

Hosted by CQUniversity in association with the freshly-established Regional Universities Network (RUN), this is the first time a network of universities has collaborated on an ECR Program on such a grand scale.

Professor Alan Pettigrew (left) and Professor Drew Dawson at the first of the Early Career Researcher sessions

Workshops for up to 25 participants are being held in Rockhampton, Mackay, Bundaberg, Gladstone and Noosa, and five of the RUN partner institutions are represented.

This program is being led by Professor Drew Dawson, the inaugural Engaged Research Chair at CQUniversity, and Director of the Appleton Institute.

The keynote speaker for module one, held in Rockhampton on April 20, was Professor Alan Pettigrew, inaugural CEO of NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council), former VC of the University of New England, and facilitator of the LH Martin Executive Leadership and Management in Research Program.

Other module one speakers included Professor Scott Bowman, Vice-Chancellor, CQUniversity; Professor Chad Hewitt, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) CQUniversity; and Dr Caroline Perkins, Executive Director, Regional Universities Network.

Professor Dawson said this is the first time an ECR program of this type and magnitude has been offered by a regional university in Australia across so many campuses such long distances apart.

"This is the first significant collaboration for RUN and the most ambitious project of its type for regional universities," Professor Dawson said.

Participants represent a range of fields including coral regeneration, health care, skilled migration, population health, cognitive psychology, online learning, microbiology, plant ecology, intercultural and international education, and sleep loss and fatigue.

CQUniversity is no stranger to Cairns with around 350 students and thousands of graduates already in the region, but a new Distance Education Study Centre will finally give the University's Cairns-based students a place to call home...

With a campus footprint already stretching from Mackay to Melbourne, CQUniversity hopes the centre - to be located at 36 Florence Street in Cairns - will serve as a welcome support mechanism for its students in Far North Queensland.

L-R students Cassandra Geeman, Demi Bailey, VC Scott Bowman and MPs Warren Entsch and Michael Trout

• CQUniversity set to open local hub for Cairns students;
• New facility will service 350+ students already in the region;
• Welcomed by local MPs Warren Entsch, Gavin King and Michael Trout
• More study options to strengthen Cairns' reputation as 'university city'

CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman said the centre - set to open in mid-2012 - demonstrates the University's faith in Cairns as a great place to live and study.

"We hope to enhance Cairns' reputation as a 'university city', which is a very attractive prospect for business, industry and families considering moving to the region," Professor Bowman said.

"The new centre will give CQUniversity a bricks-and-mortar presence in a city where we have been operating for many years as one of Australia's leading providers of distance education."

Current students, including more than 130 new students this year, will be able to congregate at the centre to form study groups, access e-library and internet resources, lodge assignments, participate in live lectures broadcast via high-speed internet, and make academic enquiries. Prospective students, meanwhile, will be able to explore their degree options and start their enrolment process.

Local Cairns-based staff will operate the centre and provide an on-the-ground point of contact for students and prospective students alike, while ‘hot desks' will  be in place to allow CQUniversity's rich pool of academic and research talent to operate out of the centre while working in Cairns. CQUniversity already has some senior research staff who will have a base at the new Cairns Distance Education Study Centre, including world-leading embryologist Professor Gábor Vajta and a top reproductive scientist, Adjunct Professor Peter Richardson.

The Vice-Chancellor will be joined this week by local Federal MP Warren Entsch and State MPs Gavin King and Michael Trout to inspect the site of CQUniversity's new Distance Education Study Centre.

Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch said CQUniversity's new centre would be a huge boost for the region. He said it was wonderful that CQUniversity was cementing its presence in the Far North as it would continue to enhance Cairns' reputation as a centre of learning.

"By committing to basing more people here - students, CQUni staff, researchers and academics - it really makes a good, solid, permanent presence.

"It also provides an even greater range of options for students in that they're able to stay in our region rather than being forced to travel long distances to engage in a course of their choice."

Mr Entsch said he was particularly excited to see Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowman back in the Far North - even if it is only from time to time - to support the CQUniversity students.  "He is very familiar with our city and the needs of students and I have every confidence that through his stewardship as Vice-Chancellor this is going to be an outstanding success." 

Member for Cairns Gavin King said Cairns urgently needed to diversify its economic base.

"This initiative by CQUniversity is absolutely welcome and I look forward to working with CQUniversity in the future.  I'm also pleased to see that CQUniversity delivers its courses in Cairns via distance education, so it's working with students who aren't necessarily after the traditional face-to-face university experience. We now have a two-university city, but I'm not expecting to see the two universities competing for the same students, rather I think they will complement one another. "

State Member for Barron River, Michael Trout, joined Warren Entsch and Gavin King in applauding the opening of the new centre in Cairns and welcoming Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowman.

"This a very positive development for the entire Cairns region. We have a second university willing to invest in this community, which will see more jobs and greater education opportunities for our region.

"With an increasing number of students both from Australia and overseas indicating a strong desire to study and reside in Cairns, this is a major boon to the region.  It not only enhances the city's already enviable reputation as a preferred centre for tertiary study;  it facilitates easy access to study options and broader educational choices for students opting to live in Cairns or nearby," he said.

As father of a local university student, Mr Trout wholeheartedly reinforced the benefits of a local support centre as a vital communication and administration hub for students.

"Research shows that if you train kids locally, you will retain kids locally after graduation, so this new centre can only benefit our workforce and economic prospects," he added.

One of CQUniversity's Cairns-based students Demi Bailey said she was looking forward to having the option of accessing a local centre, as up until now email had been her main form of contact with the University.

"The option to talk with someone face-to-face as I progress my distance education will help ensure a more friendly and approachable interaction," the first year Psychology student said.

Professor Bowman said that once the centre opened in mid-year, he would encourage Cairns locals to drop in and find out more about what CQUniversity can offer them.

"CQUniversity is developing a range of exciting new programs, many of which are available via distance education," Professor Bowman said. "The most popular courses being studied by our students in Cairns include Health and Medical Sciences; Business, Accounting and Law; Humanities, Psychology and Social Work; Built Environment and Design; Engineering, Mining and Technology; Science and Education.

"We're proudly expanding our Allied Health programs as well as Law, Paramedic Science, Accident Forensics, Project Management, Tourism and a range of other exciting degrees."

In related news, CQUniversity has begun a collaborative partnership with Queensland Ambulance Service to establish a study/educational hub within QAS facilities at Cairns Ambulance Station. This hub caters for rural and remote students based in the north and far north enrolled in the popular Bachelor of Paramedic Science program.

CQUniversity Associate Professor Alison Owens* recently convened a panel of culturally diverse business students from CQUniversity, RMIT and Swinburne to present at the Australasian Shared Services & Outsourcing Week annual conference, at the Melbourne Convention Centre.

The students, including CQUniversity Accounting student Dishala Thenuwara and PhD candidate Priyantha Bandara, commented on their business interests and career plans as Generation Y future business leaders.

Assoc Prof Alison Owens (third from left) with 'Gen Y' business leaders of the future. Dishala is far right and Priyantha is third from right.

The panel emphasised the cultural diversity of graduates in Australia and the need for local employers to be able to effectively recruit and exploit their talents in an increasingly competitive global labour market.

Employers were encouraged to explore the benefits of employing international students as well as domestic students in their organisations.

"With the new student visa arrangements Australian employers can expect an international student to deliver regular part-time work over a minimum of two to five years and for a further two or three years beyond graduation on a graduate experience visa, " Dr Owens said.  "That is about as much loyalty as an employer can expect from any young employee regardless of residency status in the current labour market."

Panel members stressed their interest in gaining industry experience, both during and after their university study.

The capacity for Australian students to speak a second language and participate in an overseas study experience were further priorities identified as important to the Gen Y panel and the Australian professional workplace.

Students identified the benefits and conditions that would attract them: opportunities to observe/participate in the workplace while studying;  in-service training options; a strong team-based working culture; options for rotation across departments; a flexible and modern work environment; and space to innovate and experiment with new ideas to improve and develop processes.

When asked in return what Gen Y brings to organisations, the panel suggested: a thirst for information and capacity to process large amounts of it; multiple languages and global connections; inventiveness and capacity to initiate and work with change; strong team commitment; multi-tasking skills; and high energy.

The dominant values of panel members were: ethical and sustainable business practice; continuing learning in the workforce; and strong team relationships.

The panel members were well received by the audience and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity and the challenge of presenting. This plenary session was attended by around 400 delegates.

* Associate Professor Alison Owens is Director of CQUniversity's International Education Research Centre

CQUniversity English Language Centre students Diana from Taiwan, Jonathan from Chile and Navneet from India achieved a fourth place in a Multicultural Cuisine Group cooking competition held in Rockhampton over the weekend.

Coached by Sim from Korea, the '3 Directions' team put in a great effort as part of the 'Taste of the World Festival' at Rockhampton's Riverside Park in Quay Street. LINK also to Get a 'taste of the world' in Rocky

Cooking competition entrant Diana Lu from Taiwan chats with Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman during the weekend festival 
More action from the competition 
More action from the competition 
More action from the competition

Audiences have one last chance to see Judith, Stuart and Friends live in concert this year at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music Theatre on the Mackay campus of CQUniversity, at 6pm on Wednesday, May 2.

Featuring CQUniversity senior lecturer Judith Brown on the Stuart and Sons concert grand piano, the free concert will feature special guests including CQUniversity lecturer Kim Kirkman and several Bachelor of Theatre students.

CQUniversity senior lecturer Judith Brown will perform alongside special guests in her last concert for 2012.

There will also be performances by Manuela Wilbach on flute, along with staff and students from Whitsunday Anglican School.

Judith's concerts have been popular with music lovers of all ages and are humourous, light and visually exciting.

The Con Friends of the Theatre will open the bar before the event and nibbles and drinks will be available for purchase afterwards in the foyer.

Judith, Stuart and Friends is free and there is no need to book.  

The concerts will recommence in March 2013.

If you would like further information about this event and other events at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music in 2012, please phone 4940 7800.

A love of sports led Rockhampton Indigenous woman Sherry-Kaye Savage into the study of Human Movements at CQUniversity, where she really enjoyed biology, anatomy and the practical components of her degree.

As a new graduate, she was able to help provide agility sessions for students involved in the University's Indigenous Widening Participation holiday program.

Sherry-Kaye Savage (second from right) celebrating graduation from a Human Movements degree. She's now studying to become a physiotherapist

"From taking the agility sessions in the program I was able to form a connection with the widening participation group and when the job came up I applied and was blessed to receive the job as an Indigenous Widening Participation Officer," Sherry-Kaye said.

During her degree, Sherry-Kaye was able to draw on support from an Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP) Tertiary Scholarship and was able to make the most of an overseas exchange experience at the University of Windsor in Canada.

"One of the biggest benefits of the exchange was the cultural experience and also the chance to study courses not offered locally," she said.

While working as an Indigenous Widening Participation Officer, Sherry-Kaye is now enrolled in a Bachelor of Health Science degree with a view to becoming qualified as a physiotherapist.

Sherry-Kaye praised the student support she has gained from staff at CQUniversity's Nulloo Yumbah. Nulloo Yumbah in the language of the Darumbal people means ‘our home' or ‘place' and it's more formally known as CQUniversity's Indigenous Learning, Spirituality & Research Centre.

Associate Professor Alison Owens recently visited China at the invitation of Guangxi University to receive an Honorable Professorship and deliver a series of cross-cultural training workshops for students at the Sino-Canadian International College at Guangxi.

Dr Owens, who is Director of CQUniversity's International Education Research Centre, said students at Guangxi undertake two years of English study and content-study in English before moving on into a three-year bachelor degree.

"They achieve a very high level of English competence considering their immersion in a Chinese speaking community," she says.

Assoc Prof Alison Owens delivers a workshop at Guangxi University

While in China, Assoc Prof Owens delivered a workshop for teachers about 'teaching successfully across culture'. She also held a focus group interview with foreign teachers at Guangxi University, seeking their experiences of crossing culture and pedagogical/curricula frameworks.

A total of 400 students viewed the workshops and about 50 teachers attended the teaching workshop.

Along with Professor Qin Chengqian and Dr Clive Graham, Assoc Prof Owens is a co-applicant for an Australian-China Business Council Grant to continue to develop the pedagogical partnership between CQUniversity and Guangxi University through collaborative program development and research.

"Guangxi University is eager to build cross-institutional relationships through student and staff exchange as well as research," she says. "Prof Qin's College can also offer Education graduates teaching work or practicum experience, especially for TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) graduates."

"The recent IERC Visiting Scholar placement of Prof Qin Chengqian was the catalyst for this visit."

Alison's workshops attracted around 400 students 
Guangxi University recognises Alison's input during the workshops

Rockhampton's cycling fans are gearing up for the annual Bike4Life event, scheduled for CQUniversity Rockhampton on Sunday, July 29.

A fundraiser and launch for this event will be held at the Rockhampton Campus Refectory from 5pm-7pm on Saturday, May 5, hosted by the Bike4Life committee and Rotary Club of Rockhampton.

Tickets are limited and can be purchased prior to the event by phoning Chris Galinovic via 0411 953 824 before the RSVP date of May 1.

CQUniversity's Oral Health students are learning with dental equipment and instruments that are the envy of some dental practitioners.

As 18 of the 26 students who attended a recent residential school are dental assistants, they could see straight away that attention to detail and high quality performance will be hallmarks of the Bachelor of Oral Health.

LINK also to CQUni's new Oral Health degree praised for 'filling a gap'

Residential School students Bry Wilson (right) and Jessica Wehmeier get a chance to use the brand new gear

Rockhampton Campus now has a purpose-fitted oral health laboratory of 15 A-dec simulation units with Columbia manikins and teeth models.

These units simulate a dental chair with a patient laying in it. The unit can be raised and lowered, with the simulated patient placed in a seated or reclined position. The manikin head can also be rotated to the left or right, and with the chin tilted up or down. This simulates the normal operating position when the student is working on a tooth in the upper right or the lower left quadrant of the mouth.

The handpieces attached to the simulation units are the latest fibre-optic high-speed air turbine, low-speed rotary and prophylaxis handpieces from NSK Oceania. The high-speed air turbine handpiece is the result of sophisticated engineering and design - it rotates at over 400,000 rpm.

A NSK Care3Plus handpiece cleaning system is also fitted to the simulation laboratory so that the three different handpieces can be maintained at regular intervals to ensure high performance and longer life.

A complex air compressor and evacuation system has been installed below the oral health simulation laboratory to power the simulation units, air turbine high-speed handpieces and triplex syringe as well as to supply the suction for the saliva ejector and high volume evacuator (HVE).

Nordent instruments complete the dental equipment in the simulation laboratory. The examination, hygiene and restorative instruments are hand-made, with a life-long warranty. Each Nordent instrument is customised to include ‘CQUniversity' engraving as well as colour-coded blue and green rubber rings.

No expense has been spared - the simulation units, manikin heads and teeth models, and handpieces are the latest technology from some of the world's most respected and trusted dental supply companies.

Dozens of staff, students and community members competed in a range of sports for the annual Rockhampton Campus 'Mini-Olympics' on the weekend. Photographer Peter Lawrence was on hand to record the action.

Competitors ham it up before the 'Mini-Olympics'

Results were as follows, courtesy of Robyn Bailey at the Student Support Centre:

Cricket

1^st - ITD

2^nd  - CQU students

3^rd - the Rocky Smackers

Soccer

1^st - Alex B's team

2^nd - CQUni International

3^rd - Mixed

Volleyball

1^st - Singh's team

2^nd - AWX

3^rd Aussie DERMites

Table Tennis

1^st - Aussie DERMites

2nd - Leo and Peng

3^rd - Tu'amelie and Jenny Koefed

Badminton

1^st - Leo and Derek

2^nd - Kazi and Azad

3^rd - Mehrul and Imran

Bocce

1^st - Jenny Koefed

2^nd - Aussie DERMites

Chess

1^st - Joesph Alley

2^nd - Daniel

3^rd - Cedric

Basketball

1^st Filipino (1)

2^nd CQUni Gym Team

3^rd Filipino (2)

Tennis

Harish and Keiran

Peter and Daniel

Mini Duathlon

1^st - Jason

2^nd - Greg

3^rd - Grace and Emilia

The honorary award of Companion of the University has been conferred on health sector leader Dr Denise Powell* to recognise her extensive contribution to the Bundaberg community and local CQUniversity campus.

This award was a feature of CQUniversity's Bundaberg Graduation ceremony at the Moncrieff Theatre.

Medal winner Karen Messitt celebrates with family members

Dr Powell was also guest speaker for the event catering for 102 graduates.

Learning Management student Karen Messitt has earned both the Bundaberg Campus Graduation Medal and the Faculty of Arts, Business, Informatics and Education Medal for her academic achievements. Karen delivered a closing address on behalf of the graduates.

Scott, Quinn, Tania Allbon, Tanya Hamilton, Sue Hibbard, Lee Bates, Laura Purcell, Rebecca Jenner and Elizabeth Bradley 
Social Work graduates Angela Atherton, Sally Banks and Daniel Wallace 
Emma Quinn and Regan Porter 
Claude Cain, Joel Lorch, Belinda Cain and Erlinda Cain 

#  #  #

* Dr Denise Powell has three decades' experience as a General Practitioner and is currently the practice principal and business owner of Millbank Medical Practice in Bundaberg.  She also has a position at the Breast Screen unit where she carries out clinical assessments, reads mammograms and performs ultrasounds.  Denise's current medical interests include teaching, training and mentoring doctors and other health professionals.    She was one of the original supervisors of junior doctors in general practice and has been involved in training and mentoring general practice registrars and international medical graduates for many years.  Her interests have led her to senior lecturing within General Practice for the University of Queensland's Rural Clinical School, and she is also the University's Community Academic Director in Bundaberg.  After completing her schooling in Central Queensland, Denise attended university before undertaking junior doctor training at the Royal Brisbane Hospital.  Her postgraduate qualifications have largely been obtained by distance education, whilst working and raising a family and more latterly a "grand" family. Denise's extensive work and study career is evidence of her enjoyment of variety.  She consistently empowers people, progress and quality.

About 85 student presenters will make this year's GECon graduating engineers conference the biggest ever, just in time for the event's 10th anniversary.

Five theatres across CQUniversity Rockhampton Campus will be used to cover all the final-year presentations by Civil, Electrical and Mechanical students on Thursday June 14.

Networking is a feature of GECon

The event will culminate with the John Holland Dinner to celebrate the students' achievements.

LINK HERE for details and registrations.

Congratulations to Master of Information Systems student Kalinga Wickramasinghe and Bachelor of Accounting student 'Cassie' Rong Rong Xu who will be recognised as Campus Director Award winners when they attend the Melbourne Campus graduation on May 11.

Kalinga has also been selected to deliver a speech on behalf of graduates at the ceremony.

Kalinga and Cassie at the Melbourne Capus honour board

The Campus Director Awards acknowledge outstanding academic achievement as well as leadership potential and qualities which inspire others.

Originally from Sri Lanka, Kalinga arrived in Melbourne two years ago. Throughout his course, he has impressed all his teachers with his consistent achievement of excellent results, which include the top grade in five of his courses.

In addition, staff commented on his active participation in all his classes, his willingness to assist fellow students with difficult concepts, and to take a leadership role in group activities.

Kalinga is grateful for the support and encouragement of his lecturers and tutors in helping establish a firm foundation for the application of his skills and knowledge in the workplace.   His current goal is to find a professional role in Australia as a business analyst. 

The other awardee, Cassie left Shanghai in China four years ago to begin her studies in Australia.  Since then, while studying, she has gained valuable local work experience in hospitality and assistant accounting roles. 

The awardees with Campus Director Darryl Stewart

Her academic achievements include scoring the top grade in six of her courses and she was highly recommended for this award. 

Described as an enthusiastic, proactive student who made positive contributions in all her classes, Cassie also actively engaged with students from other nationalities.   She enjoyed group activities and cites the diversity of cultures as a highlight of her CQUni experience.

In future Cassie is intent on finding a local professional accounting role which specialises in tax and auditing. 

The CQ Fair Day celebrates the diversity of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community and organisers are keen to include the broader community to ensure a family event from 10am-4pm on Saturday, May 26.

CQUniversity is the venue and community partner for the event organised by Healthy Communities, with Rockhampton Regional Council as event partner.

LINK for a larger image of the event poster

Prospective stall holders are encouraged to nominate by early May via cqfairday@hotmail.com .

Chris Pye from Relationships Australia is the MC and drag acts will include Chinta Woo, Christina Draguilera and Veronica Darling. Local belly dancers will also perform.

This event offers live entertainment, market stalls, a sausage sizzle, fun activities, and health and support services.

Sponsors are Relationships Australia, Rocky Vending, Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland, Rockhampton Club Rok, JJ's Coffee to Go and the Queensland Department of Communities.

An image from last year's event 
An image from last year's event

Rockhampton residents recently joined CQUniversity staff and students as Professor Kevin Tickle addressed a risky subject for his Student Residential Professorial Lecture.

The free lecture at the Rockhampton Student Residence Dining Hall
Professor Kevin Tickle is flanked by Chancellor Rennie Fritschy and Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowmancovered a potted history of understanding uncertainty and its links to gambling, its characters, and its development into wider fields.

Professor Tickle is a Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean for the Faculty of Arts, Business, Informatics and Education.

The audience for Professor Tickle's address

Specialists charged with evaluating performance within universities across Australia and New Zealand are being invited to Rockhampton for the Australasian Higher Education Evaluation Forum (AHEEF) 2012.

With a focus on ‘Embedding an internal evaluation culture', this event will be held from October 8-10 at CQUniversity's Rockhampton Campus.

A call for papers/abstracts is now open via www.cqu.edu.au/aheef2012 and early bird registration is open until June 29.

The forum program will represent the breadth and depth of evaluation practices and offer participants the chance to engage in scholarly discourse, discussion and exchange of practical understandings.

Enquiries are via evaluations@cqu.edu.au

While many Melburnians were scurrying about trying to prepare for the upcoming Easter break recently, approximately 50 staff and students from CQUniversity Melbourne took advantage of one of the last beautiful warm days the fair city is likely to see for some months.

In glorious sunshine, they held their annual campus sports and activities day at Fawkner Park, South Yarra.

LINK via caption for larger images. For more pictures, please 'Like' the 'CQUniversity International' page on Facebook.

The event was a huge success, with staff and students enjoying a variety of sporting activities, whilst others chose to simply have a laugh, share a story and bathe in the sunshine.

Games and highlights included the ever-popular cricket with ‘Sri Lanka' vs ‘the rest of the world team', a fast and furious soccer match, some very animated badminton, a bruising game of dodge ball and a gravity-defying basketball hoops shootout.

Many students also tried their skills in a quaint local game we like to refer to as Aussie Rules Football, with some very promising handballing and some fairly impressive torpedo kicks on display!

To top the day off, a relaxing barbecue lunch was enjoyed by all.

LINK via caption for larger images. For more pictures, please 'Like' the 'CQUniversity International' page on Facebook.

CQUniversity academics recently presented papers at the 7th annual APAIE Conference & Exhibition hosted by Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand....

The Asia Pacific Association for International Education event featured Melbourne Campus lecturer Liz Sidiropoulos, with a research paper about Navigating the sustainability journey of tertiary international students in Australia: engaging and scaffolding their progress in a distributed learning environment.

Liz Sidiropoulos at the conference venue

Ms Sidiropoulos also gave a workshop on Creating synergies in sustainability initiatives across a tertiary institution - building momentum for institutional transformation.

CQUni reps Dr Clive Graham, Assoc Prof Alison Owens and Susan Loomes

Associate Professor Alison Owens and her paper co-author Susan Loomes addressed Trading Places: a case study of a cultural exchange and social integration initiative for international and domestic students. Alison is Director of CQUniversity's International Education Research Centre and Susan is the Campus Director for Sydney.

Sydney-based Program Head Dr Clive Graham spoke on Teaching Creativity Across Cultures.

Liz Sidiropoulos presents a workshop

CQUniversity's Professor Helen Huntly says she is honoured to have been nominated for a national education working party, as a representative of the Australian Council of Deans of Education...

Professor Huntly will be part of the 'Initial Teacher Education - Professional Experience' project reference group for AITSL (the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership).

Professor Helen Huntly

Working in partnership with state-based teacher bodies, AITSL is proposing to develop resources to improve the quality of supervision of pre-service teachers during their professional experiences.

Professor Huntly says her involvement is a wonderful opportunity.

"The working party will investigate and identify at the national level, best practice in the teaching practicum. This is an element of teacher education that is siutated at the core of effective teacher preparation and thus is very close to my heart," the Bundaberg-based academic says.

It looks like a promising start for a new Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) Gladstone Regional Networking Group being formed in the harbour city.

CQUniversity's Discipline Head for HRM Dr Roslyn Cameron, who is coordinating the group on behalf of AHRI, says there's been a positive response to the first network group meeting scheduled for Monday (April 30 from 11am-12.30pm at Gladstone Campus).

The Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) is the only national association in Australia representing human resource and people management professionals. AHRI represents more than 18,000 members.

Dr Cameron says AHRI currently has 22 networking groups across Australia which meet throughout the year to discuss topics of interest and to hear guest speakers.

"The Networks are formed by members for members. The networks enable members to develop their human resources interest areas through professional development networks," she says.

CQUniversity Music Theatre graduate Paul Tabone is heading to Italy to perform in two operas in Trieste. He's excited to have gained this international opportunity at the age of 24.

Paul is proud of his roots at the CQ Conservatorium of Music at CQUniversity Mackay and has arranged a farewell concert at the CQCM Theatre, from 3pm this Sunday (April 22). Tickets are available at the door.

Paul Tabone

The lyric tenor graduated from CQUniversity in 2008. After performing with The Ten Tenors Tenorissimo', Opera Queensland and other various large-scale community events nationally, Paul landed the role of a lifetime in Andrew Lloyd Webber's sequel to The Phantom of The Opera called Love Never Dies as the supporting principal role of 'Squelch'.

"Love Never Dies has been like a dream and the biggest rollercoaster of my life so far. I was performing eight shows a week and loving every minute of it," Paul says.

Being in a $9 million dollar Australian production does not happen often, and not only did we make headlines around the world with our show, we also filmed Love Never Dies which was released to over 60 countries internationally. It is distributed by Universal Pictures and released on DVD, Blu-ray and also has limited Cinema screenings internationally also."

Paul has now finished his contract in Love Never Dies in Sydney and has returned home to Ingham for a few weeks before he embarks on the next part of his career journey, leaving Australia on May 9.

"I am very excited to be finally embarking on this journey to fulfill my opera singing aspirations." Paul said. "I am now turning 24 which means that as a lyric tenor, it is time to start getting myself out there on an international scale".

CQUniversity learning management (early childhood) students have an integral role in running the annual Romp in the Park event at Rockhampton Botanic Gardens.

This year's event will be held from 9am-1pm on Friday May 18 to celebrate early childhood with young children, their families and community.

CQUni student Chiquita Dielwart is looking forward to the whirlwind of activities during Romp in the Park

The free day of fun-filled activites will be built around the theme of 'language, actively connecting children to their world'.

The University engages in the event in conjunction with Under Eights Week, Early Childhood Australia, and Rockhampton Regional Council.

Details are via rompinthepark2012@hotmail.com

Chiquita Dielwart (blue hat) gets into the storybook spirit of Romp in the Park with other students Melissa Bailey (bull), Breanna Sawtell (book) and Sarah Nevell (horse)

CQUniversity construction management student Toby Lister is getting his ducks in a row so he can be on Australia's Olympic rowing team for the London Games in August.

Thanks to CQUni's membership of the Elite Athlete Friendly University Network, he's been able to defer his studies without penalty, and he's reduced his work hours to enable him to train several times each day for six days a week.

Toby Lister is focused on guiding his team

"Even though I'm the coxswain for the Men's Eight I still have to put in all the hundreds of kilometres and I have to keep fit and keep my weight down," Toby says.

As a light-weight teenager, Toby got involved as coxswain for a leading rowing school in Sydney before moving into club rowing and then the junior national team. His love of water, sailing and sea scouts certainly paid off.

Toby in action with the Aussie team

Now aged 25, he's overjoyed at his Olympic selection and hopes to do well enough to be involved again in the Games of 2016.

Toby got involved in construction through his family company. Now based at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, he's chosen to work as a contract administrator for Iqon Constructions with current projects including a mental health unit and a cancer unit for Canberra Hospital.

"I enjoy being able to mix my practical experience with the degree studies," he says.

Around 40 project management professionals from a number of different industries met at CQUniversity recently to show their interest in forming a Mackay chapter of the Project Management Institute of Queensland (PMIQ).

PMIQ President Dave Wright with Ross Beattie and Peter Bowd. The first meeting aimed to gauge the level of interest from the project management community and to enable those in the industry to contribute to the vision and evolution of a Mackay group.

CQUniversity's head of program for Project Management Richard Egelstaff said there was a good show of interest from project managers from a mix of different industries in Mackay.

"There was a mix of infrastructure and resources firms such as Mastermyne and G&S Engineering and additionally construction companies such as Paynter Dixon," Mr Egelstaff said.

"Project management has been identified as an essential need to meet the goals of the region."

As part of PMIQ, members can meet with other project managers across a broad range of industries to share experiences and support, attend PMIQ networking events, undertake internationally recognised courses and receive monthly newsletters and publications.

CQUniversity has recently launched its new postgraduate course in Project and Program Management with outstanding success.

Aidan Cameron, Aris Margaritis, Philip Geach and Peter Montgomery at CQUniversity Mackay. These courses are delivered via a blend of face-to-face learning and distance education, providing practicing project managers and directors with the ‘hard' skills to run projects in the most challenging environments.

"As more and more people recognise the value of professional project management and seek to make this their career direction, then CQUniversity is meeting the demand for a high quality and focused project management education in Central Queensland," Mr Egelstaff said.

The Project Management Institute is a worldwide professional association with chapters in Australia. It aims to advance the practice, science and profession of project management.

Further details are available via Lyn Forbes-Smith via 4940 7867 or l.forbes-smith@cqu.edu.au.

For more information or to register for PMIQ, visit http://www.qld.pmi.org.au/.

Kevin Walter, Glenn Barker and Paul Bowen show interest in a Mackay chapter of PMIQ.
CQUniversity's Project Management course coordinator Richard Egelstaff with Tony Stevens from Paynter Dixon.

Paramedic Science is people-focused so it was no surprise students involved in a residential school at CQUniversity Rockhampton this week got very 'hands-on' with their studies.

The 48 students involved came from Cairns down to the border and everywhere in between, as well as from Adelaide and New South Wales.

Arming themselves with knowledge, Paramedic Science students in the laboratory

Activities included a simulated multi-casualty scenario built around a man taking his grandchild to day care. Under the scenario, he suffers chest pain, collapses and runs into the fence of the school, injuring parents and children.

This allowed the students to utilise all their skills, from basic patient assessment to advanced airway management, CPR and defibrillation, intravenous access and fluid resuscitation and trauma management.

 
Conquering stairs is an important facet of the profession 
Rikki McCabe from NSW and Tash Williams from South Australia get used to using special Paramedic equipment

CQUniversity Australia and BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) have affirmed their joint commitment to ‘closing the gap' in Indigenous education and opportunity, with the announcement of a new senior leadership role at CQUniversity, as well as 15 new scholarships for students from all backgrounds, representing a $1.8 million commitment from BMA.

Professor Bronwyn Fredericks will take up the role of CQUniversity Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) and BMA Chair in Indigenous Engagement from this month.

LINK HERE for more images from the launch

BMA Asset President Stephen Dumble acknowledges Professor Bronwyn Fredericks, CQUniversity Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) and BMA Chair in Indigenous Engagement

The jointly funded position will support outreach activities between the University and the Central Queensland region's numerous Indigenous communities.

According to CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Scott Bowman, the position has been a long time in the planning and will form a vital part of CQUniversity's senior leadership team.

"CQUniversity is at the forefront of Indigenous tertiary education in Australia, with an Indigenous student population that is already double the level of national targets," Professor Bowman said.

"Professor Fredericks has an exemplary track record in academic leadership and, with her strong ties to Central Queensland, is the perfect person to take on this vital role. I am very much looking forward to embarking on this exciting journey of improved Indigenous engagement with her at the helm.

Professor Bronwyn Fredericks

"Importantly, I would like to wholeheartedly thank BMA for their foresight and vision in providing such a substantial contribution to the BMA Chair in Indigenous Engagement. It is heartening to see the company continue to give back to the region - and specifically, local Indigenous communities - in this way. Together, I believe we can make a real difference in improved education and employment outcomes for all."

BMA Asset President Stephen Dumble said the company was proud to strengthen its partnership with CQUniversity to help deliver improved education pathways for Indigenous people living and working in the region.

"BMA is committed to increasing opportunities for Indigenous people in the Central Queensland region, and this partnership with CQU will strengthen engagement with the Indigenous community and deliver better educational outcomes on the ground," Mr Dumble said.

"Our contribution to this important new role, along with 15 new scholarships for prospective CQUniversity students, will help build a positive, sustainable future for our communities."

Local Darumbal Waru dancers were part of the ceremony

BMA is funding up to 15 undergraduate scholarships per year for five years for CQUniversity students who live in or intend to use their education to contribute to the Central Queensland region. Five of the 15 annual scholarships will be offered specifically to Indigenous students.

Each of the scholarships - to be awarded to students studying non-mining disciplines like health and education - will provide $5000 per year to cover educational expenses for the duration of the recipients' study programs. The first round of recipients will commence their studies in 2013.

Professor Fredericks said she was honoured to be taking up the challenging but exciting new role of Pro Vice-Chancellor and BMA Chair in Indigenous Engagement.

"I am looking forward to working with Indigenous communities to identify ways to build their capacity in education, employment and general equality of opportunity, and then helping bring this to fruition," Professor Fredericks said.

"I will work to advance CQUniversity's Indigenous engagement agenda and endeavour to improve educational outcomes for CQUniversity's Indigenous student cohort past, present and future. I also intend to build on the excellent platform already established by the University's Nulloo Yumbah Centre for Indigenous Learning, Spirituality and Research.

"As the BMA Chair in Indigenous Engagement I hope to expand the University's outreach efforts with the region's Indigenous communities, in line with BMA's Indigenous Relations plan, and help to put in place pathways to education, training and employment opportunities that can lead to a brighter future."

BMA Asset President Stephen Dumble addresses the crowd 

Two CQUniversity students have recently received $5000 bursaries from Mackay Regional Council to make their University journey a little brighter.    

Phoebe Vannoort who is studying a Bachelor of Accounting and a Bachelor of Business, and Sam Davis who is studying a Bachelor of Multimedia Studies, were among four students to receive the bursaries as part of the inaugural Academic Bursary program.

Major Col Meng (far left) and Professor Pierre Viljoen (far right) congratulate Amy Corbett, Phoebe Vannoort and Sam Davis. Phoebe and Sam are CQUni Mackay students

Each bursary was available to students studying within the areas of Engineering, Information Technology, Accounting, Planning or Environmental Health and will be paid in bi-yearly instalments of $1250 over the students' final two years of study.

Mayor Col Meng said the program was developed to help encourage and assist the academic progress of students from the Mackay region.

"To be eligible, students didn't have to be currently studying locally, however they did have to previously reside in the region and possess the intention to come back once their studies were completed," Cr Meng said.

CQUniversity Pro-Vice Chancellor and Head of Campus in Mackay, Professor Pierre Viljoen said he was pleased and excited for the two CQUniversity Mackay students.

"It is encouraging to see Mackay Regional Council are investing in education and contributing towards developing Mackay into a ‘University town'," Professor Viljoen said.

For more information on bursaries and grants on offer from council, simply log onto council's website www.mackay.qld.gov.au  or phone 1300 MACKAY (622 529).

CQUni Mackay students Phoebe Vannoort and Sam Davis have received bursaries from Mackay Regional Council

The first rule of book club is that everybody can talk about book club!

Organisers of the book club based at CQUniversity Library are keen to ensure all community members feel welcome to attend.

The next book for discussion is  Fence around the Cuckoo by Ruth Park. The club next meets from 5.30pm on Monday May 21 in the Library meeting room on Rockhampton Campus.

A free borrowing card is available on application. LINK HERE for details or phone Debbie Orr via 07 4930 9347.

CQUniversity is proud to be a supporter of an art exhibition entitled Dichotomy of Place, opening soon at Gallery 6, Walter Reid Cultural Centre in Rockhampton.

Everyone is welcome to the exhibition opening from 6.30pm on Friday, April 27. The show will continue to be open between 9am-4pm daily until May 2.

Ainslie McMahon and Veronika Zeil are ready to display their landscapes

The show is a contemporary expression of ideas by Rockhampton artists Ainslie McMahon and Veronika Zeil. The show of works is supported by a documentary film ‘Eroding Connections', produced by local filmmaker, Peter Lawrence from CQUniversity.

Ainslie McMahon's multi-layered paintings are etched, sanded and towelled with paint, which reflects her response to the subject matter. Veronika Zeil's works explore transitions in the landscape caused by geological and organic processes as well as the transitions directed by humans through emotional, abstract, graphic acrylic paintings.

The exhibition has been shown since January at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery, where it received a lot of positive feedback.

This project has been generously supported by RADF, CQUniversity and the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery.

Rockhampton region schools are encouraged to enter a Schools Innovation Challenge offering great prizes.

The challenge has been arranged by CQUniversity in partnership with the CQ Innovative Regions centre and the Museum of Central Queensland Inc.

Entrants will be asked to design, describe and create a model of what a ‘Museum of Central Queensland' might be like.

Details and entry forms are available via ian.ogden@innovation.gov.au . All schools and year levels are welcome to compete.

A small but enthusiastic group of CQUniversity graduates gathered in Bangkok recently for an alumni function at the Novotel Hotel.

The special guest was Dr Theerarat Samrejvanich, a former CQUniversity doctoral student who is a member of Thailand's parliament.

Guests and hosts mingle at the Bangkok function

This event was hosted by Sydney Campus Director Susan Loomes, Associate Professor Alison Owens (Director of the International Education Research Centre), Dr Clive Graham (Head of Program for Master of Creative Enterprise and the Doctor of Professional Studies), and Melinda Sung, CQUniversity's State Recruitment Manager for Victoria.

Guest speaker Dr Samrejvanich with L-R Susan Loomes, Dr Clive Graham and Assoc Prof Alison Owens

Meantime, these CQUniversity representatives also hosted a Doctorate of Professional Studies & Master of Creative Enterprise Information Evening, again at the Novotel Hotel in Bangkok.

This event was supported by Austrade and featured a guest address by Maurine Lam, Senior Trade Commissioner, Minister (Commercial) Australian Embassy Thailand.

 
Graduates Nuk and Kate enjoy the event 
Dr Clive Graham chats with co-hosts Assoc Prof Alison Owens and Susan Loomes 
The information evening participants L-R Dr Clive Graham, Susan Loomes, Assoc Prof Alison Owens, guest speaker Maurine Lam and Melinda Sung

Jet-skiing, kayaking and surfing are just a few activities international students can look forward to when studying at CQUniversity's Noosa Campus.

Just ask 21-year-old Adrian Jandongon - he is the winner of the Sunshine Coast Education and Training Network (SUNED) World's Best Study Adventure, and has been on a non-stop adventure since leaving the Philippines for the first time five weeks ago.

LINK HERE for Adrian's BLOG

Adrian Jandongon hangs 10 at Noosa Campus

Local businesses and educational facilities have helped show Mr Jandongon everything on offer, which included a day in the life of a CQUniversity Noosa Campus student last week.

CQUniversity Head of Campus Professor Kevin Tickle said the visit followed with the launch of the campus international student program earlier this year.

"The completion of a new, state-of-the-art learning space at the beginning of this year meant we could start taking international students from February," Professor Tickle said.

"As Adrian's blog is being widely read across the world, his visit to our campus was timed perfectly."

Five weeks into his seven-week stay; Mr Jandongon has blogged to over 100,000 people worldwide about his life-changing experiences in Noosa and on the Sunshine Coast.

Mr Jandongon said the differences between facilities at his Philippines university and CQUniversity's Noosa Campus were astonishing and compared the building to something his home country's president might live in.

Adrian Jandongon visits Noosa Campus

"It's so modern and luxurious and the technology is so different here," Mr Jandongon said.

"There is a lecture room full of Apple computers, which are very expensive in the Philippines.

"CQUniversity students also have much more independence - with lectures via Skype and distance education - which we do not have at home.

"Plus my nursing degree took six years in the Philippines, and here it only takes three."

During a CQUniversity campus tour Mr Jandongon met PhD student Nayadin Persaud.

Ms Persaud showed Mr Jandongon how to use the University's new eye-tracking facility, which uses cutting-edge technology to help researchers understand what people actually view/see when they are completing a task on the computer screen. 

Mr Jandongon will return home in about two weeks, but still has a long list of adventures planned, including bike riding and surfing.

As a headquarters for domestic violence research, CQUniversity recently helped promote a statement by Queensland Domestic Violence Services Network members, helping spark an online petition which has collected thousands of signatures.

The DV network members applauded National Rugby League (NRL) chief executive David Gallop for stating ‘a conviction involving violence against women is an issue that we take extremely seriously'. These network members said 'now we need to see that sentiment put consistently into action with a ban on players who perpetrate violence against women'.

  LINK for the original DV network statement

In the wake of the statement, more than 21,600 people have signed a petition on Change.org calling for NRL boss David Gallop to introduce automatic one year bans for domestic violence.

Following the Robert Lui affair*, thousands of Australians are joining a Wests Tigers fan in calling on the NRL to automatically ban any player found guilty of assaulting women.

Young Dad Tony Simpson has started a petition on Change.org demanding that NRL boss David Gallop take a tougher stand on domestic violence. Within 48 hours, more than 2000 people had signed the petition and shared it on social media.

Tony's Change.org petition calls for players found guilty of assaulting women to be automatically suspended for a year.

* In the Robert Lui case, the North Queensland Cowboys player pleaded guilty to an assault on his partner at the end of a 'Mad Monday' drinking session. Lui has been "suspended indefinitely" by the Cowboys, but Tony says the only way players will get the message about domestic violence is if their livelihood is directly threatened by an immediate, automatic one-year ban.

For live signature updates on Tony's petition:
https://www.change.org/petitions/tell-the-nrl-stop-letting-players-get-away-with-assaulting-women

For more information on Change.org, please visit:
http://www.change.org/about

CQUniversity radiography and medical sonography lecturers took part in a first-time educational roadshow to gain better knowledge of integrating curriculum in the workplace...

Led by Rosemarie Peikes, consultant in professional and organisational effectiveness in Ontario, Canada, and hosted by CQUniversity, the roadshow was the first of its kind to be brought to a university in Queensland. 

Carolyn Ladewig, Sarah Wooldridge, Rosemarie Peikes, Maria Maroney, Ryan Hardy, Danielle Clifford enjoy an educational workshop at CQUniversity Mackay. The hands-on, interactive workshops were open to all clinically-based educators, radiographers and sonographers who may have interactions with students in the workplace. Specifics related to CQUniversity radiography and sonography programs were also briefly covered.

More than 100 participants in Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, the Sunshine Coast, Sydney and even New Zealand learnt of the benefits of having students in the workplace and the role of clinical educators as coaches and mentors.  

Ms Peikes, who has been delivering similar workshops in Canada for over 20 years, also spoke about strategies to orient students to the clinical environment, to identify learners' needs and learning styles, and to provide effective learning opportunities.

"Many of the sonography and radiography programs within CQUniversity are quite new and students within these programs will have to go into a clinical setting later in the year so the workshops are all about integrating the curriculum in the workplace," Ms Peikes said.

"We have received good feedback with participants saying they have been happy with the content and have enjoyed the workshop."

The interactive workshop provided delegates with an opportunity share their own experiences and good practice with student support and education in the clinical environment.  

The workshops, which have been approved by industry bodies AIR (Australian Institute of Radiography) and ASAR (Australian Sonographer Accreditation Registry), allowed participants to gain four CPD points for their involvement.  

Organisers said they were grateful for the clinical sites which allowed them to host the workshops.

CQUniversity sporting legacy specialist Dr Danya Hodgetts says the London Olympics could succeed where other major sporting events have failed to capitalise by creating legacy or flow-on benefits...

Speaking on ABC Radio recently, she said some people in the sporting world are predicting what's known as the 'trickle down affect' from the London Olympics.

Dr Danya Hodgetts

"That's where the major sports events have an impact on grassroots sport, and people undertaking sporting activities or physical activity in general," she says.

"The theory is that if our sporting elite are doing well, it has an impact on those of us who undertake sport at a much less competitive level. But how does that theory hold up?

"The trickle down affect was one of the original benefits touted in relation to the Sydney Olympics bid, but because the long-term legacy of such events was less understood at the time, we didn't capitalise on it as much as we could have done.

"We'd like to think people watching [sport] are going to get motivated and inspired by athletes performing well, and start undertaking sport themselves, but in reality that doesn't actually happen."

Dr Hodgetts says the sporting world needs to start looking at other ways to use big events to encourage more people to get involved in sport, rather than just sit on the couch and watch it.

"London is focused on participation, and they are running a lot of programs leading up to the Olympics," she says.

"Another thing the London planners are doing is making sure that the volunteers recruited as part of the games are retained after the Olympics. We had that beautiful momentum in Sydney with the volunteers, but it wasn't maintained.

"Another thing London is planning is finding ongoing uses for the facilities built for the games so the volunteers have opportunities to stay involved in sport after the big event.

"This is particularly important in London, where many facilities have had to be built from scratch. Ten years prior to London getting the bid, they actually had fewer Olympic-sized swimming pools than the Gold Coast."

* Dr Hodgetts is an Adjunct Research Fellow with the Centre for Physical Activity Studies, Institute for Health and Social Science Research at CQUniversity.

Exercise is good for so many parts of the body that it would be worth billions of dollars if it came in pill form and was easy to prescribe.

It is worth considering how multinational drug companies would market exercise if exercise were a pill. They would certainly consider changing behaviours and making it easier for GPs to prescribe individual doses of exercise to their patients with minimal side effects.

Professor Gregory Gass is keen to build health research capacity

That's according to Professor Gregory Gass, who has joined CQUniversity as a Professorial Research Fellow for the Health Collaborative Research Network.

Professor Gass confesses that we still need to better translate our research findings from 'running rats and champion athletes' into sustainable exercise behaviours for the wider population, and particularly for the older person to maintain mobility for an independent lifestyle.

He's enthusiastic about combining CQUniversity's renowned expertise in the Institute for Health and Social Science Research with the behavioural aspects of exercise and exercise sustainability.

"As we get older, we are decaying; if one part of our body fails, it can set off a chain reaction that includes further sedentary behaviour and bedrest.

"Exercise is still an under-utilised therapeutic intervention for keeping older people out of hospitals and nursing homes and keeping them functional and independent and in their own homes. Regular exercise also has a potential social networking benefit," Professor Gass says.

"We need to recognise the physiological and behavioural complexity involved with exercise and exercise sustainability."

The new Health Collaborative Research Network has $5.53 million in Commonwealth funding to develop partnerships between the regionally-based CQUniversity and its capital city cousins, the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and Curtin University.

Professor Gass has held senior leadership positions as Head, School of Health Sciences at Bond University, and as Head of Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Science at North Dakota State University. After completing his PhD at The University of Illinois, Professor Gass' career blended academic achievement with clinical practice and internationally acknowledged research.

He has been Chief Investigator on five NHMRC grants, published widely and invited to chair international conferences. In 2007, Professor Gass secured an NHMRC grant to lead a three-year study into the exercise dose-response relationships in older women, which ultimately aims to help general practitioners and other health professionals design appropriate exercise regimes that will delay the onset of chronic disease and disability in older females.

As Professorial Research Fellow, Professor Gass is excited about sharing his experience and knowledge. He will work with the other three Health CRN Professorial Research Fellows to help build health-related research capacity across CQUniversity. In particular, Professor Gass will work with researchers and higher degree research students in the exercise sciences and with those focused on the primary and secondary prevention of chronic disease in the community. Professor Gass will help develop collaborations with our three Health CRN partners.

The HEALTH CRN allows researchers to engage in collaborative opportunities with partnering universities, receive research training and mentorship and increase research capacity at CQUniversity.

Researchers interested in accessing the HEALTH CRN are encouraged to visit www.cqu.edu.au/crn

Bundaberg residents are invited to explore 'The Secret Life of a Gambler' thanks to a Research Unplugged presentation arranged by CQUniversity's Institute for Health and Social Science Research (IHSSR).

This FREE, informal, discussion-based presentation aims to shed light on the hidden world of people with gambling problems. It will be held from 6pm-7pm on Thursday April 19, at the Burnett Riverside Motel Governor's Room at 7 Quay Street, Bundaberg. Finger foods will be provided.

Associate Professor Matthew Rockloff

Local gambling help counsellor Gail Smith will describe her 'gambling spiral' model of social and environmental forces that work together to transform simple problems in limiting spending into more a complex gambling addiction.

Ms Smith will be joined by CQUniversity researcher Associate Professor Matthew Rockloff, who will describe the deep psychological motivations behind problematic gambling, including the needs to both escape self-focused attention and feel accepted by others.

Interested people are encouraged to RSVP by April 12 to to j.douglas@cqu.edu.au or on 4923 2184 or via the Facebook Events page - http://www.facebook.com/events/404118722936487/ .

#   #  #

Bios:

Assoc Prof Matthew Rockloff is Deputy Director of the Institute for Health and Social Science Research, one of Australia's leading providers of applied social research. He is also Head of the Population Research Laboratory at CQUniversity, which employs 40 part-time staff and surveys population health using an in-house 20-station telephone interviewing system.

Mrs Gail Smith (Diploma of Counselling) is the Bundaberg Gambling Help Counsellor and Community Educator for the QLD Government-funded Gambling Help Service. The majority of her work is in counselling problem gamblers and their family members. She also liaises with local gaming venues to promote responsible gambling practices.        

In the wake of the 2010/11 floods, CQUniversity's Resurfacing Stronger project enabled the people of Central Queensland to share their personal stories through life writing, creative non-fiction and songs, as part of the community healing and recovery process.

The creative output from participants is now available. You can LINK HERE to access a range of input from Emerald and Rockhampton.

An illustration showing feedback after the floodsThose interested in more detail are welcome to attend a presentation by project coordinator Dr Lynda Hawryluk, from 1pm-2pm on Tuesday April 17.

This presentation will be available at campus videoconference rooms at Rockhampton, Mackay, Gladstone, Bundaberg and Noosa. Details are available via 07 4923 2398 or lterc@cqu.edu.au .

These seminars are recorded and are available to view as media streams on our website afterwards.

Preparations for the 2012 Idiom 23 Magazine Writers' Workshop have begun, and it's time to register your interest.

The theme of this year's workshop from May 11-13 is Stories of the Sea. The event will focus on visual narrative storytelling - telling stories through words and imagery.

Writers gather for a previous workshop on North Keppel Island

Organisers are pleased to have arranged involvement by CQUniversity multimedia lecturer Brendan Murphy, along with local singer-songwriter Nicole Leah.

Workshops will encourage participants to write about the sea and our connection to it. All kinds of writers are welcome, as are artists and photographers.

The cost this year is $240, which includes all meals, transport and accommodation.

Bookings will be available from Monday April 16 via http://www.cqu.edu.au/writersworkshops and details are available via workshop coordinator Dr Lynda Hawryluk at 07 4923 2009 or l.hawryluk@cqu.edu.au .

Writers may also be interested in the Facebook group: Writing@CQUniversity.

CQUniversity is keen to get in touch with individuals and families who are directly participating in fly-in/fly-out or drive-in/drive-out workplace arrangements, either within the mining sector or with industries that service the mining sector.

The University would like to hear from those able help with the research so their experiences can be examined in detail via face-to-face interviews.

CQUniversity is conducting this research in conjunction with CSIRO's National Research Flagships Minerals Down Under project.

To nominate for this study, please contact Dr Karin Stokes via 07 4923 2186 or k.f.stokes@cqu.edu.au

CQUniversity Sydney graduate Shakir Karim is proud to have received two 'On The Spot' awards from his employer SAI Global, recognising operational excellence 'even when resources were restricted and at short notice'.

The awards also commend him on helping with problematic and complicated searches, for working hard to fulfil orders, and for sharing his knowledge with team members. Shakir is a Team Member - Property Searches.

Alumnus Shakir Karim is still earning awards

SAI Global provides organisations around the world with information services and solutions for managing risk, achieving compliance and driving business improvement.

Shakir has been juggling his work at SAI Global with research towards his Master of Informatics, for which he is analysing Bangladeshi consumers' E-Commerce security and privacy satisfaction in small to medium-sized business.

The Bachelor of Information Systems (2006) and Masters of Information Systems (2008) graduate grew up in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, before moving to Australia to study with CQUniversity.

Carole West made a casual remark - 'hair ... it's so over-rated ..' as she sorted through various bandanas as part of Scotvale Park's Relay for Life team theme for 2012 - Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves.

Relay for Life will be held at CQUniversity Rockhampton Campus for the 10th consecutive year over the weekend of May 19-20. Details are via http://www.relayforlife.org.au/

Carole West is ready to lose her locks ahead of the Relay for Life event on Rockhampton Campus

Carole, who works as a medical receptionist, is known by many for her past contributions of support to various community and sporting organisations such as the Asthma Foundation, Junior Indoor Netball and, more recently, Relay for Life. Those who know her personally will tell you about her infectious laugh and quirky outlook on life... always so positive. 

After learning of a close friend's diagnosis of cancer last year, Carole decided she would 'clipper' her hair to assist raising much-needed funds for research. 

The Queensland Cancer Council relies on local community financial support to develop programs on awareness, early detection and continued efforts to hopefully one day find that cure.

In a twist of fate, Carole has been undergoing investigation of a small 'mass' in her left kidney, which was detected during a routine CT scan last July.  Now, after a recent follow-up scan she will undergo a radical nephrectomy on April 11 at Greenslopes Hospital in Brisbane. 

All going well, Carole will 'lose her locks' at Scotvale Park's Golf Day on April 22 at Capricorn Golf Club.  Her target is to raise at least $2000, which will be included as part of their fundraising total for 2012. This fundraising is already underway as Carole has received numerous pledges and donations from family and friends.

If you would like to pledge a donation, you can phone Carole after hours on 4927 9603 or email carolewest@internode.on.net - all donations over $2 are tax deductible.

CQUniversity Sydney Campus Director Susan Loomes (pictured below) recently attended a reception with The Governor-General and Mr Michael Bryce at Admiralty House in Sydney to celebrate the 101st International Women's Day.

Invitees included multicultural community representatives, women leaders, veterans and serving members of the Australian Defence Force. 

Further plans for the proposed Mackay Regional Sporting Precinct were announced on Friday, March 30 as the University welcomes over $100,000 in donations from industry and local government, to complement its own $40,000 commitment.

Thanks to a major contribution of $50,000 from Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, along with a $35,000 commitment from Mackay Regional Council and $17,500 from other industry members, the project will now enter the critical detailed planning stage.

The proposed Mackay Regional Sporting Precinct will cater for a wide variety of sporting activities. Pro-Vice Chancellor (Community & Engagement) and Head of Campus in Mackay, Professor Pierre Viljoen also unveiled the University's Campus Master Plan, which reveals a ‘new-look' campus to include the proposed Sporting Precinct, a $16.6 million Engineering facility and more student accommodation.

The sporting precinct concept includes a synthetic athletics track, Olympic-standard aquatic facilities, indoor sports facilities, a multi-purpose sporting field, leisure water attractions, a chiropractic community clinic and a sports bar.

Professor Viljoen is also adamant that an Olympic sized Ice Rink (incorporated into the indoor sports centre) should be part and parcel of the plan.

"This facility, when complete, will be a showcase of quality sport and recreation facilities and will be beneficial for the whole Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday region through its links with education," Professor Viljoen said.

LINK for a larger image of the master plan"It will also provide access to young regional and remote athletes by providing top quality sporting facilities linked to the existing programs and services at the CQUniversity Mackay Campus."

The overall vision is to develop a multi-purpose sporting facility to cater for the future growth of Mackay and to meet the future planning needs for sport and recreation.

Mackay Regional Council Mayor Col Meng said the proposed facility is aligned with council's Open Space, Sport and Recreation Strategy (OSSR).

"This type of facility has been identified as a critical need in the OSSR and council is keen to work in partnership with CQUniversity to assist in delivering the project," Cr Meng said.

The event also included a lunch to thank the University's generous donors, who have enabled the project to reach this significant stage.

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Community & Engagement) & Head of Campus Professor Pierre Viljoen with Mackay Regional Council Mayor Col Meng and Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal's CEO Kim Gebers look forward to further developments at CQUniversity Mackay.

"I have been amazed by the generous donation from business and industry groups, as well as local council in supporting this project from the ground up," Professor Viljoen said.

"Through their investment in our proposed sporting precinct, they have shown a major level of commitment in providing much-needed facilities for this region."

 Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal Pty Ltd, Kim Gebers said his company was happy to be supporting the University with the design, as the facility had the potential to increase the liveability of the city as well as increase study options at the campus.

 "DBCT P/L has always been a proud member of the Mackay community. We got behind this venture because it will have a positive impact in so many ways," Mr Gebers said. 

"We want to attract and retain a strong workforce, and have a city that offers recreational and educational diversity will definitely entice people to choose Mackay."

Upon completion of the detailed drawings and accompanying business plans, the University will submit the proposal to State and Federal Governments for funding considerations.

The project is currently one of the region's top priorities, as identified by the Mackay Whitsunday Regional Economic Development Corporation. 

 For more information contact Melissa Woods, Communications Officer at CQUniversity, on 4940 7406 or 0408 893 142 or email m.l.woods@cqu.edu.au.

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Community & Engagement) & Head of Campus Professor Pierre Viljoen with Mackay Regional Council Mayor Col Meng and Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal's CEO Kim Gebers look forward to further developments at CQUniversity Mackay.

CQUniversity researcher Dr Alison Jones has spotted and filmed an extremely rare Purple Flying Gurnard fish (otherwise known as Dactyloptena orientalis) off the coast east of Yeppoon.

Also known as the Indo-Pacific Flying Gurnard, Oriental Helmet Gurnard or the Oriental Searobin, the Gurnard has huge wing-like pectoral fins covered with dark spots and wavy lines.

Each fin ray has feeler-like extensions that give the impression of fingers. The pectoral fins are usually held against the sides of the body. When the fish is disturbed, it quickly expands its pectoral fins, often retracting them before swimming off at speed.

Despite its common name, the Purple Flying Gurnard does not fly but can 'walk' on the bottom by alternatively moving its pelvic fins and short pectoral fin rays.

The Australian Museum has officially recorded a few sightings of the Purple Flying Gurnard, one at North West Reef and two at One Tree Island, but its distribution ranges from Western Australia to northern NSW.

CQUniversity has campuses stretching from Mackay to Melbourne and staff members often drive hundreds of kilometres just to get to lectures and meetings at different sites.

With staff travel being one of the University's major risks, academics and professional staff who are often on the road will soon have university-subsidised access to defensive driving courses.

VC Scott Bowman dresses in his 'top gear' to drive home the point about staff safety"We thought it would be a great opportunity to promote to staff that we are committed to their wellbeing, as well as showing our wider communities that safety matters to us," says Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman.

"We don't want any tragic circumstances where staff come to the attention of students graduating from our Paramedic Science and Accident Forensics programs."

Professor Bowman corners media attention

Staff who regularly drive to other campuses as part of their duties are encouraged to attend defensive driver training to increase their knowledge of vehicle safety and fatigue management.

There are a number of training providers and dates available. Staff should speak with their managers regarding a suitable course date and provider.

CQUniversity has campuses and delivery sites in Mackay, Emerald, Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Noosa, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne and Geraldton, as well as a research centre in Adelaide.

Unmasked - Professor Bowman continues his interview

It's usually the case that if you fish well you'll eat well.

But CQUniversity researchers running the ManUp program have turned this idea around, so you can eat well to have the chance to fish well.

There's a new competition where Central Queensland residents can register for the ManUp program website, complete a healthy eating challenge, complete a physical activity challenge, and have a ‘mate' join the website before June 10, and they are eligible to win a fishing charter prize.

Details are available via http://manup.org.au/content/category/id/14

LINK also to Rare Purple Flying Gurnard fish spotted

CQUniversity shines across a range of comparisons highlighted by the federal government's new MyUniversity website, released today (Tuesday, April 3).

MyUniversity reveals that 80.1 per cent of CQUniversity graduates are in full-time employment - a figure higher than 70 per cent of Australian universities.

LINK also to Australia's most widespread Uni drives home that staff safety really matters

The website also reveals CQUniversity to be one of the leading providers of international education in Australia, sitting in the top six of universities nationally.

CQUniversity is leading the sector in terms of sheer reach, with the most domestic campuses of any Australian university.

CQUniversity is also a leading contributor to the education of Indigenous students (3%), students from a Low Socio-Economic status (47%), and those from regional/remote areas (69%).  We are the top provider to LSES students, the second top provider to regional/remote students and equal third as a provider to Indigenous students.

You can find out more via http://www.myuniversity.gov.au/

Sunshine Coast residents are welcome to join CQUniversity students for a creative writing workshop on the weekend of April 28-29.

The workshop offers ongoing support and feedback and is based on the popular Fundamentals of Writing course materials. It covers dialogue, setting, image-symbol-rhythm, plot-suspense-pace, and genre.

Dr Lynda Hawryluk during a recent Writers' Workshop on North Keppel Island

To register contact Dr Lynda Hawryluk on 07 4923 2009 or l.hawryluk@cqu.edu.au  and for details visit www.cqu.edu.au/keydates .

The workshop is free for CQUniversity students and costs $70 for local writers. It will be held at CQUniversity Noosa, 90 Goodchap Street, Noosaville.

LINK HERE and HERE for writing subjects available through CQUniversity

Also LINK HERE to the Idiom 23 Literary Magazine

Also LINK HERE re the annual Writers' Workshop on North Keppel Island

CQUniversity's sleep researchers have been finding it hard to practice what they preach about getting enough sleep, since revealing Australia as a sleep-deprived nation.

The nation's largest-ever sleep census coordinated from our Appelton Institute in Adelaide has sparked a frenzy of broadcast and print media interviews.

Bedroom habits revealed

The CQUniversity researchers worked with bed manufacturer Sealy to conduct the comprehensive sleep study, exploring the sleep habits of the nation and painting a detailed picture of exactly how well Australians are sleeping.

The Sealy Sleep Census polled 13,089 respondents and reveals Australia as a sleep-deprived nation with the vast majority of people (96%) waking up tired from their sleep, with just 4% saying they feel refreshed. The survey also reveals the alarming impact this is having on the nation's businesses and our collective health as well as our physical and emotional wellbeing.

• A whopping 96% of Aussies say they wake up tired from their sleep
• Work productivity affected: one third of respondents have called into work sick due to lack of sleep and 38% have drifted off at desk or during meetings
• Sleep disturbances affect over 70% of the population

"The census is the largest and most in-depth study of its kind ever undertaken in Australia and forms an important part of our ongoing commitment to research and innovation in the sleep arena," says Sealy's spokesperson Ross Gage.

CQUniversity's Adelaide-based Engaged Research Chair Professor Drew Dawson and his research colleagues have been awake to the media potential of the sleep survey

"The study gives us valuable insight not only into the sleeping habits of Australians but also how modern technology is impacting our sleep, how our sleep routines affect men and women differently and why students think they need more sleep than anyone else!"

The survey reveals how poor sleep is impacting Australian businesses and potentially costing employers millions of dollars in lost productivity. While 30% of respondents said they have called in sick due to lack of sleep, almost 70% have admitted to their work productivity being negatively affected to some degree due to feeling tired. Shockingly, 38% of respondents said they have fallen asleep at work or during a work meeting.

There was also a significant difference in the amount of sleep needed to function effectively when it came to occupation. Management executives felt they need less sleep to function effectively (compared to than those who don't work, students, office workers, retail employees, parents, and the self-employed). Perhaps unsurprisingly, students felt they needed the most amount of sleep to function effectively and slept on average 29 minutes longer than people in any other occupation.

Management executives also felt they needed less sleep to drive a car safely than most other occupations, while stay-at-home parents conveyed the highest perceived need for sleep before driving a car.

Working habits of Australian's have also changed over the years with nearly a third of respondents indicating that they regularly work outside the hours of Monday to Friday 9am to 9pm (29.3%). (This is up from 2009 ABS figures indicating that 14% of Australians engage in shift work.)

The study also revealed that coffee drinkers sleep less, in general, than those who don't, and that those who drink more than five cups per day sleep, on average, 20 minutes less than those who don't drink coffee at all.

While the majority of respondents recognise that eight hours is the recommended amount of sleep you need to perform at your best, many of us (70%) wake up during the night due to some kind of disturbance.

External noise is a key reason for sleep interruptions, with animals contributing to 29.1%, noisy neighbors (18.5%), traffic (12.7%) and rain (16.9%) all being listed as causes of disturbance during the night. A total 35% of the respondents also said they are woken up during the night by their partners snoring, or by them going to the bathroom or answering phone calls or emails during the night.

The Census has also unearthed some other interesting facts around sleep.

• - People who exercised reported falling asleep faster than people who don't exercise.
• - Overall, people who owned a Sealy Posturepedic mattress reported a greater level of satisfaction with the mattress than those who owned any other brand
• - 8.9% reported that their pets sleep on the bed with them, nearly double the amount that reported their children sleeping in bed with them (4.8%)
• - The most popular activities in bed (aside from sleep and intimacy) are using the computer (78%), reading (60%), watching TV (36%) and organising or folding clothing (32%).
• - 16% of respondents require some help with falling asleep, whether it be via taking supplements or prescribed medication
• - 27% of respondents admitted to talking or being heard to talk in their sleep, but only 4% said they have been known to sleep walk
• - 53% choose to sleep with a fitted sheet, top sheet and doona combination
• - Those who do not have a TV obtain more sleep than those who do have a TV in their room.

Fresh from launching its new postgraduate courses in Project and Program Management, CQUniversity is welcoming a fresh focus on project management in Mackay and Gladstone.

Project management professionals are invited to be involved as the Project Management Institute Queensland (PMIQ) moves towards establishing a Mackay chapter during a meeting on Monday, April 16, and a Gladstone chapter during a meeting on Monday, April 23. Registration is via the PMIQ website at www.qld.pmi.org.au .

The meetings are being hosted from 4.30pm to 8pm on the respective Mondays by CQUniversity campuses in Mackay and Gladstone. Further details are available via Lyn Forbes-Smith in Mackay via 4940 7867 or l.forbes-smith@cqu.edu.au and via Ruth Kinslow in Gladstone via r.kinslow@cqu.edu.au or 07 4970 7282.

CQUniversity offers Project and Project Management courses via a blend of face-to-face learning and distance education, providing practicing project managers and directors with the ‘hard' skills to run projects in the most challenging environments.

The Project Management Institute is a worldwide professional association with chapters in Australia. It aims to advance the practice, science and profession of project management.

CQUniversity's new Singapore campus is up and running with the incorporation of the CQU Institute of Higher Learning Pte Ltd on March 9.

The new campus will build on the growth achieved by Melior International College and offer local and international students an even broader range of programs and support from the University.

Associate Professor Ken Bruce, CEO/Campus Director of CQU IHL, seated with Patrick Loke, CEO of Melior International College and Director of CQU IHL, along with staff from both companies at the recent Graduation Ceremony in Singapore.

However, with strict regulation of private education institutions in Singapore, the new company requires two levels of licensing from the Council for Private Education before it can recruit students.

CQU IHL staff are busy preparing the documentation for submission to obtain the first level of registration allowing the new campus to recruit domestic Singapore students, which is expected by June.

This will be followed by the EduTrust registration, which is a voluntary certification scheme that helps to distinguish higher quality players in Singapore's private education industry. EduTrust-certification is required before being able to offer placement for international students who require a Student's Pass from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and is expected to be obtained by the end of 2012.

In the meantime, CQU IHL staff are busy putting all the processes and procedures in place and discussing the needs for new programs from the Faculties and Schools.

The campus will offer programs in management, marketing, international business, biomedical science, psychology, financial planning, learning management, nursing and doctoral studies.

CQUniversity welcomes the ‘wow factor' in a new artist's impression for the design of a Research Centre proposed as part of a resort redevelopment on Great Keppel Island, on the Southern Great Barrier Reef.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman says the University is looking forward to accessing world-class facilities on the island, east of the Capricorn Coast.

LINK for a larger image of this artist's impression"The facility will become a focal point for our research efforts relevant to the Southern Great Barrier Reef," Professor Bowman says.

"We're keen to invest more resources to complement this initiative. The Great Keppel Island Research Centre could be a vital tool to inform management of the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef."

CQUniversity has agreed to conduct scientific projects at the Research Centre to be built by GKI Resort Pty Ltd as part of the new tourism resort on Great Keppel Island, which is undergoing a rigorous EIS process.

According to the Proponent, the Research Centre would conduct research programs, undertake conservation activities on the island and within the marine park, monitor coral communities and facilitate student and professional research activities.

Development Manager for GKI Resort Pty Ltd Anthony Aiossa says the company has been working extremely hard on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the GKI Revitalisation Plan for almost two years, which has involved the input of over 90 technical experts.

"A key part of the EIS process has been to look at ways in which a new tourism resort on Great Keppel Island can deliver real tangible benefits to the local community and the environment," Mr Aiossa said.

"We are very happy with being able to work with CQUniversity to deliver the Great Keppel Island Research Centre, which will provide a wonderful facility for the University and the local community within the Southern Great Barrier Reef."

Capricorn Enterprise CEO Mary Carroll said "it is wonderful to see CQUniversity working so closely with Tower Holdings to develop a world-class research facility on our magnificent Southern Great Barrier Reef.

"Tourism is so much more sophisticated now - visitors want to touch it, feel it, experience it, and a research centre on Great Keppel Island would certainly provide that."

CQUniversity is adding a world-leading embryologist to its agricultural science team, complementing existing projects relating to precision livestock management and rural economics.

Professor Gábor Vajta will perform his laboratory work at specialised facilities belonging to Australian Reproductive Technologies at Mt Chalmers, near Rockhampton.

L-R Professor Vajta, Simon Walton, Deputy VC Professor Jennelle Kyd and IRIS Director Professor Kerry Walsh

CQUniversity's Director of the Institute for Resource Industries and Sustainability, Professor Kerry Walsh says Professor Vajta's work should contribute to the improvement of the beef and dairy cattle stock of Australia.

Professor Walsh says embryos will be produced using 'handmade cloning', a simplified version of somatic cell nuclear transfer introduced by Professor Vajta and now used around the world.

"This method does not require expensive and complicated micromanipulators; it is performed using simple tools and manual skills. The overall efficiency is not lower than with traditional cloning.

"The embryos produced are either cryopreserved or transported to recipients. According to our expectation, transfer of embryos into recipient cattle should result in healthy calves on the ground."

Will there be a fourth wave of migration from India to Australia? .

That was one of the key topics addressed by Executive Director of the International Education Association of Australia Phil Honeywood, in his role as guest speaker at the 2012 Dr Martand Joshi Lecture at CQUniversity Melbourne in late March.

L-R Suman Joshi, awardee Tiju George Thomas, awardee Professor David Robinson, Zofia Joshi and VC Professor Scott Bowman

Mr Honeywood, a former Victorian Minister for Tertiary Education and Training and Multicultural Affairs, presented this lecture titled India - Three Waves of Migration to Australia: Lessons Learnt/Pointers to the Future.

The annual Dr Martand Joshi lecture program has been established to recognise the contribution made by Dr Joshi in promoting international education, intercultural learning and understanding in Australia.  The late Dr Joshi was well regarded for his work in the fields of geochemistry, mineralogy, crystallography and petrology. He was also renowned for his understanding of and associations with numerous cultural, religious, professional and community organisations in his role as Honorary Consul of India in Victoria.

Mr Honeywood discussed the 'shining' new India, promoted as a future global super power and as a country of unrestricted opportunities and achievement.

"There's dynamic new professionals and careers to reflect conspicuous consumption ... and a newly affluent middle class," he said. "What about the trickle down beyond the 15 per cent?"

Campus Head Darryl Stewart, Suman Joshi, guest speaker Phil Honeywood, Tiju George Thomas, Professor David Robinson, DVC Professor Jennelle Kyd, Zofia Joshi and VC Professor Scott Bowman

Mr Honeywood spoke about the wave of migration to Australia in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when young 'elite institution' professionals were allowed to migrate under the White Australia policy.

In the early 1980s, he said, Australia sought skilled trades and technical experts from Asia, and the Indians who came were from a different background compared with the first wave.

In the early 2000s, full-fee-paying Indian students comprised a larger third wave. They were consumers seeking a migration outcome.

Mr Honeywood questioned whether there would be a fourth wave ... "if so, will this take us full circle?". He wondered if the first three waves of Indian migrants would form one social group.

Meantime, the 2012 Student Award in memory of Dr Martand Joshi has been presented to CQUniversity Brisbane-based Master of Information Technology student Tiju George Thomas, recognising him as the highest-achieving graduate of 2011. The award is valued at $1000.

Guest speaker Phil Honeywood

Mr Thomas came to Australia from his home town of Kerala with some very definite plans. He had always had a knack for software development and programming and had been working in the field for three years. He wanted to advance his knowledge and experience in the field and move from basic programming on to software development and architecture.

Impressed by CQUniversity's quick processing times, and flexible study arrangements, Mr Thomas was able to make use of the third term and extended study load to finish his MIT (Software Development) in record time.

Even with the extra course load, he still managed to achieve exemplary results - straight High Distinctions. He credits his success with the support and encouragement he received from his mother, and the academic discipline she instilled in him from an early age.

Tiju was a familiar presence on campus, and was well liked and respected by staff and students. His friendly and sincere manner was evident at all times - from classroom interaction to social events like multicultural days to participating in employment workshops.

Tiju George Thomas accepts his award

Tiju is currently working at the University of Queensland as a systems programmer.

The 2012 Staff Award in memory of Dr Martand Joshi, and recognising research into international education, was presented to David Robinson, an Adjunct Professor based at CQUniversity Gold Coast. This award is also valued at $1000 (for attendance at an approved conference).

Professor Robinson lectures in leadership and business strategy at the Gold Coast Campus, where he also heads postgraduate research, with the primary focus on ethics and sustainability.

David has been with the Gold Coast Campus for 13 years. He was previously at Bond University and the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, and at Rhodes University, South Africa, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, and the National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan.

VC Scott Bowman chats with Suman and Zofia Joshi

He has lectured and consulted in: Business administration, leadership, ethics, research methods, industrial engineering, international business, marketing, human resources, operations management, philosophy, psychology, accounting, packaging, entrepreneurship, organisational behavior, innovation and creativity, strategic management, sales management, and business plan development.

His PhD is from Rhodes University in South Africa (2003) and his work has been published extensively, including the Journal of Business Ethics.

Awardee Professor David Robinson

CQUniversity PhD graduate Dr Rachel Franks has been invited as a panel presenter for the Sydney Writers' Festival during May this year.

Rachel wrote her thesis on class, gender and the ethics of murder in Australian crime fiction, supervised by CQUniversity academics Associate Professor Wally Woods and Dr Lynda Hawryluk.

PhD graduate Dr Rachel Franks is ready for her panel at the Sydney Writers' Festival

For the festival, she's on a panel to discuss Murder in the Galleries, examining the the history of crime fiction, how we respond to the genre and why it still intrigues and titillates us.

LINK HERE for details of the panel event presented by the State Library of NSW from 6pm-7pm on Tuesday, May 15.

Working at the State Library of New South Wales, Rachel has continued her relationship with CQUniversity through her membership of the LTERC research centre's Creative and Performing Arts Special Interest Group, and in a series of research collaborations with the SIG's convenor Professor Donna Lee Brien. 

Rachel and Donna have just co-written an article on the variety and location of Australian food studies resources, which has been accepted into the prestigious Australasian Journal of Popular Culture, and are currently completing another study on libraries as active engines of creativity.

Rachel is also the area chair of fiction for the Popular Culture Association of Australia and New Zealand.

Dr Rachel Franks

Congratulations to CQUniversity Regional Recruitment Manager (South Asia) Deepa Mathews, who is based at Melbourne Campus, having migrated to Australia in 1991.

Deepa recently accepted an 'Outstanding Woman - Achievements in her Field' award from the Federation of Indian Women's Associations in Australia.

Deepa Mathews is awarded

The FIWAA Award recognises Deepa's career, community contribution and work-life balance.

After arriving in Australia a little over 20 years ago, Deepa was determined to find work, despite recession conditions in the job market.

Unable to find work in Melbourne, she moved to Mildura to work in a at a TAFE College. She faced a number of barriers as a woman of Indian origin in a country town in 1991. Undeterred, she continued to soldier on and, among other achievements, was regularly featured on SBS Radio in Mildura.

Moving back to Melbourne, Deepa chose to work in the western suburbs at Victoria University. In response to the Government's Managing Diversity Policy, Deepa developed the Managing Diversity Plan at VU. Her plan was nominated by the State Government as having the best agreed outcomes. As a result, Deepa was invited to be part of a reference group that reviewed the Managing Diversity Policy, along with senior staff from other institutes such as TAFE Directors. Upon invitation from the State government, she also facilitated a session at the Diversity Works Conference.

In her current role at CQUniversity, Deepa travels extensively throughout South Asia, engaging with universities, government departments, students, alumni and prospective students.

Deepa with her award

She is an accomplished speaker and was the first president of Indian origin for the Rostrum public speaking club.

Upon invitation from the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Deepa took on a role as one of the facilitators at a Workshop on Women and Management in Kuala Lumpur. Participants in the workshop were senior women from universities across the Commonwealth countries.

In 1999, after having been in Australia for only eight years, Deepa was nominated onto the Board of the Equity Research Centre, a responsibility she fulfilled for five years.

She currently holds many governance positions such as membership of the Community Advisory Committee of the Royal Women's Hospital Board, Board of the Soul Food Women's Group and Board of Mission for Kids, and advisor to the Family Health Institution, India.

She is also a member of the Education Committee of the Australia India Business Council. She has been the Assistant Secretary of the Mar Thoma Church, Treasurer of the women's group of the Mar Thoma Church and a member of the Darebin Ethnic Communities Council.

Deepa is currently being sought after as a Board member by a consortium of hospitals and a professional college, both in Sri Lanka.

A member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Deepa has been featured in the media on a number of occasions, both in Australia and South Asia.

Along with her board career and professional role, Deepa has been actively involved in the community. Issues such as domestic violence, equity in opportunity and women's health are at the forefront of her quest for social justice.

This community contribution also extends to providing voluntary training and management consultancy to not-for-profit organisations across the world. Deepa provides free training to not-for-profit organisations on strategy and policy development, marketing and business and personal ethics.

Recognising her many achievements and her capacity to contribute to the community, the Federation of Indian Associations Victoria (FIAV) nominated and selected Deepa as a member of FIAV's Domestic Violence Panel, after considering numerous applicants.

Deepa was part of an eminent panel along with Members of Parliament for the White Ribbon Day event in November 2011. She spoke on the Christian view of domestic violence and also summed up the panel discussions.

Deepa worked part-time for many years to raise and spend time with her two sons. Given one of her sons suffered from asthma, she refused all professional travel commitments until he had outgrown his sickness and was capable of looking after himself.  Whenever her husband was unavailable and a parent's care was required, her children accompanied her to work (including management meetings). Deepa managed the situation with professionalism and efficiency.

A scholarship student throughout her education, with a Master's from the prestigious Tata Institute, Deepa has always wanted to pursue her PHD. However, she put her own studies on hold until both her sons completed VCE.

As a result of her personal and professional balance, she has succeeded in raising two young men who have a social conscience and are actively involved in the church and community along with their education.

Jennifer Hickey has two reasons to smile.

Having been awarded a $4000 scholarship from the Sarina Community Bank® Branch, she was also the first to make a transaction from the newly installed Bendigo Bank ATM at CQUniversity Mackay.

The Sarina Community Bank Branch of Bendigo Bank's board director Ralph Johnson and branch manager Roanna Brady congratulate CQUniversity student Jennifer Hickey on her scholarship, as the University welcomes a new Bendigo Bank ATM on campus.

The installation of the campus' first ATM marks a significant milestone for the University, with staff and students now having the convenience of easy access to cash.   The ATM is just outside the Refectory in a central location.

Branch manager Roanna Brady said the bank aimed to continue providing extra support for students at CQUniversity.  

"The Community Bank is excited that CQUniversity's ATM is our first step in offering financial services on campus," Ms Brady said.

"We will be able to provide financial management advice and steps for identity protection as well as further services such as loan applications, term deposits, all insurance and credit facilities."

Pro-Vice Chancellor (Community & Engagement) and Head of Campus in Mackay, Professor Pierre Viljoen said the scholarship and installation of the ATM was a result of an ongoing partnership with the Sarina Community Bank® Branch. 

 "Thanks to our partnership with the Sarina Community Bank® Branch, we can now provide further support to our students and staff, who have shown a strong desire for this type of facility on campus," Professor Viljoen said.

The Sarina Community Bank® Branch is also proud to deliver the first $4000 bursary for 2012. The scholarship is open to students who are currently enrolled at CQUniversity and studying towards obtaining a degree in Business or Information Technology.

Bachelor of Accounting student Jennifer Hickey said she was delighted to be awarded the scholarship for 2012.

"This scholarship is life-changing as it will allow me to focus more on my subjects without the worry of being able to afford the cost of studying," Ms Hickey said.  

"I feel very honoured and this is an opportunity that other students should open themselves up to."

Ms Hickey said she had been amazed with the support the Community Bank was offering students.

 "I love the fact that parts of the profits are returned to the community and the branch is run by a local board which allows local input into how the funds are distributed."

Chair of Sarina Community Bank® Branch's Board of Directors Ralph Johnson said he hoped the scholarships would assist students from regional areas to obtain a tertiary education, further their career and engage with their community. 

"We know that it is getting harder for students to make ends meet so we are delighted to congratulate Jennifer on being selected from a number of applicants," Mr Johnson said.

The Sarina Community Bank® Branch has distributed in excess of $350,000 to the local community so far. 

To find out more about the scholarships, please contact the CQUniversity scholarship department on 4923 2786 or the Sarina Community Bank® Branch's Roanna Brady on 4943 2634.

Engineering educators travelled from as far afield as Mackay and Sydney to attend a FEED Workshop (Future Engineering Education Direction) held at the newly-refurbished Engineering buildings on CQUniversity Rockhampton Campus.

The workshop was run by Dr Llew Mann of Swinburne University, who is also Chair of this year's Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE) Annual Conference.

Workshop participants gather

This event was scheduled to help educators understand what is required with the new process for arranging and evaluating projects and submitting papers to the AAEE conference.

Dr Llew Mann with workshop participants

Two people met, became friends and found love. This is the story of Michael Bradley and Debra Crosswell.

The couple commenced their studies at CQUniversity, one in 2009 and the other in 2010.  One chose Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) while the other chose the Bachelor of Learning Management.

As they studied their love grew, blossoming into a deep commitment and a desire to marry.

Nulloo Yumbah Coordinator Cheri Yavu-Kama-Harathunian officiating at Debra and Michael Bradley's wedding.

On February 19 this year, the couple celebrated their wedding in the beautiful gardens of CQUniversity Bundaberg.

Family, friends, CQUniversity staff and students were there in force to celebrate with the couple on their wedding day.

One of their lecturers, Cheri Yavu-Kama-Harathunian officiated at the sacred event, making it a CQUniversity Bundaberg first.

According to Cheri, university and study can be the impetus for romance and life-long commitment.

"Michael and Debbie's courses will end with the gaining of their degrees of choice. What happened to them along the way will be with them for the rest of their lives.

"We congratulate both students for being the first to celebrate such an important event in their lives on the campus where they are still learning to 'Be Who They Want To Be', together."

* Nulloo Yumbah in the language of the Darumbal people means ‘our home' or ‘place' and it's more formally known as CQUniversity's Indigenous Learning, Spirituality & Research Centre.

Gladstone Harbour is fringed by industry, has plenty of international shipping and is a popular crabbing and fishing venue.

So it's no surprise that a year-long beach shoreline debris study has revealed a large proportion of shipping-related rubbish of foreign origin, plenty of fishing line and crab-pot rope, and an assortment of ear plugs, hard hats, gloves, industrial lights and boots.

LINK for a larger image of Dr Scott Wilson and one of his 'drift cards'

Most debris on shorelines came from water-borne sources. Plastics made up the vast bulk of rubbish found overall, at 88% of the 6777 items collected.

While marine debris was prevalent at all locations surveyed, it was not at extreme levels, according to CQUniversity researcher Dr Scott Wilson.

"However, marine debris is an issue and will likely increase with the growth in urban and industrial activities," he said.

Further studies, including a drift card study*, are planned to take place in the coming months to expand on this baseline data set, plus provide further detail on the sources and movement patterns of this debris.

"This data will allow for more informed management of this key threatening process and, along with greater public education and awareness, may limit inputs of marine debris in future."

Dr Wilson carried out his quarterly surveys on Facing Island and Fisherman's Landing, and later extended the study to Chinaman Island (also within the Harbour).

He acknowledges help from staff and volunteers of the Conversation Volunteers Australia, as well as colleagues at CQUniversity Gladstone Campus.

Dr Wilson's initial recommendations include a curb in the use of plastics and encouragement for correct recycling; increased awareness of the marine debris issue (including targeted campaigns); an examination of social attitudes with a view to changing perceptions; and improved storm water devices and pollutant traps.

* Drift cards are scheduled for release soon. If you find one in the water please leave and only collect and report on those found washed ashore.

CQUniversity this week launched a unique medical sonography program based at a $1.5 million laboratory on the 11^th floor of its CBD campus at 400 Kent Street, Sydney.

As this is Australia's only sonography program available for undergraduate entry (with postgraduate exit), there's been an enthusiastic response from students keen to help relieve a critical health workforce shortage.

L-R DVC Alastair Dawson, Campus Head Susan Loomes, The Hon Melinda Pavey MLC, Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Health, City of Sydney Councillor Shayne Mallard and VC Scott Bowman

LINK also to From Outback to CBD, Lucy's a multi-skilled sonographer

and Helping medical imaging technology move with the times

Many of the students for the first intake attended a launch of the new facility on Tuesday evening. There are currently 33 students enrolled in Year 1 courses in the Sonography program at Sydney.

The modern six-bed medical sonography facility features state-of-the-art digital technology and simulated learning clinics. It has advanced 3D/4D capable Philips ultrasound units worth $450,000, 10 ‘Phantom' body torso training units worth $75,000 and a full multifunctional laboratory.

Students will study at the CBD facility and gain extensive clinical experience with established sonography professionals.

Two of our new Sonography students (centre) with L-R CQUni staff Dr Fiona Coulson, Dr Andrew Fenning and Susan Ferguson

This new program builds on CQUniversity's successful medical sonography program based at its Mackay Campus, in Central Queensland.

CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman attended the launch to welcome guests from Sydney's health and education sectors and to congratulate students and staff involved with the new program.

The Bachelor of Medical Sonography and Graduate Diploma of Medical Sonography offered by CQUniversity is a four-year linked degree/post-graduate diploma program. The combined program is the first of its kind in Australia, providing students the opportunity to enter the profession with no prior degree in a health sciences area.

Launch guests tour the new facilities

Music theatre star and TV veteran Peter Cousens has been appointed as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Creative and Performing Arts, and as an Artistic Ambassador for the Bachelor of Theatre program at CQUniversity.

In his new role at the University, Peter will visit Mackay from time to time to conduct workshops and masterclasses and will be a mentor for our theatre students.

Peter Cousens

LINK HERE for more on Peter Cousens OR LINK to Just a bunch of dirty 'scoundrels' in Mackay

In addition, he will contribute to raising the profile of the CQ Conservatorium of Music and the Bachelor of Theatre program by enhancing significant links with the performing arts industry, the profession and the wider community, with a view to firmly establishing the CQCM as a major player in performing arts education in Australia.

"We are privileged to have Peter as part of our team and I very much look forward to welcoming him and working with him as we build the capacity and capability of the School," says Professor Matthew Marshall, Dean of the School of Creative and Performing Arts.

Peter Cousens said the Mackay-based Bachelor of Theatre program had the advantage of being away from the pressures faced by students attending bigger programs based in capital cities, including the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and the Western Australian Performing Arts Academy (WAAPA).

"There's a wonderful nurturing environment in Mackay where creativity can thrive," he said.

"It's a great environment, not only for producing performers with the potential to succeed at a national level, but also people who can deliver what the performing arts is able to bring to schools, community theatre, community choirs and other community projects."

Peter said he was no stranger to working with young people embarking on the start of their performing arts careers, and was looking forward to his latest role with CQUniversity.

The renowned performer has already been associated with CQCM as a director of last year's Mackay production, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Recognised among Australia's major music theatre stars, Peter is the only Australian to play The Phantom on London's West End and his four solo albums testify to a superb voice of broad range, colour and musicality. Peter also performs the role of Chris on the International Symphonic Recording of Miss Saigon.

He has starred alongside Russell Crowe in Blood Brothers and with the late Richard Harris in Camelot, and has had an extensive career playing major roles in musicals throughout Australia and New Zealand. 

On television he was last seen on McLeod's Daughters and previously had starring roles in Return to Eden, The Sullivans, Carson's Law, The Young Doctors, Son and Daughters, The Timeless Land and Under Capricorn.

LINK also to Just a bunch of dirty 'scoundrels' in Mackay AND Performing Arts calendar worthy of a song and dance

Coincidence or not, the provocative award-winning smash hit musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels will hit the CQ Conservatorium of Music stage from March 29 to April 1, in the wake of the State election...

Bold and downright dirty, the production is based on the film starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin and follows a riotous adventure set in the south of France.

Theatre students Frog Johnson, Aimee Jellicoe and Kris Brennan on stage

Featuring a disparate band of con-men charmers who specialise in the seduction of wealthy women (at the same time relieving them secretly of the heavy burden of their jewels), the musical production will leave audiences laughing, shocked and wanting more.

CQUniversity Theatre students have started all-day rehearsals to fine-tune what will be the performance of the year.

Led by critically acclaimed director and choreographer Dale Pengelly, audiences should not miss this famous and award-winning Broadway production.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels will open on Thursday, March 29 at 7.30pm, with further shows on Friday, March 30 at 11am and 7.30pm, Saturday, March 31 at 2pm and 7.30pm, and Sunday, April 1 at 2pm.

Bookings are via the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre on 4961 9700. 
LINK for a larger image of Aimee Jellicoe and William Hinz 
LINK for a larger image of Theatre students on stage

What do you get when you mix a MasterChef contestant, healthy eating messages and musical theatre with thousands of youngsters? The answer is a whole lot of fun, with Mighty Foods vs the Pirates, an award-winning annual production by the CQ Conservatorium of Music...

Australia's much-loved MasterChef Season Two runner-up Callum Hann* recently teamed up with 12 Bachelor of Theatre students to deliver an educational children's musical promoting the power of healthy eating. Callum attended the Monday afternoon performance to lend support to the CQUniversity performers.

Mighty Foods performer John Gardiner gets up close and personal with audience members at a previous production. With around 2000 audience members aged four to six years old, CQUniversity students put their writing, producing and performance skills on show. There were eleven 35-minute performances, followed by 15 minutes for questions and meeting the cast.

This year's production was extra special, as Bachelor of Theatre students have been working with director Caroline Kaspar, the choreographer for the movie Happy Feet 2.

Conservatorium lecturer Kim Kirkman said it was amazing to have someone of Caroline's calibre to work with the Theatre students.

"She brings such incredible passion and experience from working with international industry professionals," Mr Kirkman said.

"The students love every second of working with her."

The Mighty Foods series has been running for several years and has won numerous CQUniversity awards including the Dean and Faculty awards for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, and the Opal Awards for Engaged Learning and Teaching.

Students from the CQ Conservatorium of Music gain practical experience from script development through to lighting design, along with the knowledge that they have instilled a positive message to young audiences.

CQUniversity Theatre students will deliver healthy eating messages to four to six year olds. For more information contact the CQ Conservatorium of Music on 4940 7800.

* Since achieving his runner up status, Callum has been busy in the kitchen creating recipes for his first cookbook, The Starter Kitchen.  It features over 60 simple, casual and fun recipes, using ingredients readily available in the supermarket.

CQUniversity's Dr Sarah Blunden is looking forward to the launch of her new book The Sensible Sleep Solution: a guide to your baby's sleep in the first year, which she co-authored with Angie Willcocks...

The new Wakefield Press book will be launched on April 19 by Amanda Blair, who is an Adelaide media personality and mother of four children. The launch venue is the Mary Martin Bookshop in Adelaide.

The cover of the new book

Dr Blunden is a Senior Research Fellow who heads Paediatric Sleep Research at CQUniversity's new Appleton Institute in Adelaide. She's also involved with the clinical masters in psychology.

Sarah juggles these commitments while operating her own Paediatric Sleep Clinic in Adelaide.

CQUniversity has appointed Professor Euan Lindsay as its new Dean of School, Engineering and Built Environment.

Later this year he will replace Dr Alan McPhail who took on the role as a limited-term appointment when the School was created.

Professor Euan Lindsay

As CQUniversity has campuses spread across a wide area, Professor Lindsay's research focus on remote and virtual laboratory classes for undergraduate engineering teaching will be a bonus.

The incoming Dean is a mechatronic engineer by training, although his expertise has broadened as his career has progressed.

His research interests include engineering education, telecontrol (particularly internet-based telecontrol), artificial neural networks, and rehabilitative technologies for people with sensing impairments. 

Professor Lindsay's pioneering PhD investigated whether remote and simulated access alternatives to the traditional in-person laboratory experience could provide the same learning outcomes for students.

His work has shown that there are significant differences, not only in students' learning outcomes, but also in their perceptions of these outcomes, when they are exposed to the different access modes.

These differences have powerful implications for the design of remote and virtual laboratory classes in the future, and also provide an opportunity to match alternative access modes to the intended learning outcomes that they enhance.

Professor Lindsay was the 2010 President of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education, and was the general chair for their 2011 conference.  He is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.  Prof Lindsay was the recipient of a 2007 Carrick Award for Australian University Teaching.  In 2005, he was named as one of the 30 Most Inspirational Young Engineers in Australia.

Euan grew up in a small country town outside Ballarat in Victoria.  He earned his degrees at the University of Melbourne before moving to Curtin University to take up a lecturing position.  He is happily married, and has one young child with a second on the way.  He is a third Dan in the Seitei Iaido style of Japanese swordsmanship, and a second Dan in the Seitei Jodo style of Japanese staff fighting.

CQUniversity has bolstered its commitment to the Sunshine Coast's thriving arts community by appointing distinguished academic and author Professor Donna Lee Brien to head two new creative industries programs at its Noosa campus.

Professor Brien, who recently relocated from CQUniversity's Rockhampton campus, said Noosa's natural beauty makes it an ideal location for the new programs.

LINK also to The wedding feast's an event not a cakewalk, says CQUni academic

Distinguished academic and author Professor Donna Lee Brien has relocated to CQUniversity's Noosa Campus to head two new creative industries programs. "Artists have long been drawn to Noosa and the region has a rich history of creative minds living and working together," Professor Brien said.

"It's an inspiring place to create and we aim to provide a flexible pathway to attract artists to come and develop their craft with the support and guidance of experts in their field.

"It is also a gastronomic hub, which will inspire my own research and writing in the area of food writers and their influence."

The new Graduate Certificate in Creative Industries and Masters of Creative Enterprise are being offered on-campus and externally and are designed to suit students in all art forms. 

CQUniversity now offers a Graduate Certificate in Creative Industries and  Master of Creative Enterprise (Creative Practice).

Professor Brien also supervises PhD students in creative arts areas including creative writing, food writing and music/performance studies by distance, with planned visits to Noosa during their candidatures.

Professor Brien said the new programs' content was customised to suit student needs and ambitions and focussed on developing student projects rather than the more traditional lecture and tutorial format.

"The curriculum is very flexible and is built around what a student wants to achieve," Professor Brien said.

"A student may have a specific idea that they are passionate about or it could be just a vague concept. 

"We will draw on the whole of the CQUniversity staff across campuses, many of whom are also industry professionals, to match professional expertise to the project and bring it to fruition. 

"We provide the flexibility for students to complete the programs at Noosa or by distance using online and teleconferences and other modern technologies."

Professor Brien has had a long professional association with the arts community, including as a curator at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art and posts in several Australian universities.

She has authored several books, including two women's self-help guides, and numerous articles on creativity and writing.

Professor Brien said her experience shows tertiary study and artistic pursuits go hand in hand.

"In working on your own as an artist you don't necessarily develop those industry and professional contacts that are crucial in building a viable career," Professor Brien said.

"These programs give students the chance to work in their creative arts area, but also to develop entrepreneurial and media skills that are invaluable in the industry."

The old-style X-ray has been overtaken by amazing techniques for showing the insides of patients, thanks to modern technology.

PET scans (nothing to do with pets) use tiny amounts of radioactive chemicals which absorb into body tissue to enhance images. In contrast, CT scans (known as CAT scans but nothing to do with cats) show computer-enhanced images of X-rays, while MRIs use huge magnets to reveal detail within soft tissues.

Dr Victor Zhou with a CT Scanner at CQUniversity Mackay

All these wonderful advancements are only as good as the ability of the patient to stay still during the scan.

This can be tricky for children and difficult for patients with dementia and Parkinson's disease symptoms, and it's downright impossible when trying to get internal images of conscious animals for scientific research.

Solutions rely on bringing together an understanding of the physics at play, while developing software and hardware to work better together.

That goal is being worked on in an unlikely setting, nestled beside the canefields of Mackay, in coastal Queensland.

Dr Victor Zhou describes his research to students Katrina Ryan and Josh Field

Former prize-winning Chinese inventor Dr Victor Zhou has been developing his research credentials in the field of precision technology for around two decades. He's now a Lecturer in Medical Physics for CQUniversity. Dr Zhou is based in Mackay because that's now the headquarters for the University's medical imaging programs and laboratories.

"Any movement of a patient during imaging process (scan) can corrupt the images," Dr Zhou says.

"Our motion compensation technique is to monitor the movement of patients during the scan. We can correct corruption of the image caused by patient movement in the image post-processing, using computing software.

"This technique will broaden the scope of imaging technologies."

LINK also to

Unique sonography program taught out of a Sydney CBD high-rise

From Outback to CBD, Lucy's a multi-skilled sonographer

People considering Relay for Life's 10th anniversary event in Rockhampton still have plenty of time to register.

Relay for Life is an overnight community event for thousands of Australians who relay non-stop as they celebrate cancer survivors, remember those lost, and fight back against the disease by raising important funds for Cancer Council Queensland.

The 10^th annual Rockhampton Relay for Life will be held at the CQUniversity sports fields on the weekend of May 19-20.

Details via Relay for Life coordinator Nicole Kennedy on 4932 8610 or at www.relayforlife.org.au

Sydney CBD is the newest site for CQUniversity's rapidly growing Medical Sonography program.

Spearheading the delivery of the Sonography program at CQUniversity Sydney Campus will be the role of newly appointed Lucy Taylor.

Lucy Taylor

LINK also to Unique sonography program taught out of a Sydney CBD high-rise

Lucy will be a member of the Sonography program teaching team (part of the School of Medical and Applied Sciences) and is based at the Sydney Campus.

She is a multi-skilled practitioner and experienced academic who has worked in rural locations as well as city hospitals.

Lucy not only has a background in general sonography. She's also recognised as a specialist in the vascular field and has wide experience as a practitioner throughout rural and remote areas of NSW, as well as in major Sydney clinics.

Lucy has also taught at the University of Sydney and for programs offered through the Australian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM), the national peak body.

She continues to serve as an editorial board member for ASUM's peer-reviewed Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine.

CQUniversity welcomes her experience as a product and applications specialist for both Siemens Medical Solutions and Biolab. She also has clinical experience in radiography.

Lucy says she's looking forward to establishing a quality program with extensive professional networks, helping to produce much-needed graduates for the Sydney health sector and beyond.

She's impressed with the modern equipment and training facilities available at CQUniversity Sydney, saying students will gain the hands-on confidence they need to prosper in the industry.

"I have a passion for my profession, enjoy learning new things and taking up challenges. I have a special interest in vascular, breast and musculoskeletal areas," Lucy says.

CQUniversity Paramedic Science students based in the far north now have access to a training ambulance for clinical coaching, assessment and experience of a live operational environment.

While based in Cairns, the training ambulance will also operate from other stations throughout the FNQ region.

Signage indicating the 'study/educational hub' within QAS facilities at Cairns Ambulance Station

This initiative complements the University's collaborative partnership with Queensland Ambulance Service to establish a ‘study/educational hub' within QAS facilities at Cairns Ambulance Station.

Program leader Anthony Weber says the partnership is being arranged with the QAS Far Northern Region.

"In order to provide the best opportunity to students participating in flexible mode study for the Bachelor of Paramedic Science program, this hub will widen the reach of education to Northern Region and Far Northern Region students and enhance quality of education, through face to face practical application of education with QAS educators," Mr Weber says.

CQUniversity's Professor Donna Lee Brien* recently featured during a popular culture forum entitled Costume, Cake and the Consumption of Desire: On the Wedding Feast, the Wedding Cake and the Wedding Dress.

The Noosa Campus-based academic chaired the discussion and presented on ‘The wedding feast as event', during the event hosted by Southern Cross University.

Professor Donna Lee Brien (right) with other presenters at the forum. Below is the gallery and a photo of the exhibition. LINK for larger images

Professor Brien's presentation surveyed the wedding feast from biblical times to the current day, including its representation in fairy tales and art, as well as in menus from Margaret Fulton and Nigella Lawson.

It also surveyed what Professor Brien called ‘the fast before the feast', commenting on the bridal diet and fitness industry of television shows, books and magazine coverage and Royal bride Kate Middleton, now Duchess of Cambridge.

This forum was held at The Channon Gallery in the Lismore area, in association with Denise N Rall's exhibition ‘The Bride's Banquet: Costume and the Consumption of Desire', an installation of costumed mannequins which explored the staging of the bride as confection.

Other presenters came from SCU and the University of Queensland.

* Donna Lee Brien is Professor of Creative Industries and an Assistant Dean, Research and Postgraduate. Donna is currently the Special Issues Editor of TEXT: The Journal of Writing and Writing Courses, a Foundation Editorial Board member of Locale: The Australasian-Pacific Journal of Regional Food Studies and Past President of the Australasian Association of Writing Programs. Her current research includes projects on the impact of Australian food writers and food writing.

CQUniversity now offers a Graduate Certificate in Creative Industries and  Master of Creative Enterprise (Creative Practice).

Kevin Erickson has established himself at CQUniversity Gladstone to pursue his PhD in marine ornamental biosecurity, under the guidance of professors Marnie Campbell and Chad Hewitt.

The researcher notes that more than 250 marine species have been imported, often unintentionally, into Australian waters from around the world.

Kevin Erickson is based at CQUni Gladstone

"While many of these species remain unobtrusive, it is estimated that one in each six to 10 imported marine species will become a pest," he says.

With a background as a marine aquatic pathobiologist, Kevin has been awarded a 2012 Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship to progress his research through to April, 2015.

You can find out more information about Kevin at his website: www.KevinPErickson.com

Biosecurity is a global concern and a priority in maintaining Australia's oceanic coasts and reefs.

Kevin will focus on management and risk prevention efforts to ensure imported marine ornamental animals, algae and seagrasses do not establish a permanent wild foothold within Australia's coastal waters. He will also investigate the extent to which these organisms act as pathways of foreign disease transmission.

Kevin in his natural habitat exploring under water

"Having been an aquarist and marine science director, I see the need for regional and national biosecurity efforts that focus on the marine ornamental trade. Determining the status of a marine species is a critical part of the process when assessing the potential risks of imported marine plants and animals. They are potential carriers of diseases and parasites. These imported diseases and parasites may transfer to other species while they share common water," Kevin says.

During his Award, Kevin will take trips to various parts of Queensland, Canberra and Sydney to focus on collections, public aquariums, aquarium stores, imports/exports, and hobbyists. He will also collect specimens to analyze for disease.

Kevin has a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from Florida Institute of Technology and an Master of Science in Aquatic Pathobiology from the University of Stirling. He is a member of the American Fisheries Society, Marine Aquarium Council, Association for Zoos and Aquariums and the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America where he currently serves as the Vice President.

Kevin made a name for himself a few years ago, away from marine studies, when he got the chance to put into practice some of his experience as an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America. He helped save the life of a man who fell off a cliff onto the rocks below and earned a Letter of Commendation from the Los Angeles County Fire Chief.

As a younger man in 2003, he was awarded the Presidential Freedom Scholarship from the White House for outstanding leadership and service to his community.

* The Australia Endeavour Awards are the Australian Government's internationally competitive, merit-based scholarship program providing study, research or professional development opportunities between Australia and the world. Visit http://www.australiaawards.gov.au/  for more information.

Peter Mitchell graduated from CQUniversity with a PhD in creative writing, earned as he authored a memoir on his life as an immigration officer and manager of the controversial Villawood Detention Centre.

Two years after completing his thesis and celebrating publication of his book, Compassionate Bastard, Dr Mitchell is continuing his odessy into the world of literature. His long-term love of song-writing and performing is also continuing to be recognised.

Dr Peter Mitchell pictured beside his book jacket

Now some of his passions are coming together with his inclusion on the program for the Sydney Writers' Festival program on May 19. Dr Mitchell will join former senior CIA operative Glenn Carle and facilitator Simon Longstaff of the St James Ethics Centre for a panel discussion entitled You Want Me To Do What?!.

The former CQUniversity doctoral student will also be speaking and performing his song 'Unbelievable' as part of a Refugee Week event in Newcastle on June 20. In addition, he's booked for an International Congress on Public Administration in Melbourne on September 18-20.

"I've been doing songwriting pretty seriously since I was 15 - I was in a working band in Sydney during the 1980s ... The song that I'll be reprising during Refugee Week was requested because I sang it for the Kosovar refugees back in 1999 and the story that I wrote about it features in my Compassionate Bastard book," Dr Mitchell says.

The supervisor for Dr Mitchell's PhD, Professor Donna Lee Brien says his journey since graduation shows the feedback provided by creative writing courses can help people become published authors.

CQUniversity now offers a Graduate Certificate in Creative Industries and  Master of Creative Enterprise (Creative Practice). LINK HERE and HERE for writing subjects available.

Also LINK HERE to the Idiom 23 Literary Magazine         

 Also LINK HERE re the annual Writers' Workshop on North Keppel Island

Also LINK HERE for Peter's own creative website

CQUniversity researcher Heather Nancarrow* is among Queensland Domestic Violence Services Network members who have applauded David Gallop for stating ‘a conviction involving violence against women is an issue that we take extremely seriously'.

The network members say 'now we need to see that sentiment put consistently into action with a ban on players who perpetrate violence against women'.

The Queensland Domestic Violence Services Network has made the following statement commending the National Rugby League for its stance against domestic and family violence in the recent Robert Lui case:

"Robert Lui is a talented rugby league player who was charged with nine counts of assault against his pregnant girlfriend after the Mad Monday celebrations of his former club, Wests Tigers, last year.  Tigers released Lui from his contract after the assault.

"It is also heartening to see the media coverage of this incident.  The initial tentatively congratulatory tone, which focused on Lui's move to the North Queensland Cowboys, has been replaced with a more balanced coverage condemning violence against women.

"This cultural shift is mainly due to the leadership shown by people such as David Gallop, chief executive of the NRL who was quoted as saying ‘Every case needs to be taken on its merits, but a conviction involving violence against women is an issue that we take extremely seriously'; and by Fox Sports rugby league expert and former Australia second-rower, Mark Geye, who said 'Let's put a stamp in the ground - the NRL or the independent commission, whoever's in charge of the game - to say that we don't want any more domestic violence'.

"Catherine Lumby, Journalism and Media Research Centre Director at the University of NSW, who advises the NRL pro bono on gender issues, said: 'We need to take a very dim view of domestic violence as a society'. 

"She's right, we do.  Let's hope this is the start of a cultural shift in all walks of life for the elimination of violence against women."

* Heather Nancarrow is Director of the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research based at CQUniversity Mackay.

Beef Australia says its cattle industry expositions will continue to be held just once every three years, in line with strong views from exhibitors, primary producers and sponsors not to switch to a two-year cycle.

The decision follows two on-line surveys by CQUniversity - one to collect community views and the other to gather feedback from exhibitors and cattle producers - as well as a number of stakeholder interviews, to examine the pros and cons of changing the event to a two-year cycle.

Key results are available on the Beef Australia website, http://www.beefaustralia.com.au/

Beef Australia expositions are the biggest and most comprehensive cattle industry events in the country. They are held in the ‘beef capital' of Rockhampton, with the next event due to run from May 7-12 this year.

The results of the survey have been delivered to the Beef Australia board, which has supported the recommendation to retain the event on the three-year cycle it has followed since inception in 1988.

"The results of CQUniversity's survey are clear and the Beef Australia board has agreed that the 10^th Beef Australia exposition will be held from May 4-9, 2015," Beef Australia chairman Geoff Murphy said.

CQUniversity's Director of the Centre for Environmental Management, Professor John Rolfe, oversaw the research with co-investigators Associate Professor Kristy Richardson and Latisha Mace. They examined questions including how frequently people attend Beef Australia events, their motivations for doing so, reasons why people do not attend, and the likelihood of visitors, producers, sponsors and exhibitors participating if the event was held every two years.

The surveys and interviews revealed strong feelings against a biennial pattern but little evidence of passionate support for a biennial event.

The key reasons identified against a switch to a biennial exhibition were that the event may lose its uniqueness or suffer reduced sponsorship; some trade exhibitors and stud stock breeders would reduce their time commitments to exhibit at the event; stud stock breeders may not have enough time to change the genetic base in their herd; and the focus of the event may change more towards an ‘entertainment' event rather than an exhibition focused on beef.

CQUniversity MBA graduate Ramesh Anthony maintains diversified portfolios for his clients, in his role as an investment advisor in capital markets for a stock broking firm based in Sri Lanka...

However, it was his own diversified achievements which convinced the Australian Alumni Excellence Awards judges to award him with a Merit Award for 2012, following his Outstanding CQUniversity Alumini Award for 2011.

Ramesh Anthony is congratulated by Trade Commissioner Tom Calder, Acting High Commissioner Sonya Koppe and Deepa Mathews, CQUniversity's South Asia Regional Manager

Ramesh recently received his latest award during a ceremony in Sri Lanka, officiated over by the Australian Trade Commissioner and Acting Australian High Commissioner.

Despite working in the high-flying world of banking and finance, Ramesh also provides financial and resource support for underprivileged children, and does community work for a local church.

He promotes Australian education and the benefits of being an alumnus, while encouraging Sri Lankan students to overcome challenges to pursue higher learning.

Ramesh continues his own professional development as a member of the Financial Services Academy of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka. He started his career in banking, before moving into fund management and then stock broking.

Ramesh receives his award in 2011 from Peter Linford, the Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner - South Asia

CQUniversity Creative Industries* student Lyn Taylor has been selected among 20 photo award finalists to be part of an exhibition at the Queensland Centre for Photography (QCP) Window Gallery in South Brisbane from April 1-29.

Based on the Sunshine Coast, Lyn is entered in the Queensland Festival of Photography Portrait Prize. The overall winner will be announced on day one of the exhibition.

LINK for more details on QCP

A thumbnail of Lyn's image chosen for the exhibition

Lyn found out about the QCP while studying a Diploma of Photo-Imaging through Sunshine Coast TAFE.

"We were exposed to exhibitions and contemporary photographic practice that inspired and excited me," she says.

"I determined that on leaving TAFE I would not only continue to pursue my photographic art-based practice but that I would enter industry competitions to expose myself to external feedback.

Lyn Taylor

"I was very excited to learn that I was one of the 20 finalists."

* The Graduate Certificate in Creative Industries is aimed primarily at creative and performing arts practitioners and others in creative arts industries wishing to extend their capacity to operate professionally in the creative industries in professional and creative roles.

Around 40 members of the Mackay community attended a recent 'Thank you for Your Support' event to acknowledge the support given to CQUniversity by alumni, donors and members of CQCircle, showing there is a strong interest in engaging with the University.

The purpose of the event is to continue to build relationships with alumni in the Mackay area, and to acknowledge the continued support from donors and members of CQCircle.

CQCircle is a community relations program which acknowledges the special relationship or contribution made to the University, by volunteers, long serving staff, donors, honorary awardees, and others who have a strong connection with the University.

Geoff Fleming, Steven Tye and Mayor Col Meng attend the CQUniversity Supporters event.

Donor Prize and Scholarship Coordinator at CQUniversity Tamsen Clifford-Banks said she hoped the program would assist the University to continue building relationships with its community members.

"Alumni, donors and members of CQCircle are invited to special events on campus each year and are provided with information from time to time to be kept abreast of new developments and achievements across all of our campuses, and to keep communication channels open."

"The program will acknowledge those who have had, and continue to have a connection with the University, no matter how long ago or how recently their connection began," Ms Clifford-Banks said.

Alumni Relations Manager, Anthea Cuddihy said a number of alumni who attended the event were also prize donors.

 "These alumni are using their own success to support students studying on the Mackay campus. Alumni also can help steer the direction of the University by giving feedback from their community," Ms Cuddihy said.

"These relationships are very important to the institution."

Pro-Vice Chancellor (Community & Engagement) and Head of Campus Mackay, Professor Pierre Viljoen said the program gave the University an opportunity to thank its supporters, past and present.

 "We aspire to become Australia's most engaged University and through this program we hope to honour our current and future relationships with members of our community - something that is a high priority for us at this campus."

Enjoying a chat are Anthea Cuddihy, Carmel Daveson, Julie Boyd and Cr Di Hatfield.

     
Ralph Johnson, Kim Gebers and Roanna Brady enjoy catching up at the CQUniversity Alumni and Supporters event.  

A bumper period of success continues for CQUniversity's Professor Brenda Happell with the news that she is having an award named after her.

The Australian College of Mental Health Nurses (ACMHN) has created 'The Brenda Happell Award' for the best presentation at its annual Consultation-Liaison Special Interest Group Conference at Melbourne in June.

Professor Brenda Happell

Professor Happell is an ACMHN Fellow and has served on the Board of Directors. ACMHN says the award was created to acknowledge her contribution to mental health nursing and her support of novice researchers and publishers.

The latter element of the acknowledgement echoes Professor Happell's recent graduation day recognition, with a Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research Higher Degree Supervision.

A few months ago, the academic leader was announced as CQUniversity's Engaged Research Chair for Mental Health Nursing.

Around the same time, an analysis of research citations published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing showed Professor Happell ranking in the 'top three' among Australia's leading nursing academics.

Professor Happell continues her role as Editor of the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. the world's highest ranked mental health nursing journal.

The active researcher has a distinguished academic career that includes more than 180 research publications, as well as books and book chapters. She has worked as a consultant to the World Health Organisation and has an impressive list of national and international keynote speaker invitations.

CQUniversity has pledged to partner with industry and community networks to help the Bowen/Whitsunday region prepare for growth sustained by industrial development and port expansions.

The University intends to create a strategic partnership with the Whitsunday Industrial Workforce Development (WIWD) Steering Committee*, and will also work with the wider community.

Professor Nik Babovic

A key goal is to tailor education and training availability to create a skilled local workforce able to tap into opportunities that will be emerging.

CQUniversity is keen to offer its capacity for program delivery and research to find solutions for future regional skill shortages and workforce development needs to both the local industrial sector as well as companies engaged in the large industrial and resources development projects underway and planned for the region.

CQUniversity programs may also give local industries opportunities to tap into student placements through their Work Integrated Learning ( WIL) programs.

A MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) explores the option for CQUniversity to be involved with a customised Careers Information Centre and a 'study hub' presence within Bowen, drawing on regular visits by University staff.

University representatives will also engage with diverse sectors of the Bowen/Whitsunday communities and contribute to WIWD working groups, leading to wider collaborations, capacity building, learning and knowledge transfer.

The CQUniversity business development team will coordinate educational solutions for individual companies, to meet the needs of industry stakeholders and also the regional workforce development needs identified through WIWD.

CQUniversity spokesperson  Professor Nik Babovic says that, by actively engaging with and assisting industry, business and the wider community, the University is keen to establish itself as a recognised provider of vocational and higher education services.

WIWD spokesperson Colin Thompson says there is a window of opportunity of only a few years for the region to prepare for the next phase of industrial development.

Mr Thompson says WIWD recognises CQUniversity's experience of already working within communities facing similar needs and demands resulting from industrial expansion and resources development and their focus on tailor-making educational solutions is welcome.

* WIWD is under the auspices of enterprise whitsundays  

Sixty-five engineering students converged on Rockhampton Campus this week to report on their 'placements' at work sites throughout Queensland. Many were still wearing their hi-vis safety shirts and work boots.

As part of the 'Co-op' program, students complete two six-month placements with relevant employers as an integral part of their degree.

They not only get paid, but the placements often lead to extra work in holiday periods and early offers of employment.

This week's presentations came from students enrolled in the mechanical, civil and electrical streams. They returned from work sites at Mackay, Yeppoon, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Emerald, Rolleston, Nebo, Glenden, Dysart, Blackwater, Curragh Mine, Brisbane, Maroochydore, Middlemount, Tarong Power Station, Nanango and Cairns.

A rainy day could not dampen the enthusiasm of some of the students gathering for their work placement presentations, including L-R Martin Grieve, Brodie Pitman, Maxwell Parker, Stephanie Veldhuis and Brendan Davey

Brian Maguire was 16 years old when he witnessed an accident, which got him thinking about becoming a paramedic.

"I saw a kid get hit by a bus and I felt like I should have known more about how to help," he said.

Professor of Paramedic Science Brian Maguire

Three decades on, Brian has not only worked as a paramedic in New York. He's also served as a hospital administrator, educator, author and consultant for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as well as for numerous public health departments, and state and local governments in the areas of bioterrorism, pandemic and disaster preparedness.

Now based in Australia, Professor Maguire has started a new career phase as Professor of Paramedic Science at CQUniversity, and he retains his role as Chair of the Network of Australasian Paramedic Academics (NAPA). 

He notes that Australian paramedics have good opportunities to transfer for professional development, as there are only a dozen or so paramedic agencies around the country, contrasting with the 15,000 agencies spread across the USA.

Dean of Medical and Applied Sciences Professor Grant Stanley said Professor Maguire developed one of the first undergraduate distance education programs in health administration in the United States, in the mid-1990s, and was the director of a graduate leadership program for a decade.

"Brian holds a doctoral degree in public health from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and a master's degree in health administration from Central Michigan University.

"He is an Australian-American Senior Fulbright Scholar and has been a university faculty member since 1994.

"His publications include articles and book chapters in the areas of policy, management, occupational injuries, clinical care and disaster preparedness.

"For two decades he worked in the New York City health care system as a hospital administrator, agency president, educator, operations supervisor and paramedic.

"Brian is also a pilot, Tae Kwon Do instructor, marathon runner and avid photographer."

Dozens of employers and more than 500 students attended CQUniversity's latest Student Careers Fair on Rockhampton Campus this week...

LINK here for a list of exhibitors

CQUniversity's School of Creative and Performing Arts has released its Calendar of Events for 2012, proving it's set to be a cracker year for musical, theatre and art shows across regional Queensland.

Major productions include the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels production in Mackay, Radar of the Lost Art in Rockhampton, Sarah Court and Matthew Marshall in Bundaberg and the Retrovert Concert Series in Noosa, plus many more performances, concert series and school productions along the way.

CQ Conservatorium of Music students are proud of the Performing Arts calendar for 2012 and encourage people to phone for a copy

The Dean of the School of Creative and Performing Arts, Professor Matthew Marshall said performing arts had been well received in Queensland and the programs were proving more popular, with events being held across four CQUniversity campus footprints.

"Building on the success of the 2011 events program, we have an enhanced calendar this year with events extending to four CQUni campuses in Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg and Noosa," Professor Marshall said.

The featured artwork on the calendar, Social Butterflies - Ashley Holmes 2010 Multiple Digital Image Synthesis, Giglee Print on Canvas

"In addition to our regular music, theatre and art shows, we have collaborative events with community organisations in Mackay and Rockhampton as well as in conjunction with our partner Sunshine Coast TAFE at Noosa."

Professor Marshall said the quality of performances were a reflection of the hard-working staff and students within the School of Performing and Creative Arts and encouraged community support for the upcoming year.

 "As usual our events calendar is an important way of showcasing the excellent work being done by the staff and students of the School, as well as international visiting artists and we would be grateful for as much public support as possible."

The featured artwork on the calendar, Social Butterflies is from the CQUniversity Art Collection and is a digital image created by Dr Ashley Holmes, Senior Lecturer in Multimedia.

An electronic copy of the calendar is available for distribution and printed copies will be distributed in coming weeks.

For a copy of the events calendar, or for information about any of the events, please contact the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music on 4940 7800.

Calendar highlights are also available via http://uninews.cqu.edu.au/UniNews/listEvents.do

Fresh from launching its new postgraduate courses in Project and Program Management, CQUniversity is welcoming a fresh focus on project management in Gladstone.

The Project Management Institute (PMI) will establish a Gladstone chapter during a meeting in the Harbour City on April 23. Further details are available via r.kinslow@cqu.edu.au or 07 4970 7282.

CQUniversity offers Project and Project Management courses via a blend of face-to-face learning and distance education, providing practicing project managers and directors with the ‘hard' skills to run projects in the most challenging environments.

The Project Management Institute is a worldwide professional association with chapters in Australia. It aims to advance the practice, science and profession of project management.

When Western Australia's Melanie Smith was considering graduation venue options, she decided to have a 'bit of an adventure' and celebrated in Singapore...

"After all, the flights are just as close as if I had headed for the east coast of Australia to graduate," she says.

VC Scott Bowman with Melanie Smith and her mum Shelley, after CQUni's Singapore graduation ceremony

After completing a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) by distance education, Melanie enjoyed being among the 25 students involved in CQUniversity's recent Singapore graduation.

Her proud mum Shelley Smith (herself a Professional Doctorate graduate of CQUniversity) was also able to attend, and both were welcomed to the alumni dinner after the ceremony.

Melanie started her career in hospitality before progressing into hospitality recruitment, and she decided to re-enrol after a break in her studies.

"I initially enrolled in Psychology at CQUni by distance education because I was living in Darwin and knew I wanted to move back to WA at some point in the next 12 months, and didn't want to have to keep changing universities and losing credits as I moved around."

"My husband and I recently bought the winery at Rivendell Estate*. He handles the wine production and wholesale while I look after the cellar door tastings and retail side of the business."

Melanie says she hopes to use her psychology skills in future career moves 'down the track', but for now the winery is the focus.

* Rivendell is a large estate with a lot of different stakeholders including restaurant, accommodation and land development. The website is http://www.rivendellwinery.com.au/

ALSO LINK TO CQUniversity Singapore enters new era, appoints new CEO

School-age musicians from the Rockhampton area are gaining high quality ensemble training in jazz and contemporary popular music, with a form of tuition not readily available in most school music programs.

They are attending the Conservatorium Academy, a centre for creative and performing arts training, located at CQUniversity Rockhampton Campus.

The Academy students will be performing alongside Bachelor of Music students at concerts throughout the year,

including a Kanga-Grooves concert from 7.30pm on March 30 at the Building 5 Courtyard on Rockhampton Campus.

Academy participants who are part of the 2012 program

Drawing on the resources of the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music (CQCM), the program caters for singers, saxophonists, trumpeters, trombonists, pianists, guitarists, bassists, drummers and other instrumentalists.

Conservatorium Academy students have the chance to perform through regular concerts and special events in the Rockhampton region.

Dean of Creative and Performing Arts Professor Matthew Marshall says "we provide a safe, educational and recreational environment, with high-energy, fun classes taught in a friendly and encouraging atmosphere".

"Operating out of our fully equipped studios and teaching spaces, students have access to professional facilities, and outstanding teachers and tutors."

Were the domestic lives of Aussie women of the 1950s and early 1960s more attuned to CWA scones and roasts or Cordon Bleu cuisine?

CQUniversity researcher and oral historian Jill Adams is keen to find out.

Researcher and oral historian Jill Adams and Professor Donna Lee Brien chat about the Dione Lucas Cookbook

For her PhD thesis, Ms Adams is keen to chat with women who attended cooking classes and/or demonstrations in the 1950s and early 1960s; in particular those who saw demonstrations by visiting American chef Mrs Dione Lucas.

"I am keen to talk to anyone who may have been to any of Dione Lucas' demonstrations and would ask people to contact me on 0431 038 810 if they have any memories of her."

"I am also interested in talking to women who ran homes in the 1950s and early 1960s to find out what cookbooks they used and how they used them ... and of course their memories of cooking during that time."

Ms Adams, whose PhD research is supervised by Professor Donna Lee Brien, says culinary nostalgia would have us believing that the 1950s in Australia was dominated by Country Women's Association jams and preserves, roast lamb and sponge cakes.

In fact, many Australian women had more exotic tastes and thousands of them flocked to Dione Lucas' cooking-as-art demonstrations in Melbourne and Sydney in 1956, 1958 and 1960.

"Mrs Lucas had a TV cooking show in America in the 1940s and Americans watched her deft-fingered cooking techniques on TV every day," Ms Adams says.

Researcher and oral historian Jill Adams with the Dione Lucas Cookbook

"Her demonstrations promised to give Australian housewives hints on careful shopping and transforming simple ingredients, such as rabbit, into culinary masterpieces.

"An estimated 4000 women saw her demonstrate at David Jones in Sydney either in person or on one of the 100 TV sets positioned around the store. At Myer Emporium in Melbourne a special demonstration kitchen was constructed and Dione's demonstrations could be seen at 24 locations around the store, including Myer's window."

Ms Adams says Dione Lucas was the perfect person to demonstrate cooking in Australia in the 1950s.

"She was born in Britain and spoke with an English accent studded with Americanisms. She trained at Cordon Bleu in Paris and she had a very popular TV cooking show in America, and ran a restaurant and cooking school in New York.

"She had cooked for British Royalty and American celebrities. She was slim, attractive with long brown hair tied in a bun and a very experienced teacher and cookery presenter."

Ms Adams does have an affinity with the story she is researching, as she also trained as a Cordon Bleu chef, including travelling to Paris in the late 1970s for an intensive course (her nickname was Kangourou). She worked in the UK as a 'cordon bleu cook' and even cooked for royalty at Kensington Palace.

Ms Adams ran a successful café and cooking school in Melbourne and later on, became the national barista trainer for Lavazza coffee, and set up a successful coffee training centre in Melbourne for William Angliss Institute. She has written a number of books including a cookbook.

CQUniversity's new Discipline Leader for Podiatry Katrina Reynolds was once the spokesperson for her profession in the Sydney media market, dealing with radio interviews, online chat and magazine articles on behalf of the Podiatry Association of NSW.

Now Katrina, who has over 20 years of clinical podiatry experience, is establishing the Bachelor of Podiatry Practice degree based on Rockhampton Campus.

Discipline Leader for Podiatry Katrina Reynolds

Podiatrists are healthcare practitioners involved in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders of the feet and lower limbs. They deal with all ages, from children through to elderly people.

"Diabetes is one major chronic health condition that can cause a number of serious complications which affect the foot and lower limb," Katrina says.

"Diabetes can affect the feet in two ways: it can reduce blood circulation and can also damage the nerves in the feet. Not all people with diabetes develop problems, but good foot care can help people with diabetes to avoid problems. People should have their feet checked regularly by a podiatrist to detect problems early - that is the key."

The new Bachelor of Podiatry Practice program at CQUniversity will utilise the new onsite health clinic, as well as incorporating rural and remote communities by embedding student placement opportunities throughout Central Queensland and beyond. Students will need to complete 1000 hours of clinical experience to be eligible to practice.

Katrina says podiatry has evolved into a much-needed area of allied health.

"I'm keen to ensure the profession of podiatry advances well through facilitating positive clinical teaching practices for our students," she says.

The Rotary Club of Mackay North has shown its support for education in the Mackay region by providing two $1000 scholarships for future CQUniversity students.

The scholarships are available to those who wish to study in the area of education, health or engineering.  

Professor Pierre Viljoen (left) and Professor Scott Bowman (right) with Rotary Club member Alan Woodhead (second from left) and Rotary Club President Chris Bijsterveld

Club President Chris Bijsterveld said members were inspired to develop the scholarships following last year's Rotary conference, where Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman had spoken about the importance of education.

"Professor Bowman explained that even $1000 could make a huge difference to a student and we decided that it was something that the club would like to become involved with," Mr Bijsterveld said.

"It also aligns with Rotary's aim to promote education, youth development and health worldwide."

Mr Bijsterveld said he was looking forward to working with CQUniversity and local students in making tertiary education more accessible to students in the region. 

"We collect money from our local community so we are looking forward to helping out prospective Mackay students by awarding them this scholarship."

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Community & Engagement) & Head of Campus in Mackay, Professor Pierre Viljoen said it was wonderful to see community groups like Rotary helping out future students in the Mackay region.

"These scholarships will go a long way for students who may need help buying textbooks, paying for travel to campus each day or even just with the everyday expense of University," Professor Viljoen said.

"We really appreciate the generous support of the Rotary Club of Mackay North and their willingness to help those in the Mackay region gain more from higher education."

For more information on the scholarships, contact the Office of Development and Graduate Relations on 4923 2786. 

Lauren Newman has always been keen to travel the world but only recently settled on a career path enabling her to work almost anywhere.

The former Emmaus College (Rockhampton) senior was proud to be part of last year's inaugural intake for the Bachelor of Paramedic Science degree.

Lauren Newman in the Paramedic Science labs

"All through high school I loved studying biology; the human body more so than plants and animals," she says.

 "When I found out that the paramedic program was being introduced into CQUniversity I thought it would be a great way to study human anatomy as well as graduate with a degree that I can take anywhere in the world."

Lauren says she is really enjoying the degree so far.

"I'm so glad I chose to do it, The lecturers are great; they are always happy to help and are so keen to get us out on the road and to see us succeed as the first cohort for Paramedic Science.

"As the days go on I get that little bit more excited to get out there and start working as a paramedic."

Lauren managed to satisfy a little of her wanderlust recently by volunteering to work in Fiji with a company called VESA - Volunteer Eco Students Abroad. She helped repaint a school, installed new water tanks and a compost bin, replanted an unstable hill and taught the local children about hygiene.

CQUniversity's Bachelor of Paramedic Science opens up opportunities to have an exciting and rewarding career in emergency care. The program is designed to provide graduates with the skills and knowledge to practice and deliver emergency pre-hospital medical and trauma care. Paramedics assess patient condition, decide on and deliver appropriate emergency treatment designed to stabilise the patient, and then assign patient care to other members of the health team.

The first year of the program provides foundation knowledge in sciences, human body systems, study and research skills and paramedic practice.  Years two and three focus on disease processes and their emergency treatment, with practical placements in paramedic care where students work closely with paramedics and respond to ‘real-life' emergency situations.

CQUniversity's program includes 14 weeks of integrated work placements with the Queensland Ambulance Service, providing the opportunity to experience working as a paramedic and to directly apply skills and knowledge learned in the classroom to real-life situations. The program is available via distance education, either part-time or full-time allowing students to balance study with their work and family commitments.

As well as being suitable for those with no prior knowledge or industry experience, the program is also designed for those working currently in the ambulance service who wish to formalise, upgrade and/or refresh their knowledge and skill in paramedic science.

LINK HERE for more details

Having grown up using natural medicine, Taryn Romain felt immediately drawn to the Bachelor of Science (Chiropractic) and Master of Chiropractic Science at CQUniversity Mackay.

Ms Romain wants to share her positive experiences in natural medicine with others and, upon completion of her studies, hopes to incorporate Applied Kinesiology to assist mothers and their babies during and after pregnancy.

Taryn Romain is looking forward to studying Chiropractic Science at CQUniversity Mackay this year

"I feel I overlooked studying a natural health profession at first as I was so used to being around it," Ms Romain said.

"I thought everyone's parents took them to see a Chiropractor when they were sick. I grew up seeing a Chiropractor and I have known no other life."

The former Griffith University journalism graduate may well have taken a very different career path if CQUniversity hadn't offered Chiropractic courses in Mackay this year.

"The other universities could not offer all the attractions this new course does, which includes small classes (one-on-one time with Professor Ebrall), brand new state of the art equipment and a course that was designed by Professor Ebrall to ensure we get more class time and are in a far more advanced position (in the way of knowledge) than any other student from a different university."

With a full-time schedule and hard work ahead of her, Ms Romain said she is looking forward to the challenge.

"Though the course is extremely full on it is sweetened by the fact that we are already in prac rooms and practising patient assessment tasks."

Bundaberg-based academic Professor Helen Huntly was captain of her local Kepnock High and a Rotary Study Girl competition winner back in the 1970s.

She recently experienced a 'full circle' moment when called upon to help judge a Lions Youth of the Year competition. The winner, Amy Collins, is the school captain of Kepnock High School this year.

"I have a long association with Lions and this competition in particular, acting as judge on many occasions," Helen says.

LINK ALSO to Professor guest for International Women's Day function

Professor Helen Huntly congratulates Lions Youth of the Year winner Amy Collins.

Executive Director of the International Education Association of Australia Phil Honeywood will be the guest speaker at the 2012 Dr Martand Joshi Lecture at CQUniversity Melbourne on March 28...

Mr Honeywood, a former Victorian Minister for Tertiary Education and Training and Multicultural Affairs, will present the lecture titled India - Three Waves of Migration to Australia: Lessons Learnt/Pointers to the Future.

Phil HoneywoodThe annual lecture program has been established to recognise the contribution made by Dr Joshi in promoting international education, intercultural learning and understanding in Australia.

The late Dr Joshi was well regarded for his work in the fields of geochemistry, mineralogy, crystallography and petrology. He was also renowned for his understanding of and associations with numerous cultural, religious, professional and community organisations in his role as Honorary Consul of India in Victoria.

For more details about the lecture contact Sue Robison via s.robinson@mel.cqu.edu.au .

The story of 'the original pop diva' Dusty Springfield will come to the stage at the Pilbeam Theatre in Rockhampton, featuring a cast sprinkled with Uni-linked talent.

Lead performer Amanda Locker, who plays the title role of Dusty, is a Performing Arts and Learning Management graduate.

Amanda Locker (black shirt) with L-R Laura Sinclair, Jacinta Cran, Katie Ross, Georgia Sullivan, Julianne Webster-Scott, Nadene Housman, Melissa Fenlon and Jessica Earle

Other cast members include: Katie Ross (Performing Arts graduate and current Marketing Directorate employee); Laura Sinclair (current Sociology & Literary Studies student); Jacinta Cran (Arts/Education graduate); Julianne Webster-Scott (Marketing graduate); Melissa Fenlon (Music Theatre graduate); Jessica Earle (current Allied Health student); Nadene Housman (Education graduate); and Georgia Sullivan (current Allied Health student).

Dusty is a Rockhampton Regional  Council production. Details  via THIS LINK ...

or by phoning the box office 4927 4111 .

.

Dusty will be staged on:

Friday 23 March at 7.30pm
Saturday 24 March at 7.30pm
Sunday 25 March at 3pm
Friday 30 March at 7.30pm
Saturday 31 March at 7.30pm
Sunday 1 April at 3pm

The first six recipients of the ‘BMC Building My Career' Scholarships were welcomed to Mackay Campus recently by representatives from CQUniversity and BHP Billiton Mitsui Coal Pty Ltd (BMC).

The scholarship entitles the students to free accommodation and three meals a day at the new student residence. This support is worth $60,000 to $80,000 per student for the duration of their studies.

Scholarship recipients L-R top Tania Kerr, Daneal Ronald and Haylee Moran. L-R seated Helena Tramacchi, Bianca Bulst and Kira Ryan

Studying a diverse range of non-mining disciplines including teaching (2), nursing, medical imaging (2), and business/arts, the students come from a wide regional geographic area including Dysart, Middlemount, Sarina, Mackay, Moranbah and Nebo.

Medical Imaging student Kira Ryan completed Year 12 at Mackay North State High School before being offered one of the scholarships to start her term at CQUniversity Mackay Campus. Kira says she had earned some money through tutoring and working in a video store, but the scholarship support was still very welcome.

The students caught up with CQUniversity personnel and the BMC Education Initiative Advisory Group over a casual dinner.

BMC Asset President Michael Rosengren said it was fantastic to see such worthy recipients of the scholarship commence their studies.

Scholarship recipients L-R Daneal Ronald, Helena Tramacchi and Bianca Bulst with VC Prof Scott Bowman, BMC Asset President Michael Rosengren and PVC Prof Pierre Viljoen

"BMC understands that the cost of living is a roadblock to local students choosing to study in non-mining fields," Mr Rosengren said.

"We hope the ‘BMC Building My Career' Scholarships will encourage young people to remain in Mackay to study and upon completion of their studies, use their skills to benefit the region."

Applications for are now open for the 2013 ‘Building My Career' Scholarships.

Year 12 students from the Mackay, Isaac or Whitsunday regions wishing to study at CQUniversity  Mackay in a non-mining field are encouraged to apply.

Please visit www.cquni.edu.au/bmc for an application form.

Gladstone is set to host its third CAMM event in three years, helping businesses, industries and organisations extract the maximum performance and value from their assets.

The Conference on Asset and Maintenance Management 2012 will once again be hosted at CQUniversity Gladstone on May 4, with lead-up workshops on 'Asset Management' on May 2 and 'Reliability' on May 3.

The conference venue - the Leo Zussino Building at CQUniversity Gladstone

Registration forms are available via g.chattopadhyay@cqu.edu.au or 07 4970 7602.

Last year, around 130 delegates participated, representing power generation, railways, process industries, regional council, mining, ports, consulting and many other industries, professional bodies including Asset Management Council, Engineers Australia and Australian Society of Operations Research, and universities including CQUni, Swinburne, Griffith and QUT, as well as government and wider community representatives.

Conference Chair Gopinath Chattopadhyay says there are numerous examples every year of outstanding achievement by academics, researchers, consultants, students and sponsoring industries in the best practices, research and application in related disciplines.

"These examples are of such high value that it is to the advantage of industry and universities to make the results available to a wider community," he says.

Keynote speakers for 2012 include Glen Schumacher (Improving the bottom-line using Leadership in Asset Management); John Abbott (Improving shareholder value through Asset Management); and Ajay Kapoor (Wheel-Rail Interface Management).

Professor Chattopadhyay (second from left) with key participants during the 2011 event 
Networking is a strong feature of the CAMM program

As a founding member of the Regional Universities Network, CQUniversity has welcomed RUN's new website launched this week.

Six of Australia's regional universities recently announced the formation of this collaborative university network to boost the profile of regional tertiary education.

As well as CQUniversity, the foundation members include Southern Cross University, University of Ballarat, University of New England, University of Southern Queensland and University of the Sunshine Coast.

LINK HERE to reach the new RUN website (available after the 11am launch today) which has been developed using input from all six of the member universities. 

Also LINK for RUN welcomes Federal support for regional students and universities

The launch of the dedicated website will greatly assist the Regional Universities Network:

1.       To provide policy advice to government, particularly with regard to tertiary education and regional development.

2.       To strengthen and promote the contributions of regional universities to regional and national development.

3.       To build institutional capacity and sustainability through the sharing of best practice in educational delivery, training, research and organisational management, particularly with reference to regional contexts.

Photographer Peter Lawrence was on hand to profile the match between Rockhampton Roller Derby and the Mackay Roller Maidens at the CQ Community Sports Centre on Rockhampton Campus over the weekend. Mackay was the winner in front of 300 spectators.

Congratulations to Nursing graduate Jacqueline Leleu who has been selected to serve on the FIFA referees' executive committee.

She's one of only four women on the committee from around the world and is serving on the 'development' section. This month (March 24) Jacque will travel to Zurich for a committee meeting.

Jacqueline Leleu ... juggling work, study and sport

Jacque juggles her career as a top* women's football (soccer) referee with her work in the chemotherapy unit at the Rockhampton Base Hospital. She recently completed her graduate certificate in cancer nursing.

Apart from her FIFA role, Jacque is looking forward to playing soccer for her local team - Bluebirds - this year, as well as continuing as a referee.

* At the Women's World Cup in America in 2003, Jacqui refereed the bronze-medal play-off between America and Canada. At the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, she refereed the semi-final between the top two ranked teams in the world - USA and Germany. She also officiated during the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.

CQUniversity Dean of Education Professor Helen Huntly is pictured with solicitor Bronwny Zelinski and Councillor Lynne Forgan, fellow guest speakers at an International Women's Day function in Bundaberg recently.

Helen was the guest of the Bundaberg Branch of the Justice of the Peace organisation, and shared her insights about the origins of International Women's Day, and her own professional growth, from secondary teacher to university academic.

The function was well-attended and gave local women (and men) an opportunity to ‘share their stories', the theme of this year's local event.

The Finkelstein Media Inquiry Report represents a significant milestone in media debate in this country, coming as it does at a critical time for both the industry and the media profession. 

That's according to CQUniversity's Professor Denis Cryle who says that, far from being the 'squib' it was anticipated to become, the recently released report has taken on board the broad concerns of the Convergence Review in its attempt to bring existing regulators under the banner of a single entity, to be named the News Media Council. 

Professor Denis Cryle

"It finally says what many in the industry and in public have been thinking; that the Australian Press Council has not been effective in monitoring journalistic standards," Professor Cryle says. 

"While referring to the situation overseas, it does not rest its case for statutory regulation on the British News of World scandals; rather it documents local issues and demonstrates a sound up-to-date grasp of current economic realities.

"Its current 'bad press' in the national media is largely undeserved and uninformed, but its influence will endure, with the capacity to inform an anticipated report by the Productivity Commission."

Professor Cryle says that, while academic in tone and in the depth of its scholarship, the Finkelstein Report has also benefitted from the assistance of an experienced journalist, Professor Matthew Ricketson.

"Consequently, it is not so much about censuring as preserving good journalism, notably the investigative journalism which flourished in Australia from the 1980s and is now at risk of decline from cut-backs and loss of advertising revenue to internet competitors.

"Nor has it shied away from the loss of local information and news services in regional Australia, proposing subsidies for the small but active community radio sector, while acknowledging the limitations of imposing licence conditions on regional networks.

"Whether the Commonwealth government will provide the funding to support its changes, independent of the industry, or work with industry to improve the situation remains to be seen, but for the moment, it is the media Inquiry report, rather than the critical reportage it has attracted which is setting a new agenda."

An international tourism expert has become the first Adjunct Professor in Sustainable Tourism at CQUniversity Australia.

Dr Thomas Bauer has substantial international experiences, qualifications and reputation as a leading sustainable tourism researcher, educator, investor and tourism operator.

Adjunct Professor in Sustainable Tourism Dr Thomas Bauer

Professor Roger March, Dean of CQUniversity's School of Management and Marketing, welcomed the appointment "as we develop our new tourism degrees and tourism course throughout our network of campuses in Australia and Singapore, as well as for a growing number of distance education students located all over the world'.

LINK HERE for details on CQUniversity's Tourism programs

Adjunct Professor Bauer recently completed a 12-year posting as Assistant Professor in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, contributing to that University's leading Asian and second position in world terms for scholarly publications. He has now has returned to his family business interest based at Dundee Park Academy near Mission Beach, Queensland.

The new appointee said he was excited with his new relationship at CQUniversity-Australia*.

"I look forward to contributing to the development of CQUni's links with academic, industry, government and international agencies, assisting in postgraduate research supervision and collaboration with CQUniversity academics on research projects and joint publications under the CQUni brand," he says.

Dr Bauer's extensive university teaching and research publications work, along with wide-ranging cross cultural consultancies and professional practice, have seen him address numerous international conferences, lead multi-disciplinary project teams in a number of countries and provide leadership in multi-lateral agencies such as the United National World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), World Vision, Pacific Asia Travel Association, Asia Pacific Education & Training Institute for Tourism (APETIT), and numerous national governments across Asia, the Pacific and Africa. 

He is a leading world authority on tourism in Antarctica, and since 2003 he has been a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, London. He retains strong linkages with the tertiary education sector in China as Honorary Professor at the Shanghai Institute of Tourism and as Guest Professor at the Central South University of Forestry and Technology. As a senior advisor to the International Centre for Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education (http://www.the-ice.org/) Dr Bauer will be able to mentor CQUni efforts for international benchmarking and accreditation of its new tourism related degrees.

At CQUniversity, Adjunct Professors are a high honour appointment enabling the University to optimise significant links with industry, the professions and the wider community. Adjunct Professors receive the privileges of a full-time academic staff member, can contribute to postgraduate research supervision, can provide guest lectures from time to time on topics where expertise is relevant to the CQUni community, and provide experienced academic and business knowledge to policy and/or committee input.

* The national and international reputation of teaching and research for Tourism at CQUniversity is at the embryonic stage. Significant new engagements by the small team of tourism academics have substantially lifted the University's profile in the past year, including CQUniversity as the only Australian university member of the Washington DC-based Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), where one full-time senior lecturer is a board member.  With the endorsement of the Australian Government, CQUniversity has been accepted as an affiliate member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, already ‘opening doors' to leading edge tourism research and projects of benefit to faculty, students and the growing international reputation of CQUniversity in the tourism field.

Interim results* from a national sleep survey conducted by bed manufacturer Sealy and CQUniversity looking into the nation's sleep habits have revealed that the vast majority of Australians (97%) wake up tired from their sleep, while just 3% said they feel refreshed.

The majority of Aussies also said that they felt tired throughout the day due to poor sleep (95%) with only 5% stating that they never feel tired.

"Considering how important sleep is and how much time we spend in bed, these results indicate that the majority of us are not sleeping that well," says Sealy's sleep expert Ross Gage.

"With only a month to go before the survey ends, it's key that people have their say now in the Sealy Sleep Census, so we can build an accurate picture of Australian sleep wellness.  Their effort and time will be rewarded with a chance to win a top of the line Sealy Posturepedic - hopefully helping them to sleep better." 

While the majority of respondents recognize that eight hours is the recommended amount of sleep you need to perform at your best, many of us (65%) wake up during the night due to some kind of disturbance.

External noise is a key reason for sleep interruptions, with noisy neighbors and animals, traffic and rain all being listed as causes of disturbance during the night.  A proportion (35%) of the respondents also said they are woken up during the night by their partner, from snoring, going to the bathroom or answering phone calls or emails.

While 26% of respondents said they have called in sick due to lack of sleep, 59% have admitted to their work productivity being affected due to feeling tired, and 19% of respondents said they have fallen asleep at work or during a work meeting.

It's not all bad news, though.  The Census has also unearthed some interesting facts around sleep that may change the way we look at what we do in bed.  For instance:

• - 55% of Australians choose to sleep with a fitted sheet, top sheet and doona combination
• - The most popular activities in bed (aside from sleep and intimacy) are reading (33%), watching TV (19%), organising or folding clothing (18%) and using the computer (12%)
• - 16% of respondents require some help with falling asleep, whether it be via taking supplements or prescribed medication
• - 98% of respondents use some form of technology whilst in bed. Whether it be tv, radio, computer, phones or video consoles
• - 30% of respondents admitted to talking in their sleep, but only 4% said they have been known to sleep walk

The Sealy Sleep Census is open until March 16 and can be completed by going to http://www.sealysleepcensus.com.au/. All completed entries will go into the draw to win a top of the range Sealy Posturepedic Queen size ensemble valued at $5499.

The full Census report is due for publication in early April, with more fascinating findings to be revealed.

* These results are interim findings based on an initial 3000 respondents. The on-going nationally-focused ‘Sealy Sleep Census' is aimed at comprehensively painting a picture of exactly how well Australians are sleeping, sleep habits or rituals, factors affecting sleep and what impact environmental factors are having on our collective sleep wellness.  It is set to be one of the most in-depth studies of its kind undertaken in Australia.

A selection of Aboriginal community art projects is being displayed on Rockhampton Campus.

The Sustaining Connections exhibition will be on show until Friday, March 9.

The exhibition comes in the wake of an initiative involving Link Up (Qld) Aboriginal Corporation and Swinburne University. Training was provided for Aboriginal arts facilitators from a range of urban, regional and remote communities across Queensland so they could work with their local Aboriginal community in a 'connecting art' initiative. 

Locations with high proportions of 'stolen generation' people were prioritised.  Facilitators conducted workshops where Aboriginal people sat together talking, sharing stories and painting images that connected together to produce a whole group image.

This visual sharing and the overall pattern that emerged provided a rare and powerful experience for many participants.

These art works speak volumes and demonstrate the cultural innovation possible when groups come together in respect. The connective art program provided a safe cultural space where many things could be shared and well-being could be facilitated and sustained through deeper human connections.

The mighty Fitzroy River winds through Australia's second largest seaward draining catchment and it's the largest waterway flowing into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.

Data on river health is already collected by 26 organisations at 450 locations throughout the catchment but there's been issues of public confidence all the same.

Fitzroy Basin Association Chair Charlie Wilson welcomes CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowman to the river health partnership

Now there's a new Fitzroy Partnership for River Health to ensure a complete picture, with data shared and integrated, decisions made on good science and a 'report card' to be produced from mid-2013 onwards.

This initiative is hosted by Fitzroy Basin Association and CQUniversity is a major partner, along with major government, community and commercial organisations.

Speakers at the partnership launch variously described the river as a community lifeblood, a grand old lady and a nationally significant resource.

All present welcomed news that almost $1 million will be invested over the next 18 months to create the report card process. This cash investment is backed up with water quality monitoring data from current programs that cost participating organisations more than $3 million collectively.

The new partnership is one of Australia's largest waterway monitoring alliances in terms of organisations involved and catchment size.

Partners shoulder to shoulder after the launch

The Fitzroy Basin is home to 40 of Queensland's 50 coal mining operations, contributing billions of dollars annually to the Australian economy.  Most coal mining companies operating in the basin are involved in the partnership. Major players in the coal seam gas fields have also pledged their commitment.

The catchment is also home to a vast agricultural industry and the partnership includes Cotton Australia and Agforce.

Major partners Fitzroy Basin Association (host organisation), Queensland Government, Peabody Energy, BMA, Rockhampton Regional Council, Anglo American, Santos, Rio Tinto, CQUniversity and Xstrata.

  Partners Jellinbah Resources, Vale, Wesfarmers, Central Highlands Regional Council, Idemitsu, Origin Energy, Stanwell, Isaac Plains Coal, New Hope Coal, Yancoal, Sojitz, CQG Consulting and Cotton Australia.

Associate Partners Australian Government Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Queensland Resources Council, Agforce.

LINK for a larger image 
LINK for a larger image

Prue Farquhar and Lauren Newman are proud to be among the pioneering cohort of students in CQUniversity's Paramedic Science program.

They took a two week break from their studies recently to travel to Fiji with VESA - the Volunteer Eco Students Aboard.

Prue (left) and Lauren (right) with friends made during their trip to Fiji

"We basically lived in a village for a week with the community and the parents of the school we where helping at," Prue says.

"We repainted the school and put in new water tanks and a compost bin. We replanted a hill that had been known for bad mud slides, and we also taught the kids education, mostly about hygiene and our home, and we also played games and had fun with them.

"Then for the second week we toured around some of the islands of Fiji just for a bit of a holiday.  

Prue Farquhar (left) and Lauren Newman in the Paramedic Science labs at CQUniversity Rockhampton 

After much fanfare, the final report of the panel appointed by the Australian Government to review school funding is, overall, a disappointment.  On the positive side, the process of generating the report has fostered much discussion, clarification and increased awareness of the financing of schooling in Australia.

That's according to a specialist in the economics of education, Kevin Gould* of CQUniversity, who notes that a potentially simpler pathway has been ignored.

Kevin Gould - following the school funding debate

"One wonders whether it would have been simpler, quicker and cheaper to meet with State governments at the outset to align their government school funding models and then apply the resultant agreed national standard to non-government schools and sectors with adjustments for private income capacity, Mr Gould notes.

He says the report ties future school recurrent funding to desired student performance levels through a recommended funding model.

"The highlighting of the principle of subsidiarity (local level control) is welcomed for it is undesirable and inefficient for the Federal Government to micro-manage schools around Australia. Unfortunately, however, the Report is deficient is a number of key areas."

Mr Gould says the rationale justifying government involvement in the funding of schools is not fully developed, the panel's task has not been completed, there's insufficient transparency for the report's calculations to be checked, and the report focus is fiscal rather than on real resources (especially teachers).

"Another failing is the logic of the methodology which is flawed because it assumes a connection between extra dollar income and improved educational outcomes.

"It's also flawed because the connection between different levels of spending on non-teaching items and different performances is not established. Further, where is the comparison of resources and income between the chosen reference group of acceptable performers and the group of lowest performers, by sector?"

Mr Gould says a major (perhaps the major) omission in the recommended funding model is the ignoring of senior secondary schooling - years 11 and 12 - and school completion (drop-out) rates. 

"The Report does not address nor resolve each state government's conflict of interest, being both a provider of schools and a regulator of schools, with Department bureaucrats able to move between the two roles.

"Why not extend the application of the principle of subsidiarity to the State level as well?  State governments and their departments attend to all citizens as equal members of society.  Their priority is coordination above provision and management of schools.  Would government schools perform better if they were managed by regional bodies comprising principal representatives and charged with improving educational outcomes?"

Mr Gould says it is not clear what the position of the panel is regarding schools with income much higher than the recommended standard.

"One compromise is for the minimum grant (approximately, $2000 per student) to be given to high SES schools on the condition that it all goes to scholarships for the disadvantaged."

[* Kevin Gould is currently lecturing in Economics at CQUniversity Melbourne Campus. He has been involved with all school sectors, including the design  and application of a funding model for Catholic secondary schools in Victoria, membership of the consulting team advising education ministers about the policy implications of changing enrolment patterns for government schools in Australia, and  foundation principal of an independent senior secondary school in Melbourne and Sydney.]

CQUniversity researchers feature on the seminars program for CQ EXPO, the Central Queensland Transport, Trades and Mining Expo.

Associate Professor Col Greensill will speak on Revolutionising post-schooling education to better meet the unique skills needs of this region.

Associate Professor Nanjappa Ashwath will address Mine Rehabilitation, Professor John Rolfe will speak on the Central Queensland economy and Associate Professor Larelle Fabbro will speak on Water Quality.

CQUniversity will also features in the exhibitor displays for the event, scheduled to be held on March 14-15 at Rockhampton Showgrounds.

Details are available via http://cqexpo.com.au/

Thanks to support from the Bechtel Corporation, CQUniversity Engineering students now have access to the latest equipment to enhance their learning experience.

Some recent funds have enabled CQUniversity to upgrade its existing educational robots, giving first-year Engineering students access to the very latest technology.

L to R - Lego Mindstorm fans Tendai Chadyiwa, Simon Cumming, Fons Nouwens, Marlene Meerkotter and Alain McGregor

The Lego Mindstorms are the next generation in educational robotics and data-logging systems, enabling students to engage in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in a fun and hands-on way.

The robots are very versatile and include a myriad of sensors and functions. They can be programmed by individuals and/or teams to undertake simple tasks, such as moving in response to sound and light commands.

More advanced functions enable students to design renewable energy projects using energy sources such as solar or wind power. They enable teams of students to design, build, program, and test robots.

A close-up of one of the new gadgets

Add-on modules such as gyroscopes, compass, infra-red and temperature sensors allow students to develop creativity and problem-solving skills, along with other important mathematics and science knowledge.

Students also become more skilled in communication, organisation and research, which helps them to prepare for future success in the workplace.

CQUniversity has received funding support from Bechtel Corporation for several years as part of the Bechtel Foundation's initiative to support university-level education.

Hitomi Abe is among a group of Japanese exchange students from Miyagi University of Education who are enrolled at CQUniversity Rockhampton, thanks to an Australian Government tsunami relief fund.

She was working in a bookshop when news came of the tsunami so she and her co-workers fled to the roof of their building. That's where they were trapped for the next three days.

LINK to Japanese students from tsunami zone enjoy chance to visit Rockhampton region

L-R Moe, Miki, Hitomi and Kanna explore Rockhampton Campus

Hitomi's group were thirsty and hungry so some of the men made rafts and went to look for water and food. Eventually boats came to save everyone, but it took many more weeks before water was available for washing and electricity was switched back on.

Moe Konno experienced the frightening earthquake but was studying in an area away from the tsunami wave. Communications went down, stalling updates about who was spared, and the disruption meant it was a full month before she could return to her family home.

Miki Yoshimura was lucky to live in a house away from the seafront but water for washing became scarce and communications were down. Some of her friends lost relatives in the disaster.

Meantime, Kanna Suzuki was in hospital recovering from an operation when the earthquake cut electricity and communications.

"After more than a week I got to see the disaster on TV and I cried. We were not able to access water to have a shower for a week," she said.

The Japanese exchange students have studied at the English Language Centre on campus and are now enrolled in a variety of programs, including literature, Japanese culture, learning management and outdoor pursuits (aquatics).

Japanese students now enrolled at CQUniversity  
LINK for a larger image of the tsunami 
Visiting the lookout at Great Keppel Island

A CQUniversity academic from the School of Commerce and Law, Associate Professor Kristy Richardson recently joined a Schools Constitutional Convention debate in Rockhampton and helped give a perspective on the 'case against Australian becoming a republic'.

Member for Capricornia Kirsten Livermore provided a perspective on the 'case for a republic'.

Associate Professor Kristy Richardson at the Schools Constitutional Convention

Assoc Prof Richardson also provided an overview of the 'minimalist', 'semi-minimalist' and 'direct election' models for republican government.

Ten district schools fielded student teams for the convention held at Rockhampton Showgrounds. Participating students elected delegates to attend a national schools constitutional convention.

CQUniversity has been testing office air-conditioning which works best when the sun is shining brightly.

In what could be a world first, solar heat is used to run a dehumidifier. Drying the air reduces the need to over-cool, saving up to 40% on the power required for conventional systems.

Doctoral candidate Ali Baniyounes and supervisors Associate Professor Mohammad Rasul and Professor Masud Khan

The machinery required is industrial scale and currently unsuitable for domestic houses, but because of mould reduction it's perfect for use in hospitals and libraries.

For example, CQUniversity's Rockhampton Campus library has recently upgraded its humidity control with systems running off rejected refrigeration heat. These library systems could easily be upgradable to run from solar thermal panels.

The team behind the world-leading use of solar heat for dehumidification includes doctoral candidate Ali Baniyounes and supervisors Associate Professor Mohammad Rasul and Professor Masud Khan.

Their system uses a silica gel moisture filter which has a life of 10 years or more, while the machinery should last for more than 20 years.

While the unit being tested at Rockhampton Campus is a small office design, it is scalable for much larger systems.

Equipment at roof level 
Equipment at ground level

CQUniversity's Associate Professor Larelle Fabbro has continued her role helping the Sarina community improve water quality at Middle Creek Dam.

Sarina Landcare Catchment Management Association (SLCMA) recently held an information session at Middle Creek Dam to discuss continued involvement with the local community to improve water quality at the dam.

Assoc Prof Larelle Fabbro

Middle Creek Dam is located at the top of Plane Creek Catchment and has a history of blue-green algae outbreaks. These outbreaks can have detrimental affects on aquatic life both in the dam and downstream.

Assoc Prof Fabbro acted as guest speaker for the morning event, highlighting problems associated with blue-green algae. She also discussed the importance of monitoring blue-green algae outbreaks and the effects of blue-green algae on local ecosystems, human health and animal health.

Stuart Boyd from the Mackay Regional Council Water and Waste Services provided information about monitoring of blue-green algae at the dam and the current closure of the dam to recreational users since December 2011, due to an algae bloom.

The information session was attended by staff from local council and businesses, community members and landholders.

During the morning, SLCMA staff provided information on a new project for the Middle Creek Dam catchment; ‘Landholder engagement and on ground activities for improved water quality', funded through Australian Government Caring for Our Country Program.

The new project complements a previous project delivered by SLCMA, which involved the placement of aquaponic units (floating pontoons) onto the dam to reduce excess nutrients from the water column. The new phase will encourage local landholders to implement sustainable land management practices that will reduce nutrient runoff into the dam, help improve water quality and potentially reduce the incidence of blue-green algae outbreaks.

Attendees were able to see, up close, one of the seven new aquaponic units constructed by Sarina State High School agricultural students. These units will be placed onto the dam in upcoming weeks.

Some forms of blue-green algae can produce toxins which can have both short and long-term effects on the health of humans and animals. Community members are asked to report any instances of the algae outbreaks, which may appear as a ‘green scummy slick on the surface of the water', by phoning Mackay Regional Council on 1300 622 529 or SLCMA on 49 561 388.

This project is funded through Australian Government Caring for our Country Program and is supported by Mackay Regional Council, CQUniversity, Reef Catchments Mackay Whitsunday and Sarina State High School.

The high-profile powerbroker who will be knocking down doors in Parliament House on behalf of regional universities has paid a visit to CQUniversity's Rockhampton and Mackay campuses.

CQUniversity has this week been hosting Dr Caroline Perkins, the new Executive Director of the recently-established Regional Universities Network (RUN), of which CQUniversity is a founding member.

Dr Caroline Perkins and Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowman discuss opportunities and challenges for regional universities

Dr Perkins has been familiarising herself with CQUniversity's ongoing renewal and expansion plans, as well as challenges and opportunities on the horizon.

Her previous role was as a Branch Manager in the Research Division within the Commonwealth Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

Six of Australia's regional universities have announced the formation of a collaborative university network to boost the profile of regional tertiary education. The foundation members of the RUN network are CQUniversity, Southern Cross University, University of Ballarat, University of New England, University of Southern Queensland and University of the Sunshine Coast.

Dr Caroline Perkins meets CQUni Mackay Head of Campus Professor Pierre Viljoen 
Dr Caroline Perkins chats with Professor Pierre Viljoen at Mackay Campus 
Visitor Dr Caroline Perkins is interviewed by a Mackay TV crew

Michael Denton knows the secret to success when organising some of Queensland's biggest and most exciting events. He was at CQUniversity Mackay this week to share his knowledge and experience with others.

‘The Business of Managing Successful Events' was hosted by CQUniversity's Queensland Centre for Professional Development (QCPD), in partnership with Mackay Convention Bureau and ABC Tropical North.

L-R Lyn Forbes-Smith (QCPD), workshop facilitator Michael Denton, Perry Hembury (Volunteering Qld) and Dorne Wallace (QCPD)

Around 35 participants gathered to take part in presentations, discussions, question and answer sessions and group work to build business knowledge and practice when planning and holding events.

Mr Denton has played an integral role in securing many major international events including 2009 ITU Triathlon World Championships, 2003 Rugby World Cup, 2003 Rotary International World Convention, and 2001 Goodwill Games. He has also been the Chief Executive of the successful Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games bid and the Queensland Events Corporation.

Mr Denton said he was happy to be sharing his knowledge with participants from all over the region who were involved with Queensland businesses, organisations and community groups. 

"There is an underlying theme to this seminar which is that all events are a business and in order to host a successful event, you must have a successful business plan," Mr Denton said.

L-R workshop participants Lyn Busk (Moranbah Traders Association), Kym Spandley (Regional Social Development Centre), Gail Hite (Isaac Regional Council), and Viv Coleman (Flaggy Rock)

Now was a better time than ever to be investing in Queensland's growth and energy when it came to event management and planning.

"Between now and 2018, the Queensland State Government will spend around $600 million supporting and promoting the Queensland tourism industry," he said.

"In the same period, it will invest well over $1.5 billion into events and festivals and supporting infrastructure."

Mackay Tourism general manager David Phillips said it was encouraging to see so many interested participants attending the seminar. 

"We are delighted that CQUniversity took on this initiative and Mackay Tourism has come on board to provide funding and sponsorship, along with ABC Tropical North," Mr Phillips said.

"Mackay has enormous potential to host more events. We've got the venues and access to local community but I think it is about having the confidence to do those types of things here rather than jumping on a plane and doing them somewhere else in Queensland."

Workshop participants L-R Corrie Gardner (Whitsunday Sailing Club), Sam Hayward (also from sailing club), Tara Francis (Pathways) and Rebecca Pascoe (Cancer Council)

CQUniversity Mackay's new cohort of Chiropractic Science students gathered to start their degree this week, providing a milestone for the first program of this type available outside a capital city...

Professor Phillip Ebrall gives new chiropractic students Melissa Pope (right) and Theunis Nieuwoudt (left) a taste of what they will learn this year.

Professor of Chiropractic Science Phillip Ebrall says there's a great mix of students, from all walks of life. They are mainly from throughout the CQ region but one student has moved up from Melbourne. With enrolments being finalised, around 15 students are involved.

Professor Ebrall says local support has been impressive, with 30 chiropractors from the Mackay area attending orientation day. The new chiropractic program is being developed with significant input from industry.

He says it's critical that specialised health programs are available to students in regional areas of Australia.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman agrees, saying Queensland has been crying out for a chiropractic course as there is no course in Brisbane or anywhere else in Queensland.

"This will be an exciting addition to Mackay's growing suite of Allied Health programs, including the complementary disciplines of Medical Imaging and Sonography, which will provide professionals to service Queensland's rapidly growing population hotspots," Professor Bowman said.

CQUniversity has pledged to ensure its Chiropractic Science programs will be evidence-based, wellness-focused and fully engaged with external professional accreditation bodies.

Ashley Thomas, Professor Phillip Ebrall and Kylie Parkinson take part in the first week of their Chiropractic Science course

Primary and secondary school students who are interested in music theatre and love to sing and dance are invited to take part in the Conservatorium Academy Music Theatre program for 2012. The Con Academy program provides music theatre classes for primary and secondary school age children in the Mackay district.

Previous participants in the Con Academy program

The classes allow children to explore their talents in drama, singing and dance within the context of music theatre, using the professional theatre facilities at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music (CQCM) on the Mackay Campus of CQUniversity.

Children will also have the opportunity to interact with the visiting professional theatre directors who work with the full-time tertiary students, adding an exciting dimension to the Con Academy classes.

Previous internationally acclaimed music theatre professionals who have worked with students at CQCM Mackay have included Dale Pengelly (Brisbane), Thern Reynolds (Melbourne), John Wregg (Sydney), Chris Horsey (Sydney),  Drew Anthony (Sydney), Peter Cousens (Sydney) and Chloe Dallimore (Sydney).

The classes are led by Kris Brennan, who has tertiary training in music theatre and a passion for all things theatrical. Mr Brennan is enthusiastic about working with the Con Academy and helping children to nurture their talents in this area.

Previous participants in the Con Academy program

This year the classes are on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons: Grades 1 - 4 from 4 - 5pm; Grades 5 - 8 from 5 - 6.30pm and Grades 9 - 12 from 6.30 - 8pm.

There are still limited vacancies in all classes. If you wish your child to enrol, please email academy@cqu.edu.au or phone the Conservatorium office on 4940 7800 to obtain an information booklet and registration form.

One of the Con Academy students from 2011 - Matt Laird

Rockhampton's Spear family came together to celebrate recently as son Jarrod graduated with a Bachelor of Information Technology (Co-op) with Distinction, and picked up a Faculty Medal for academic excellence.

In the same week, daughter Jody started as a first-year student enrolled in the Bachelor of Learning Management degree.

Jarrod Spear celebrates graduation with sister Jody, father Brad and mother Yvonne

Father Brad is a CQUniversity alumnus who completed his own IT degree with Distinction (and a project award) in 1996, and mother Yvonne has worked at the University for more than six years in an administration role.

Also LINK to Video clips help to motivate IT students   Peter sports an award for learning and teaching excellence    Mitch recognised for his healthy research record    After 5 years of study, Matt's arranging 3 or 4 more    Brenda a top supervisor and mentor  Joanne graduates despite facing more than a degree of adversity

Jarrod originally planned to study full-time but he gained full-time work with QR National. His employer supported and accommodated his status as a part-time student.

Throughout his degree, Jarrod also continued his passion for trampoline sports, training and competing at a local, state, national and international level.

He has represented Australia on numerous occasions at world championships and other international events, and is currently Australian champion for Open Men's Double Mini Trampoline.

Mum Yvonne said the Spear clan is 'proud to be a CQUniversity family'.

Two Bundaberg students are off to a flying start with their studies at CQUniversity, thanks to a 2012 Vice-Chancellor's Academic Excellence Scholarship which covers half of their tuition costs for the duration of their degree.

Recipient Aiden Sibley gained an OP2 after studying through the Brisbane School of Distance Education and Kepnock High. He'll put his scholarship to good use while studying towards a Bachelor of Information Technology degree.

Bundaberg Head of Campus Professor Phillip Clift congratulations Aiden Sibley. Proud parents Serena and John Sibley attended the presentation

The other recipient, Carissa Miller, also gained an OP2 through her studies at Shalom College. She's enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing degree.

 
Recipient Carissa Miller (centre) is congratulated by Head of Campus Professor Phillip Clift and Marketing Director Susanne Schick

The Pacific islands are very dependent on the tourism industry for future economic growth. They are also vulnerable to climate change induced impacts due to their reliance on good weather, vulnerable ecosystems, coastal infrastructure and long haul air travel.

CQUniversity's Senior Lecturer in Tourism, Steve Noakes, has just returned from a meeting of the Steering Committee of the Pacific Tourism - Climate Adaptation Project (PT-CAP), a recently completed three-year AusAID International Development Research Award (ADRA).

CQUniversity's Steve Noakes (centre left) with leading world researchers on sustainable tourism, tourism and climate change, and natural hazards

The research project has developed a framework for island tourism destinations to adapt to climate change.

The project was undertaken by a team of collaborative partners from the University of the South Pacific, the Centre for Tourism and Services Research at Victoria University in Melbourne, the Australia-Pacific Tsunami Research Centre and Natural Hazards Research Laboratory at the University of NSW, and the Foundation of the Peoples for the South Pacific.

Mr Noakes, whose PhD research work is in the Pacific Islands, said CQUniversity has a commitment to engaging with national and international researchers and research networks and developing industry linkages.

"Our strong industry linkages in Australia and the Pacific Asia region also help us bring practical teaching to our education approach."

CQUniversity now offers a new Bachelor of Tourism degree, developing in our graduates the knowledge and skills to enter the Australian and international tourism industry. LINK HERE for details

As new students arrived at CQUniversity Emerald Learning Centre for orientation recently, student mentors and centre staff worked overtime to ensure there was no 'fear factor'.

Student mentors assist the new first-year students to settle into University life. They provide a support network to the students to reduce stress as they begin their tertiary education.

Students are welcomed on Orientation Day. LINK for a larger image

The Operations and Project Manager for CQUniversity Emerald, Gai Sypher said that distance student attendance was up this year, with a large cohort of nursing students attending the Orientation Day.

"Orientation is not only a great opportunity for students to become familiar with their campus, local facilities and classmates.  It's also a time to learn essential study skills to help them through their all important first sessions," Ms Sypher said.

"Orientation is also important because it shows students there are lots of people around to help them out.  We try to remove some of the fear associated with starting a new venture and to build their self confidence."

Emerald CQUniversity Learning Centre offers excellent facilities in a small friendly environment and encourages all external students to make use of the services on offer.

LINK for a larger image 
LINK for a larger image

Already well recognised for its sugar, rum, tourism, horticulture and aviation industry, Bundaberg will now be known as a ‘University City' as well.

Bundaberg Regional Council and CQUniversity Australia signed an Accord this week (Feb 28) as a formal expression of their common goals and partnership intentions.

The Accord was signed by L-R Council CEO Peter Byrne, Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman, Mayor Cr Lorraine Pyefinch and Bundaberg Head of Campus Professor Phillip Clift.

The Council pledge includes a commitment to offer three engineering student cadetships, aligned with the introduction of first-year engineering programs at CQUniversity Bundaberg Campus from 2013.

These cadetships will offer financial support for study and vacation employment within the Council operations.

The Accord was signed by Mayor Cr Lorraine Pyefinch and Council CEO Peter Byrne, along with Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman and Bundaberg Head of Campus Professor Phillip Clift.

Professor Clift says it is well documented that regional communities which host university campuses, benefit from enhanced economic, social and environmental outcomes.

Professor Phillip Clift talks about the University City concept

"CQUniversity has pledged to be ‘multi-city' and fully engaged with its communities," he said.

"Meantime, Bundaberg Regional Council's vision includes that it will be ‘connected' with its region."

Mayor Pyefinch says the Accord is a "written expression of the strength of the city-campus partnership, now and in the future".

"In confirming this Accord the parties agree to further the engagement imperative shared by both," she says.

CQUniversity's Information Technology Division (ITD) was delighted to donate 10 computers to the Rockhampton branch of the National Union of Retired Workers, on behalf of the University recently.

ITD's Client Support Manager Owen Osborne and Senior Technology Support Officer Josh Batts were on hand to present NURW President Marion Lawler and several of the branch members with the computers at the NURW headquarters in Rockhampton.

"We are extremely grateful to Professor Bowman and the University for their kind donation which will go a long way to assisting the NURW provide computer lessons for seniors," says Marion. "Keeping up with modern technology and ensuring our minds are kept active are things we are very mindful of. Having CQUniversity assist the NURW with that is just wonderful."

The seniors were also discovering the wonders of computer technology with features such as Skype for chatting with family and friends across the country and the internet for banking and research purposes.

CQUniversity Council Member Tim Griffin OAM was also present to assist the University with the computer donation.

"Community engagement is a driving force for CQUniversity and anything the University can do to assist our community in ‘life-long learning' is a pleasure" says Mr Griffin.

The University has also been able to assist other organisations by donating surplus computers. In the past few years, more than 300 computers have been donated to schools within the Rockhampton region including Crescent Lagoon State School, Waraburra State School, Mt Archer State School and Yeppoon State School.

Tasmanian-based author Peter Kay has earned a book publishing deal thanks to his writing talents, following encouragement to try a 'magical realist' writing style.

Peter's PhD supervisor Associate Professor Wally Woods helped him try a more adventurous style and now the CQUniversity doctoral student has a book publishing deal with Interactive Publications.

Author and doctoral student Peter Kay

The novel Blood, largely about the bombing of Darwin, has won IP Picks Best Fiction Award for 2012. Publisher Dr David Reiter says the novel will be published in hard copy and on-line towards the end of this year.

According to the IP newsletter, Blood is an exceptional work of fiction which is playfully eccentric in places and heart-achingly sad in others, with a dark, comedic vein lying just below the surface.

"Also encompassing themes of depression, advertising ethics and gay rights, Peter Kay's novella Blood is a far-reaching and multi-layered piece that must be read to be believed. His clean, sharp prose and poignant voice transport the reader through different times, places and points of view as smoothly and effortlessly as a time machine," the IP newsletter states.

Born in Canberra, Peter has lived for the last 30 years in southern Tasmania. He has written fiction, features, news journalism and literary criticism for The Canberra Times, The Sydney Morning Herald, Nation Review, The Weekend Australian, Playboy and Tracks.  Peter has a B.A. in Professional Writing from the University of Canberra and an M. Litt. in Creative Writing from CQUniversity.  

CQUniversity has unveiled a state-of-the-art collaborative learning space as the centrepiece of its highly-anticipated $2.5 million Noosa Campus expansion.

A combination of the latest in educational design and cutting-edge audio-visual and communications technology, the Collaborative Learning Space was built to foster creativity and innovation among students through group projects and interaction.

Professor Kevin Tickle, MP Glen Elmes, Cr Lew Brennan and Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowman at the launch of our expanded Noosa Campus

CQUniversity Pro Vice-Chancellor Kevin Tickle said the facility was one of the world's most advanced learning spaces.

"We're very excited to offer our students the opportunity to develop their skills in an environment that is at the forefront of education practice worldwide," Professor Tickle said.

"The space facilitates project-development as it occurs in the professional world - students work in small groups to develop ideas, and then present them to larger groups using the space's state-of-the-art technology.

"It also ensures students take the knowledge they gain from lectures and apply it practically in group situations, giving our graduates a significant advantage when they enter the workforce."

The space features eight main guitar pick-shaped tables that comprises three ‘pods' - each with their own iMAC - ensuring there is both privacy for small groups and the flexibility to expand into larger groups when needed.

However, Professor Tickle said where the space really came alive was through its technology.

"A series of interconnected iMACs, LCD monitors and a main presentation screen mean the contents of one screen can be displayed on any of the others," Professor Tickle said.

"The space has been designed to ensure students are not chiselling along alone in their degrees, but working together with their peers, just as they will be expected to do professionally.

"Through the Collaborative Learning Space, we aim to encourage the same level of creativity and spontaneity that has produced some of the greatest ideas of our time."

Officially opened this week (Monday), the campus expansion also includes a six-bed nursing lab, an enhanced library, two videoconference areas, campus-wide Wi-Fi and other new facilities.

The development has seen the Noosa Campus double in size in readiness for a projected two-fold increase in student numbers from 600 to 1200 over the next four years.

Professor Tickle and other senior CQUniversity staff have also relocated to the campus in what the Pro Vice-Chancellor said was a sign of the institution's ongoing investment on the Sunshine Coast.

"We are very excited about CQUniversity's future here where we will work with the region to deliver more locally-trained graduates to the community," Professor Tickle said.

"On top of the expansion, we have introduced a range of new programs for 2012, including an online law degree, a creative writing program, on-campus nursing degrees and a music program conducted in partnership with the Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE.

"CQUniversity has a strong commitment to building the Noosa Campus, engaging with the community and providing quality education pathways for students in the Sunshine Coast and southern Wide Bay regions."

Early last year, Tomonori Ichinose was feeling sorry for Queenslanders caught up in summer floods, little knowing that his own country of Japan was about to experience something much worse with a triple whammy earthquake, tsunami and radiation emergency. Tens of thousands were killed and many more left homeless.

Professor Ichinose's Miyagi University of Education was directly affected by earthquake and wave damage on March 11, and it's only 90km from the Fukushima area hit hardest by the ongoing nuclear power plant disaster.

Calmer waters ... visiting Japanese students enjoy Great Keppel Island. Below is an image from last year's tsunami event

As many as 60 Miyagi students lost either their home or parents or both. Many university buildings were damaged and one close to the seaside was destroyed. Aftershocks have been continuing, even as reconstruction efforts get underway.

Now a group of Miyagi students has been visiting for a study tour at the English Language Centre on CQUniversity Rockhampton Campus.

The latest Miyagi tour to Rockhampton has been assisted through the Prime Minister's Education Assistance Program for Japan. LINK HERE for Prime Minister Julia Gillard's remarks to the Australia-Japan Goodwill Dinner in Tokyo on April 22 last year.

Professor Ichinose says that five of the eight visiting students have directly suffered, with their families experiencing damage to their home or loss of their business.

The Japanese students have received Australian government support for their latest tour, to encourage them to relate their experiences to Queenslanders.

"Our students and teachers survived but many lost their family and home," Professor Ichinose says.

"Teachers and schools in the damaged areas are still suffering from fatigue, emotional stress or psychological trauma, lack of equipment and problems with holding lessons in borrowed facilities, let alone the collapse of regional communities and family circumstances."

The visiting professor says it's good for the Miyagi students to have a break from their difficulties back home in Japan and to have the chance to experience a different environment in the Rockhampton region.

Damage to one of the Miyagi University of Education Buildings

He says Japanese universities including Miyagi are doing their best to work as a network and to mobilise volunteers to achieve normalisation of education services.

"We will not leave the reality of students' difficulties and problems as they are. Instead, we will continue to provide support," Professor Ichinose says.

"We will train teachers who have a disaster prevention mind. We will establish the disaster prevention program as part of the curriculum for training teachers, and when there is a crisis, we prepare graduates to respond quickly and aim to train teachers who can be entrusted to safeguard students."

Professor Ichinose says CQUniversity and Miyagi University of Education have maintained a friendship since 1997.

CQUniversity English Language Centre Director of Studies Tim Somerset says Miyagi students have been visiting the Language Centre in Rockhampton for 10 years.

"In addition, Miyagi currently has exchange students studying at CQUniversity who did their initial studies and orientation at the Language Centre," Mr Somerset says.

"This year the students applied for and got a Prime Minister's Education Assistance Program for Japan grant to visit here.

"The students' itinerary includes an overnight stay on Great Keppel Island at Keppel Haven, and visits to the Heritage Village, the Dreamtime Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Cooberrie Park."

"As they are education students, they are visiting Crescent Lagoon Primary School, Glenmore High School and Cathedral College to observe and participate in teaching."

Rockhampton's Joanne Emmert has plenty to look forward to as she takes on a new career with the Department of Education and Training, thanks to graduating with a Bachelor of Learning Management (Secondary and Vocational Education and Training) from CQUniversity.

She can also look back on what has been a bumpy ride over the past few years.

Joanne Emmert at her recent graduation ceremony

Following divorce, Joanne has been a single mother to two children, now aged 18 and 12, and they have helped her through a tough time.

"I suffered a number of traumatic events throughout my studies including a major car accident with ongoing health issues, difficult stressful family court dealings, a son having a major workplace injury, cutting his finger off with a drop saw, my own father experiencing heart attacks, strokes, and needing dialysis and diabetic treatment, and my brother undergoing triple bypass emergency surgery," she said.

"There were a number of incidents where I had to travel to Sydney to be near family and CQUniversity staff supported my needs; this I will be forever grateful for."

Joanne said her 12-year-old encouraged her throughout her studies.

"When I was working through the night she pushed me to continue, even when I wanted to give up. She encouraged me to continue even when it was her who was suffering as I did not have time to spend with her or money to spend on her or the family.

Joanne Emmert crosses the stage at graduation

"This degree is not only for me but also for my kids and staff of CQUni who assisted me throughout my studies. Above and beyond."

Joanne says he has had a 'lovely outcome' from all her hard work, being appointed to work as the S2J (SCHOOLS TO JOBS) VET Facilitator for the Rockhampton Cluster of five schools. She will provide operational and strategic support to ensure the intent of VET programs is understood and implemented to meet the needs of students in the senior phase of learning.

CQUniversity PhD candidate Stephen Lin had a busy start to the year as he provided Mandarin commentary on the Taiwan elections for both the Radio Australia and SBS Mandarin programs, while he was visiting the country in January.

Chinese audiences throughout Australia enjoyed the timely and fair commentary and good summary of recent history across the Taiwan Straits.

Stephen Lin

Stephen was able to witness the 'passionate and fierce campaigning' throughout the Taiwan election period. He commented on good Basic Law for Taiwanese indigenous peoples' rights involving status parallel to the Constitution, with a proportion of aboriginal representation guaranteed.

On another front, Stephen has been developing and guest-presenting a Bilingual WTO Law subject for Central China's Zhengzhou University Law School. This subject has been approved as a 'Course of Excellence'.

"Any international law subjects delivered in English are in demand for the Chinese law schools," Stephen says.

"International trade disputes have hindered Chinese progress for last two decades. China wants to train more lawyers with bilingual skills and international exposure. They are fascinated by such cooperation to provide a full English specialist course by someone who has known both cultures for so long."

It was an intense week of theory and practical based work but 17 Graduate Diploma of Midwifery students were all smiles recently at the end of their last residential school at CQUniversity Mackay.

The midwifery students, many of whom travelled from all over Queensland for the week, were among the first to use the newly refurbished nursing and midwifery labs, complete with state-of-the-art equipment to enhance the learning experience.

Midwifery students were impressed with the new equipment in the refurbished nursing and midwifery labs in Mackay

CQUniversity's Interim Midwifery Head of Program Jenny Davis said students learnt from guest lecturers in areas such as diabetes in pregnancy, breastfeeding and lactation, neonatal care and fertility.

Ms Davis said it was a good chance for students to combine existing knowledge, as well as to identify individual learning needs in preparation for program completion in June.  

"Students will be able to apply for registration as midwives in metropolitan, rural or remote hospitals or community and home-based care, as well as in areas involving pregnancy, birth, neonatal, family and community health, women's health, sexual health and more," Ms Davis said.

A special presentation was made to thank staff for their valuable time and efforts in delivering a successful program. A celebratory lunch was held to finalise the residential school.

 
Graduate Diploma of Midwifery students celebrate with staff after a week of residential school activities

After five years of study to gain his honours degree, University Medalist Matt Thompson is arranging to become a PhD candidate, thus signing up for three or four extra years of intense work.

Matt joined around 230 graduates attending the latest Rockhampton Campus graduation ceremony on February 23, at the CQ Community Sports Centre on Rockhampton Campus.

Matt prepares for his graduation ceremony

As well as celebrating completion of his Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Applied Physics) First Class, Matt was presented as the University Medalist and recipient of the Chancellor Stan Jones Scholarship.

Matt's honours project examined the corrosion of steel in the alumina industry. He's currently arranging his PhD project to examine structures of materials, with a potential focus on new materials for solar panels or damage to metals at high temperatures.

During his degree, Matt was able to experience an ‘industry placement' with CSIRO Livestock Industries, doing programming work to interpret GPS data.

Last year, Matt earned a $5000 scholarship from the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering.. It was one of only 10 honours scholarships awarded by AINSE for 2011 based on academic excellence.

This AINSE support enabled him to access national physics laboratories, furthering his understanding of the corrosion of mild steel in heat exchanger tubes in the digestion phase of alumina production.

Graduates and their families heard from guest speaker Graham Carpenter, a CQUniversity alumnus who is now Chairman of the Board for Stanwell Corporation Ltd. A response on behalf of graduates was delivered by Nicole Hinder, who completed a Bachelor of Business (HRM) with Distinction.

Phd graduate Jesmin Nahar completed a thesis on Computational Intelligence for the Diagnosis of Cancer and Heart Diseases and PhD graduate Mohammad Mazid's thesis was on Intrusion Detection Using Machine Learning.

Other awards presented included the Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Learning and Teaching (to Michael O'Malley and Assoc Prof Peter Reaburn); the VC's Award for Emerging Researchers (to Dr Mitch Duncan); and the VC's Award for Excellence in Research Higher Degree Supervision (to Prof Brenda Happell).

Industry experts from across Australia gathered at CQUniversity Mackay Campus this week to discuss the implementation of technology in the mining and resources industry and the important role of education as critical enabler in the future of mining.

Mining Round Table 2 enabled discussion by 25 leaders in the mining, resource, engineering, Information, Communication & Technology (ICT) and education industries.

Prof Pierre Viljoen addresses one of the Roundtable workshops

The program focused on how tertiary education could be utilised to combat the skills gap, the role that ICT will play in the future of the mining industry, and robotics and automation being the key drivers of the future productivity in mining.

Hosted in conjunction with CQUniversity, Business-Higher Education Round Table (BHERT) and CSC, the event enabled open feedback and discussion on some of the great challenges facing the industry.

CQUniversity Pro-Vice Chancellor (Community & Engagement) & Head of Campus Professor Pierre Viljoen detailed plans for a proposed Centre for Sustainable Mineral Automation and Robotic Technologies, a world-class engagement, education and research centre focused on applied and user-driven mining innovation.

"One of the biggest challenges facing the Mackay region is the attraction and retention of skilled workers," Prof Viljoen said.

"The SMART Centre will attract both national and international skilled workers to the region."

Mining Roundtable participants in workshop mode

Director of Natural Resources Centre of Excellence at CSC, Dr Jeremy Davies, explained the future capabilities of the mining industry with the use of Information Communication Technology.

"Integrating technology into the mining industry will allow companies the ability to acquire and manage extremely large data sets and the ability to rapidly visualise, analyse and communicate complex issues," Dr Davies said.

During the discussions, Mackay Area Industry Network (MAIN) managing director Narelle Pearse outlined that there are more than $13 billion worth of projects in progress and another $92 billion worth of projects yet to be established in the region.

"By 2020, the Bowen Basin's coal production is predicted to grow from 200 million tonnes per annum to 400 million tonnes per annum," Ms Pearse said.

"We need to be using innovation to cope with the resources boom."

CQUniversity Melbourne Campus has arranged An Evening of Poetry Reading, celebrating the work of Mahmoud Darwish.

A selection of Darwish's poems will be read in both English and Arabic, accompanied by oud player Fouad Hraqah.

Poet Mahmoud Darwish

All are welcome to attend the event from 5.45pm (for 6pm) on Tuesday, March 13, at the campus at 108 Lonsdale Street.

Melbourne Campus senior lecturer Dr Tris Kerslake says several people will be helping with the readings.

"Several of us will be doing the readings, Dr Jonathan Sibley, Dr Ali Abusalem, myself, and a senior personage from the Palestinian Consulate in Melbourne," Tris says.

"We also have the well-known oud player (an oud is an early form of the lute), Fouad Hraqah, to enhance the mood and ambience.

"This is planned to be the first of a series of poetry recitals, where we will be celebrating some of the great ‘voices' of the world.

"The event has been discussed on SBS Radio, who are also advertising the evening, and we've attracted the attention of a number of local Arabic groups and poetry groups."

Mahmoud Darwish

Born March 13, 1941 in Al Birweh, Palestine

Died August 9, 2008 in Houston, Texas

...

More photo contributions welcome via publicrelations@cqu.edu.au .

The value of annual beach access and recreation along the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland has been assessed at nearly half a billion dollars.

That's according to CQUniversity researchers Professor John Rolfe and Daniel Gregg who surveyed more than 1100 households along the Queensland coast between Bundaberg and Port Douglas.

LINK for a larger image

The researchers identified the number of visits that people made to beaches and the time and costs involved.

"Aussies love that our beaches are free of charge to use, but they don't often consider the huge economic value of beaches themselves," Professor Rolfe says.

"The maintenance of beaches in good condition, with appropriate access and safety are important goals for local authorities and other public bodies responsible for natural assets and public safety. However it is difficult to judge how much funding needs to be allocated to protect and maintain beaches without some information on the recreation values involved.

"The study, which is notable at an international level, assesses recreation values for beaches across a broad region (the Queensland coast adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef) rather than at specific site, and focuses on the values of the local resident population rather than an itinerant tourist population.

"The values that have been estimated are likely to be conservative because other opportunity costs incurred to live closer to the beach (e.g. additional housing costs) have not been assessed."

The resulting estimates of total beach visits indicates the regional population of about 643,000 people aged between 15 and 74 makes an average of 52.6 visits to a beach per year for a total of 12.8 million visits per year.

The average value of each beach visit ranged between $23.79 and $56.98 across regions, and was estimated at $35.09 per trip across the region.

While the total value of annual local beach visits was estimated at $450 million for the region, this varied between regions from $24 million in the Gladstone region to $148 million in the Cairns region.

Professor Rolfe and Mr Gregg recently outlined their 'valuing beach recreation' project at the 48^th annual conference of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economic Society in Fremantle (Feb 7-10).

The project was funded by the Commonwealth Environmental Research Fund through the Environmental Economics Research Hub.

Mackay nursing students Kahla Edwards and Brittany Power are developing their skills and experience in their chosen career thanks to support from an annual scholarship program that is now open for 2012 applications.

Since 2009, the Hail Creek Mine CQUniversity Partnership Program has been offering scholarships worth $4000 each over two years to first-year nursing, health, business, science, IT, and engineering students.

Pictured left to right: Hail Creek Mine's Fiona Kruger and scholarship recipients Brittany Power (nursing), Phillippa Cary (business), and Markeen Valdez (IT) during a visit to Hail Creek Mine.

This year seven scholarships worth a total of $28,000 are on offer and applications are being accepted now until the closing date of March 2.

In addition to the financial benefits of the scholarships, the program can offer various opportunities in career development including work experience, mentorship, networking opportunities, and mine site visits.

As former scholarship recipients, both Kahla and Brittany are currently working at Hail Creek Mine two days a week to assist the site in delivering its health and wellbeing program to workers.

They are strong advocators of the scholarship program, and encourage first-year students to apply for this year's round.

"I'm enjoying the opportunity to apply my university studies on a mine site in my local region," 2010 scholarship recipient and final-year nursing student Brittany said.

Hail Creek Mine exhibited at the 2011 CQUniversity Open Day to promote the mine's scholarship and graduate program. Left to right, scholarship recipients Kahla Edwards (nursing), Hail Creek Mine's Stephanie McCracken, Hannah Austin (sonography), Hail Creek Mine's Rebecca Moolenbroek and Marie Cameron, and scholarship recipient James Mogg (engineering)

"I'm from Mackay and I want to stay here after I finish my degree, so the opportunity to study locally and gain work experience at the mine through the scholarship has made a huge difference.

"When people think of working for a mining company, they typically think of truck drivers, trades people, and engineers, not nurses or other health practitioners.

"However, health and safety is a key priority for the industry and it's been a great opportunity to help Hail Creek Mine carry out their health and wellbeing program.

"When I'm not here or studying, I also work as a nurse assistant at the Mackay Mater Hospital and it's been interesting to experience first-hand two different workplaces where I can apply my degree.

"In the hospital environment, I deal with a lot of sick people whereas on site I have the opportunity to help workers make improvements to their health and it gives me a great sense of achievement."

Meantime, 2011 scholarship recipient and second-year nursing student Kahla Edwards said while the financial benefits of the scholarship has helped pay for school books, the non-financial gains have been just as rewarding.

"I've always had a strong interest in health and wellbeing, both in the people side of the business but also the science side of it too," Kahla said.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity that the scholarship has brought, enabling me to develop my patient-interaction skills to help improve the quality of life for many of the sites' workers.

"Brittany and I have also had the opportunity to be involved in a number of the site's community activities including Cancer Council Queensland's Relay for Life, CQUniversity Open Days, and mine site visits.

"It's challenging yet exciting and having this opportunity has helped develop my confidence too - I can't wait to finish university and start working as a nurse in the real world."

Hail Creek Mine general manager operations Rowan Munro said the scholarships support local people in their chosen fields and provide opportunities to pursue their career in Central Queensland.

"We open these scholarships to a variety of disciplines so that we can continue building the skills capacity of the entire region, which benefits not just mining but a wide range of other industries as well," Mr Munro said.

"I strongly encourage people who are looking to study any of the specified courses next year full time at CQUniversity's Mackay Campus to apply.

"The experiences that they can gain through the scholarships will be a great advantage when they pursue employment after university."

To apply for one of the scholarships or to find out more, please contact Hail Creek Mine's Marie Cameron on 07 4951 6437 or email marie.cameron@riotinto.com. Applications are being accepted now and close February 24.

CQUniversity Mackay recently hosted representatives from seven aged care facilities throughout the Bowen to Sarina zone. A representative from Aged Care Queensland's Brisbane office also joined the campus tour.

The Regional Aged Care Directors of Nursing were hosted by Nursing & Midwifery Dean Professor Ysanne Chapman, who showed them the new nursing labs and medical imaging facilities.

Touring the Medical Imaging labs

The visit was the initiative of Dorne Wallace, a Business Development Manager for CQUniversity's Queensland Centre for Professional Development (QCPD). Jennifer Anastasi from the Centre for Professional Health Education (CPHE) and Caroline Falconi, Head of Program for Medical Imaging, also participated.

Professor Chapman facilitated a discussion with the group to identify issues around their workforce development, retention and skills currency, while exploring closer working relationships with CQUniversity.

The group discussed potential collaboration on a professional development short course program, delivered in the region, to address identified needs including clinical practice workshops, basic ultrasound, and management/leadership skills for supervisory staff.

Aged Care Nursing reps on Mackay Campus

Participants agreed to work together to promote aged care nursing as a career choice, including mapping of qualification pathways. It was also agreed to pursue increased opportunities for CQUniversity nursing students through work placement and sponsorships.

The visitors promised to provide input into the future development of both nursing and medical imaging courses.

Aged Care Nursing reps on Mackay Campus

'Judith, Stuart and Friends' is a free concert series held at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music Theatre on the Mackay Campus of CQUniversity, and opens a year of exciting music and theatrical events.

Featuring CQUniversity senior lecturer Judith Brown playing the exquisite Stuart and Sons concert grand piano, these concerts continue to delight audiences of all ages.

Judith Brown with the Stuart and Sons grand

The first concert for 2012 will be held at 6pm on Wednesday March 7  and will feature guest appearances from CQUniversity lecturer Kim Kirkman, as well as community musicians.

The concerts are always linked to a musical theme, with the first concert looking at the role of folk music in the works of the great classical masters up to the music of today.

Judith always brings humour to these events, recounting interesting anecdotes about the music and bringing visual elements to the performances too, making these concerts suitable for families and music lovers of all ages.

'Judith, Stuart and Friends' is free and there is no need to book.

If you would like further information about this event and other events at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music in 2012, please phone 4940 7800.

LINK for a larger image 
LINK for a larger image 
LINK for a larger image

CQUniversity adjunct research fellow Jennifer Marohasy recently delivered an address to the Sydney Institute, calling on estuary restoration to save the Murray River.

Ms Marohasy says the Australian Government's $10 billion plan to save the Murray-Darling by reconfiguring upstream irrigation so that more water is sent to the Lower Lakes, Murray's mouth and Coorong is based on a narrative about the Murray's mouth closing-over and Lake Alexandrina drying-up because of greedy upstream irrigators taking too much water.

LINK HERE to access the Sydney Institute Podcast site or

or LINK HERE for a full text of Jennifer's address

Jennifer Marohasy

"This invented story ignores the impact of 7.6km of sea dyke that have dammed the estuary and stopped the tide," she said.

"Before the sea dykes, the Lower Lakes never dried-up because each autumn, and for longer periods during drought, the Southern Ocean would push in to the lakes. Furthermore, the Murray's mouth would close over naturally irrespective of upstream water diversions because of high-energy coastal processes and how they impact barrier estuaries."

Ms Marohasy says those who know about estuaries could be correcting the misinformation.

"But a majority of Australian scientists with expertise in such issues are dependent on government for their funding," she says.

"It is wrong that politicians, environmental groups and scientists are all silent about the sea dykes. It is wrong that the whole of the Murray-Darling Basin, all one million square kilometres of it, should be held hostage to a fiction, to a specious claim about a freshwater lake.

"What our tribe needs is a story about the Murray grounded in reality. Otherwise we risk a thin future filled with sharp bones."

Senior Lecturer at CQUniversity Noosa Dr Sue Davis is also Chair of the UNESCO-endorsed Noosa Biosphere Reserve.

As part of their recent planning activities for the year, local community members, councillors and staff worked in the new collaborative teaching space at Noosa Campus.  The new space has been set up to maximise collaborative interactions, both live and online.

Dr Sue Davis (centre front) with other participants in the Noosa Biosphere Planning Day

Dr Davis said her Biosphere role involved close partnerships with industry, environment and community groups, council, universities, UNESCO* and others.

"We can focus our efforts to promote key messages about sustainable human interaction with nature and the environment through dynamic and creative means," said Dr Davis.

"The people and activities of the Noosa Biosphere are making an important contribution to caring for what we have and sharing that with others."

For details on Noosa Biosphere visit http://www.noosabiosphere.org.au/

* UNESCO - the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

The Noosa Biosphere Planning Day

The Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research at CQUniversity has commended Minister Karen Struthers on the introduction and passage of the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012 early last night (Dec 16).

The legislation received bi-partisan support.

Heather Nancarrow

"In most cases, the Members demonstrated a better understanding of the nature and dynamics of domestic and family violence than was the case when domestic violence legislation was first introduced to Parliament 20 years ago," CDFVR Director, Heather Nancarrow, said.

"One area that members might need further education on, however, is the interpretation of an increase in the numbers of applications for protection orders and the number of police call outs.

"This does not necessarily mean an increase in the incidence of domestic and family violence but may represent, instead, increased confidence that their reports of violence will be taken seriously and acted upon effectively".

In addition to overhauling the domestic and family violence legislation, the State Government has introduced a number of  new initiatives over the past three years, including:

• - a Queensland Government Strategy to Reduce Domestic and Family Violence: For our Sons and Daughters (2009-2014), which includes a trial integrated response to domestic violence in Rockhampton;
• - a Domestic Violence Death Review Unit within the Coroner's Office to systematically review how these deaths may have been prevented;
• - a Safety Upgrades initiative to enable victims, rather than perpetrators, to remain safely in the home after violence;
• - and a state-wide "Act as 1" community education campaign.

"These initiatives, introduced by Minister Struthers, who has worked in community-based domestic violence prevention services, have had positive effects and are likely to have contributed to increased confidence in the system and increased reporting of domestic and family violence", Ms Nancarrow said.

"Our Centre's 2011 research with clients of the trial integrated response to domestic and family violence in Rockhampton showed a high level of client satisfaction with the initiative, especially the safety upgrades."

The State Government invests more than $190 million per annum for women's shelters, regional domestic violence support services, court assistance workers, children's counsellors, programs for those who perpetrate domestic violence and more.

Further, the State Government has signed on to Council of Australian Government's 12-year National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, which aims to prevent violence before it starts, as well as enhance responses to it.

"This initiative has been jointly developed by men and women, as it should be, but it would not, and could not, have been achieved without the representation and actions of women. A key to ending violence against women is gender equality; real equality for women is a key foundation for a significant reduction in domestic violence and cannot be achieved if women are not adequately represented in our most powerful institutions, including Parliament," Ms Nancarrow said.

Visiting French student Angele Lecacheur has only seen the captive koalas at Rockhampton Zoo so far, but she's preparing to see their wild cousins on the islands off Mackay.

Angele's six-month internship experience with CQUniversity koala researcher Dr Alistair Melzer will form part of her Master of Biology - Terrestrial Ecosystems program based at her home institution, the University of Orleans, about one hour's drive from Paris.

The visitor will consult with Dr Melzer and specialists from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to prepare management plans for the koala populations on St Bees, Brampton, Rabbit and Newry islands.

During study breaks, she hopes to have time to visit famous Australian locations including the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru an Sydney.

Masters student Angele Lecacheur at CQUniversity Rockhampton Campus during her internship with the Centre for Environmental Management

Winners of the 2012 Vice-Chancellor's Academic Excellence Scholarships have great prospects in their chosen professions or as academic researchers.

That's according to CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman. The VC recently congratulated three top-performing students who will have their full tuition fees covered thanks to the scholarships.

Recipient Jordon Irwin, from Emu Park, gained her OP1 result through St Ursula's College (Yeppoon) and has enrolled to study a Bachelor of Science degree.

Mattison Rose, from Rockhampton, gained his OP1 through Heights College and will study a Bachelor of Engineering degree.

Miles Goodwin, from Rockhampton, gained his OP1 through Rockhampton Grammar School. He will study a Bachelor of Engineering (Co-op) and Diploma of Professional Practice (Engineering).

Academic Excellence Scholarship winner Jordon Irwin with Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman 
Academic Excellence Scholarship winner Mattison Rose with Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman 
Scholarship winners Jordon Irwin and Mattison Rose with their proud parents and Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman 
L-R Mattison Rose (of Rton), Professor Scott Bowman and Jordon Irwin (of Emu Park). Another Vice-Chancellor's Academic Excellence Full Scholarship winner Miles Goodwin (Rton) is absent from the photo.

CQUniversity's Professor Kevin Ronan and his partners at the University of Queensland have secured a $100,000 grant for a 'parenting practices' research project, through the Queensland Centre for Social Science Innovation (QCSSI).

CQUniversity is partnered with UQ, QUT, JCU, Griffith Uni and the State Government in the UQ-based QCSSI, which was launched in mid-2011.

Professor Kevin Ronan

That partnership is beginning to see some results with the announcement that Professor Ronan from CQUniversity's Institute for Health and Social Science Research, along with a team of colleagues from UQ, has secured a significant grant.

The project is titled ‘Being prepared for and recovering from disaster: Working with parents to build resilience in children and in the family unit'.

The project leaders say parenting practices have been found to contribute significantly to children's likelihood of developing post-traumatic difficulties on the one hand.

On the other hand, parenting practices can help children negotiate stressful situations, including reactions to a disaster.

This project is aimed at enhancing parents' own resilience to disaster, and their resultant capacity to build their children's resilience in two complementary ways by (1) addressing parenting strategies around dangerous weather preparedness through a parenting intervention; and (2) by using consumer-informed data to better understand the factors that promote and prevent parents' access to parenting support post-disaster.

The project will deliver a range of tangible outcomes that inform and guide future planning around Queensland families' preparedness for and recovery from disasters, as well as other critical incidents and emergencies. 

CQUniversity is a founding member of the new QCSSI. It will contribute its world-class expertise in Health and Medical Sciences, supported by state-of-the-art facilities; including the Population Research Laboratory.

CQUniversity graduate Meredith Papavasiliou (nee Davison) should feel confident in her role as Editor of The Gladstone Observer after a year of awards during 2011.

Under her guidance, The Observer picked up a Newspaper of the Year Award in its category from the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers' Association (PANPA).

Meredith herself won the APN News & Media Editor of the Year award and was part of the team who won APN's Newspaper of the Year award.

Married to Daniel, whom she met at CQUniversity while living at Capricornia College, she now has two children and balances family life with her busy job.

She has completed an MBA and is about to embark on her PhD.

Meredith Papavasiliou at the PANPA Awards

Visitors to CQUniversity Rockhampton now have an easy-to-find front door, with a new campus reception located in the Commercial Centre beside the main carpark on the highway side of campus...

Billie Walker, Emily Franke, James Glendale, Kaye Ahern and Georgina Pickering are ready to help visitors and students

Apart from being a central point for visitors, future students and current students can seek directions, guidance and advice from friendly staff members.

There's also plenty of internet-linked computers, maps and brochures to facilitate course and careers advice, enrolments and general campus queries.

The campus reception will be open Monday to Friday from 8am until 5pm. 

An adjoining conference room will also be used for information sessions, workshops, forums and other events throughout the year.   

There are plenty of resources for visitors 
Billie Walker ensures the latest course brochures are stocked for the campus reception 
The new 'front door' to Rockhampton Campus 
L-R Georgina Pickering, Emily Franke and Kaye Ahern are ready to offer guidance and directions to campus visitors

Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman (centre) with Keri Jones and James Glendale at the campus reception launch

L-R Jeffrey Lewis, Sherrie Lee and Kaye Ahern at the campus reception launch

A multidisciplinary group of researchers have had their first meeting with a local advisory committee to discuss their Gladstone case study of the ‘Economic, Social and Cultural Contributions of Skilled Migrants to Regional Australia'.

The CQUniversity researchers and Gladstone advisory committee met this week (Feb 14) at the Leo Zussino Building on Gladstone Campus.

The research project has been funded by CQUniversity to investigate the contributions of skilled migrants and their families to regional business and communities and to identify factors which attract and retain skilled migrants in key workforces to regional areas.

The study will draw on academic specialists in HRM, nursing, tourism and OH&S, led by Dr Roslyn Cameron from Gladstone Campus.

The advisory committee represents the local promotion and development bodies, the industry leadership group, the district hospital, the regional council, a sports club and the industry engagement officer for Queensland's Department of Education & Training.

"We'll be finding the issues encountered by business and communities when employing skilled migrants," Dr Cameron says.

"We'll be checking what support is needed to ensure business and the community can attract and retain skilled migrants and their families in regional areas, as well as the support that migrants and their families need to help them settle, become active community members and remain in regions.

"Finally we'll be assessing the implications of our study for policy and practice in this area."

Study Mackay has started a new project aimed at creating better services and support for Mackay students by offering a discounts and benefits program.

The Student Discount Program will be administered via smart phone technology, a dedicated webpage and a social networking site.

It will provide students with a range of discounts at participating businesses whilst connecting them to each other by highlighting activities and events.

Study Mackay chair Professor Pierre Viljoen said the program was developed after it was found there was a perception of little or no ‘atmosphere' in Mackay as a ‘student town'.

"Community forums and student surveys have indicated that there is not a strong feeling of 'student community' in Mackay despite the 8400 tertiary students studying at the university and TAFE campuses.

"It's Study Mackay's aim to continue to address aspects of student liveability and help mould Mackay into a more ‘student friendly' town," Professor Viljoen said.  

Professor Viljoen said the Student Discount Program was just an initial cornerstone of an overall program, that would provide a platform to build on for the future.  

"While the project will provide benefits to existing and future students, it also has further benefits for the local community and economy. 

"The project will help increase the amount of students attracted to study in Mackay, provide Mackay employers greater access to a skilled labour force and improve the ability to retain students in the region," he said.

The group is aiming to launch the initiative mid-year and target the Mackay student population of 17,000, from Year 8 through to tertiary level.  

Study Mackay meets every six weeks and encourages participation and input from its members. If you are interested in joining Study Mackay or learning more about its activities, please phone 4953 2655 or email:c.christensen@mwredc.org.au .

School-age musicians are encouraged to experience high quality ensemble training in jazz and contemporary popular music in Rockhampton, with a form of tuition not readily available in most school music programs.

The Conservatorium Academy is a centre for creative and performing arts training for school-aged children in Central Queensland, located at CQUniversity Rockhampton Campus.

School-age performers will have the chance to perform through regular concerts and special events thanks to the Conservatorium Academy

Drawing on the resources of the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music (CQCM), places are available for singers, saxophonists, trumpeters, trombonists, pianists, guitarists, bassists, drummers and other instrumentalists.

Conservatorium Academy students will have the chance to perform through regular concerts and special events in the Rockhampton region.

Full-fee scholarships are available for eligible students, with details available via 4940 7800. Classes are held between 4pm-5.30pm on Tuesday afternoons and the initial registration is from 3.30pm-4pm on Tuesday, March 6.

Dean of Creative and Performing Arts Professor Matthew Marshall says "our aim is to provide a safe, educational and recreational environment, with high-energy, fun classes taught in a friendly and encouraging atmosphere".

"Operating out of our fully equipped studios and teaching spaces, students will have access to professional facilities, and outstanding teachers and tutors."

LINK for a larger image 
LINK for a larger image 
LINK for a larger image

Banana Primary School pupils have completed the first step towards creating a 'Reduce Reuse Recycle Hydroponic Garden' to grow their own fruits, vegetables and herbs.

CQUniversity research worker Kylie Hopkins recently travelled to Banana as a 'technical advisor' to help teacher Courtney Hamilton and her primary students begin part one of their garden, funded by a Coles Junior Landcare School Garden Grant.

Banana Primary students display their pots

Kylie is based at the Centre for Plant and Water Science within CQUniversity's Institute for Resource Industries and Sustainability (IRIS). She says the students were required to find a recycled item to be used as a pot.

Teacher Courtney says the students were very resourceful "with items such as broken buckets, juice and soft drink bottles, ice cream and dog food containers and jam and cookie jars".

"The clear containers were painted black to block out the light, a piece of recycled pipe was placed vertically into the container and then they were filled with perlite," she said.

The hydroponic gardeners

"A two-part hydroponic nutrient was mixed up and used to wet the perlite in each pot and then seedlings were planted."

Kylie says the students will dip a stick into the pipe every day to see the level of nutrient in the bottom of their pot.

"If there is no reservoir of nutrient in the bottom, they will water their pot. It is as easy as that," she said.

"This first part of the garden encourages students to ‘think outside the box' and teaches them to not regard old or broken items as ‘useless'."

Courtney says that preparing the pots, handling the small seedlings and tending to their own plants every day will give the children a sense of responsibility and ownership.

"They will be able to watch the plants as they grow and learn about each plant's water requirements depending on its age and the weather."

LINK for a larger image 
LINK for a larger image

Emerald's Teneille Ryan has started a new role as a field officer for the Central Highlands Regional Resources Use Planning Co-operative (CHRRUP).

She says the flexibility of distance education has been key to enabling her environmental science studies with CQUniversity, while she travels throughout her work region.

Teneille Ryan

"Working in the environmental field was a big milestone for me," Teneille says.

"For the short time I worked with DERM on a water quality project - monitoring sediment and herbicide run-off was very exciting, as I was finally putting what I have learnt to a practical experience.

"The field officer position with CHRRUP is also a rewarding position as it allows me to combine my two passions - sustainability and agriculture. Anyone studying and working full-time will understand that every subject you get through is a milestone!"

Teneille says her CQUniversity studies have helped her gain experience in the environmental sector. Though it's often difficult juggling work and study, the combination can be extremely rewarding.

"I am continually learning on the field as well as via the flex learning CQUni offers. Without the flex education the experiences I have gained and the ability to live locally would not have been possible," she says.

"With CHRRUP I will be working with landholders in the Nogoa catchment to apply for incentive funding for on-the-ground projects that help to improve ground cover and riparian (riverbank) sustainability.

"My aim this year is to be more involved in community groups. This will be made easier with working for CHRRUP as the role allows me to attend and be a part of community discussions on agricultural sustainability."

CQUniversity music lecturer Kim Kirkman has helped produce a new debut album as one half of Sunbird Duo, which also features soprano Cheryl Fiedler.

Based at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music at Mackay Campus, Kim says the album entitled Rich and Rare is a delightful collection of folk songs and classical favourites.

Kim Kirkman with soprano Cheryl Fiedler

According to the album website, Cheryl is 15 years old and has been learning singing for four years. For many of those years, her mum drove her to Mackay from Prosperine, one and a half hours away, for her weekly lesson with Kim.

Kim reports enjoying the calming effect of harp playing.

More background and ordering details are via http://bakkstudios.com/richandrare.html

Technological advancements in mining may lead to the demise of some specific roles, but overall employment in the sector should grow faster.

That's according to a new independent report by consultancy firm BAEconomics.This news should be welcome for anyone considering a higher education pathway into the mining industry, as skilled workers will become even more crucial in a high-tech environment.

CQUniversity has already shown it's possible to develop training and education pathways in concert with potential employers. In fact, workers on mine sites have been able to access tailor-made associate degrees without having to pause their careers or halt their income stream.

More recently, CQUniversity has responded to industry pleas for high-level project management skills with a new suite of postgraduate Project and Program Management programs developed especially for the resource and infrastructure sectors.

The University is also working to improve its overall responsiveness. The revamped Queensland Centre for Professional Development (QCPD) will help as a brokerage to ensure business and industry can find the best available solutions for upskilling employees, all the way from one-day sessions, to short courses to full degrees.

QCPD will offer a holistic approach to workforce skills development, skills analysis, articulation and credit transfer, and recognition of prior learning. It will continue to offer careers guidance services and to arrange supported pathways into the most critical careers.

The University is also poised to become Queensland's first dual-sector institution, with strong momentum towards amalgamation with Central Queensland Institute of TAFE, creating seamless pathways across vocational and tertiary qualifications within the next few years.

Specific examples recently have seen CQUniversity consult with Xstrata Coal Newlands Mine to offer a customised graduate certificate in management, leading to a graduate diploma in mining management which can articulate into an MBA or a Masters in Management (Engineering).

The University has previously created Associate Degrees in Mining and Geoscience (devised in consultation with BMA and AngloCoal), including the AD Geoscience, the AD Mine Technology and the AD Mine Operations Management.

Undergraduate options include specialised civil, electrical and mechanical streams within the suite of Engineering and Enginering Technology degrees.

At postgraduate level, mining-related options include Maintenance Management and Power Generation.

CQUniversity is taking on national leadership for international tourism volunteer projects sponsored by the Australian Government.

The new tourism degrees at CQUniversity have led to a strategic engagement between the University and the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development Program (AYAD).

LINK HERE for details on CQUniversity's new tourism degrees

These links will enable students, graduates and local communities to consider getting involved with international sustainable tourism projects of up to 12 months' duration.

CQUniversity's tourism lecturers will act as Australian Partner Organisation (APO) mentors, facilitating AYAD placements for community-based tourism programs in Vanuatu.

Dr Scott Richardson (Noosa Campus) and Steve Noakes (Mackay Campus) are currently APO mentors for two AYAD placements commencing in March for community-based tourism initiatives in Vanuatu and are now supporting nominations being called for two more international placements in Peru and Vanuatu commencing in May this year.

PERU: Volunteer opportunity for a young Australian - Ollantaytambo is known as the only 'living Inca city' remaining in Peru.

VANUATU: The volunteer will assisting the Vanuatu Department of Tourism and the Lelema community with the implementation of the 'World Heritage Bungalows' development project at Chief Roi Mata's Domain, a cultural landscape inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2008 - working closely with a community-based bungalow planning committee known as 'Tupirou'.

"The engagement of our new tourism degree lecturers as mentors for young Australians on AYAD projects illustrates how internationalisation is a valued and enabling concept at CQUniversity," says Professor Roger March, Dean of the School of Management and Marketing.

"Tourism is a global industry and the international, cross-cultural perspective is integrated into our course content."

CQUniversity Rockhampton will host a Train Well, Play Well, Stanwell Education Weekend on March 3-4, with high profile speakers including our own Associate Professor Peter Reaburn.

Other speakers on the program include Gillian Lee, author of numerous netball coaching manuals and resources, high profile NZ coach Yvonne Willering and popular sports governance expert Leisa Donlan.

While focused on netball, the event to be held at the CQ Community Sports Centre on campus would also be of interest to those from other sporting codes.

The two-day program will include sessions on coaching juniors to elite level players, umpiring development and rules discussions, strength and conditioning, the changing landscape of club governance, volunteer management and recruitment.

Details are available via http://www.capricornnetball1.com/ 

There's a Bundaberg link to the sountrack of ABC TV's new drama series 'The Straits'.

'The Straits' is described as a an exotic, darkly humorous crime drama set among the turquoise waters and lethal wildlife of Australia's Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait.

LINK for more details on The Straits on ABC TV

Associate Professor Karl Neuenfeldt

As many as eight of the songs and some of the incidental music used on the soundtrack have the common factor of being co-produced by Bundaberg-based Karl Neuenfeldt, alongside Nigel Pegrum and Will Kepa.

The CQUniversity researcher is well known for his work in collecting, preserving and disseminating the musical culture of the Torres Strait as a sound engineer, field recordist, oral historian, author and musicologist.

He has collaborated extensively with Indigenous communities in Queensland on CD and DVD projects and archival research, and has also co-produced several albums including two ARIA Award winning CDs by Henry ‘Seaman' Dan.

Associate Professor Neuenfeldt says 'The Straits' TV show and companion soundtrack compilation CD features songs he has produced with Seaman Dan, as well as collaborations with community musicians from the Torres Strait.

Karl and Seaman Dan in performance mode

CQUniversity Noosa has received its first batch of puppets designed to be used as educational tools in nursing simulations.

These new resources are an offshoot from the MASK-ED^TM (KRS simulation) tool devised by CQUniversity nursing academic Dr Kerry Reid-Searl.

Noosa nursing lecturers Carol McPherson and Gerry Dares inspect the new resources for nursing simulations

While the masked educator concept enables lecturers to inhabit an adult character, the Pup-Ed^TM (KRS simulation)* puppets can be used as a means to engage, teach, play and communicate with learners.

CQUniversity Noosa lecturer Carol McPherson says academics are keen to introduce Pup-Ed^TM to residential schools for nursing students which will be hosted at the Noosa Campus this year.

* Pup-Ed^TM (KRS simulation) is a teaching technique where puppets are worn by a wearer who is an informed professional. Pup-Ed^TM (KRS simulation) is an acronym for the teaching approach developed for the technique.

The acronym stands for P-puppet and professional preparation, U- understanding the learner, P-play in action to suspend disbelief, E- evaluation, D- debrief. The KRS component stands for knowledgeable, realistic and spontaneous simulation.

A logo for the new teaching resources

The 'knowledgeable' implies that the wearer of the puppet has a deep understanding of the content being imparted as well as an understanding of different learning styles in order to develop strategies in the puppet experience to engage the learners.

'Realistic' suggests that the puppet experience mimics a real situation and the learner is suspended in disbelief. The reality comes from the experience of the wearer who should have a deep understanding of their discipline and simulation. For example in nursing, the professional wearing the puppet - (being the nurse), can draw upon episodes of patient care relevant to the content, the objectives of the episode and learner level.

'Spontaneous' implies that the reaction of the puppet is unprompted. However, the puppet is directed by the professional who is, in turn, influenced by the learner response. Because scripts are not set, the reactions can be immediate in response to learners.

The purpose of this technique is for the professional to use puppets as a means to engage, teach, play and communicate with learners.

The puppets can be used in different contexts and the learners can be diverse. For example the learners could be university nursing students in a classroom; children in a paediatric unit, children in a classroom with differing needs or a child undergoing counselling.

The informed professional could be a nurse educator teaching undergraduate nursing students, the experienced registered nurse in the paediatric unit, the teacher in the classroom or the psychologist in a counselling session with a child. The contexts can, in essence, be any setting involving children or where there is a need for teaching individuals who will be involved with children.

New research reveals that 13% of Queensland women suffered physical abuse or sexual abuse, and 31% were subjected to various forms of non-physical abuse, by their current male partner.

These figures are based on recent research by the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research (CDFVR), based at CQUniversity Mackay Campus.

Heather Nancarrow

The CDFVR survey involved telephone interviews with 1854 women across the state. The findings are broadly consistent with the results of a similar national survey conducted in 2004 by the Australian Institute of Criminology and a previous survey conducted by CDFVR in the Bowen Basin and Mackay region of Central Queensland. 

CDFVR Director and project leader Heather Nancarrow said the research also highlighted the significant mental health impacts of all forms of intimate partner abuse and the reluctance of women to seek help, or to end an abusive relationship.

"This is the first such study conducted for the whole of Queensland and it provides a benchmark for measuring the impact in Queensland of the Council of Australian Government's (COAG) 12 -year National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children," Ms Nancarrow says.

Under the National Plan, all states and territories and the commonwealth are to develop and implement four consecutive three-year action plans to significantly reduce violence against women, specifically domestic violence and sexual assault, by 2022.  

"Through advocacy from women inside and outside government, Queensland has made very considerable policy, legislative and service delivery advances in the last three decades, and in the last three years has implemented a number of new innovations," Ms Nancarrow says.

"Following a comprehensive review of Queensland's 20-year old Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 1989, a Bill for a new Act was introduced to Parliament last September and is set down for parliamentary debate on February 14."

Ms Nancarrow, who was Deputy Chair of the National Council that produced the blueprint for the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, says that the Queensland Government has shown strong leadership on domestic violence prevention but more needs to be done in regard to its response to sexual assault.

She has been meeting with members of the Queensland Sexual Assault Network and plans to take their concerns, and a proposal for enhancing research to inform policy and practice in this area, to the Government and the Opposition in the lead-up to the state election.

Dressing casual every other Friday has provided great rewards for CQUniversity's Marketing Directorate and their chosen charity.

The group raised $182 as part of their Casual for a Cause project, which has now been committed to the CQUni Cares fund.

Marketing staff dress down to support the CQUni Cares fund

Director of the Marketing Directorate Susanne Schick said the group enjoyed the opportunity to go casual and to donate to such a worthwhile cause.

At a morning tea last week, Director of the Office of Development and Graduate Relations Suzi Blair commended the group on their choice of charity, saying that the CQUni Cares fund was a fabulous way for CQUniversity employees, students and the community to support financially disadvantaged students.

The CQUni Cares fund has been established as an endowment fund. This means only the interest from the gross capital will be used to provide financial help to students, allowing the capital amount to grow and to benefit an increasing number of students for many years in the future.

Thanks to a generous bequest to the University from past student and long time supporter Mrs Moya Gold, and a commitment from the Vice-Chancellor to match contributions to the fund, CQUni Cares will help an increasing number of students each year.

For more information about the CQUni Cares project, please contact the Office of Development and Graduation Relations on 07 4923 2822 or donations@cqu.edu.au .

CQUniversity has joined with bed maker Sealy to launch Australia's biggest-ever study into the sleeping habits of the nation. People up and down the country are urged to have their say.

The nationally-focused ‘Sleep Census' is aimed at comprehensively painting a picture of exactly how well Australians are sleeping, and what impact environmental and cultural factors are having on our collective sleep wellness.

CQUniversity's Adelaide-based Engaged Research Chair Professor Drew Dawson

It is set to be the most in-depth study of its kind ever undertaken in Australia.

The Sealy Sleep Census can be completed by going to http://www.sealysleepcensus.com.au/

The Census forms part of Sealy's ongoing commitment to research and innovation in the sleep arena, and has been developed jointly with Professor Drew Dawson, head of CQUniversity's ‘sleep centre' in Adelaide - Australia's leading academic research base for sleep.

Professor Dawson says "healthy sleep habits are directly linked to wellbeing in your waking life and we know that a poor sleep routine can impact on all kinds of health factors, causing significant detriment to your physical and mental wellbeing".

"The importance of getting good, healthy sleep therefore cannot be understated, and this Census will give us valuable insight not only into sleeping habits of Australians, but also insight into how stressed, happy and balanced we are as a nation during our waking hours. It will therefore be of significant statistical and academic merit."

Sealy spokesperson Ross Gage says "we are committed to innovation and research in all fields of sleep, and the Sleep Census is the natural progression of this. The involvement of CQUniversity is a real coup for us and adds significant academic weight to the study and will ensure we get insightful, scientific findings".

"The findings are set to be fascinating: do we still live in the relaxed country of 'no worries mate', or is Australia's increasing prominence on the world stage leading to a generation of stressed out citizens? Everyone has an opinion on sleep, and as such we'd urge everyone to have their say in this important study."

Central Queensland artists are encouraged to enter the Bayton Award, which is co-sponsored by CQUniversity, in association with the Rockhampton Art Gallery Trust.

The Bayton Award recognises the contribution made by Bishop Bayton* to the acquisition of significant artworks now held in the collection.

Entries will be displayed between June 1 - August 5 this year. LINK HERE for details on The Bayton Award or email gallery@rrc.qld.gov.au 

The Award is a biennial, non-acquisitive prize celebrating the diversity excitement of visual arts in the Central Queensland region. It's open to all media and features $11,500 in total prizes.

The CQUniversity Australia People's Choice Award is valued at $1500. People can vote for their favourite artwork and go into the draw to win $500.

Rockhampton Art Gallery Trust has sponsored the $5000 cash prize (non acquisitive) and $5000 Carnarvon Gorge residency.

The Bayton Award is open to artists residing in the following regions and shires: Rockhampton, Gladstone, Banana, Woorabinda, Central Highlands, Isaac, Barcaldine, Blackall-Tambo, Longreach, Winton, Barcoo, Diamantina and Boulia.

* The Right Reverend John Bayton was installed as Dean of Rockhampton in 1968. also an artist in his own right, he was the Chair of Rockhampton Art Gallery's Art Acquisition Fund in 1975. Together with committee members including then Mayor Rex Pilbeam, Architect Neil McKendrie and Gallery Director Don Taylor, John Bayton was responsible for the purchase of some of Rockhampton Art Gallery's most significant works of art through the Whitlam Government's Contemporary Australian Art for Art Galleries scheme. The purchase included works by Charles Blackman, John Brack, Arthur Boyd, Russell Drysdale, Rupert Bunny and Fred Williams.

A Los Angeles specialist produces hyper-realistic silicone masks used for Hollywood movies and Halloween props. This type of mask is so authentic that bank robbers have chosen to use them. 

That same specialist has now teamed with an Australian academic to produce masks and associated body part props that are just perfect to provide nursing students with a simulated learning experience.

Dr Kerry Reid-Searl with some of her character masks

The MASK-ED^TM (KRS simulation) package goes way beyond supply of the masks and props to include the workshop-based training and techniques that make them so successful.  MASK-ED^TM simply means masking of the educator and masking of the educational process, whilst KRS is about knowledgeable, realistic and spontaneous simulation.

CQUniversity's Dr Kerry Reid-Searl, the instigator and champion of the package, recently visited Colorado State University, the first American campus to introduce the masked educator concept.

Hollywood Style Training in the Nursing Program from CSU-Pueblo TODAY on Vimeo.

True to the concept, Kerry was initially introduced to the students in the guise of retired butcher Cyril Smith, one of her favourite characters.

"Cyril has a grand-daughter doing nursing and he's been in and out of hospital himself so he reckons he knows enough to challenge the nursing students," Kerry says.

She explains there's a lot that needs to happen before the masked educator engages with students. They have to build their own experience into a character history as a platform for teaching. There's no script, so the educator has to be ready to really live the character.

"Plenty happens before the educator de-peels, de-roles and de-briefs their students," Kerry says.

True to form, Kerry was able to astonish and inspire a range of nursing students at Colorado State Uni. Her reputation is such that her Colorado colleagues spent 18 months enticing her to present the  package in person.

LINK to Nursing school has a new take on role playing

The American educators were also very receptive to Kerry's latest teaching tool called Pup-Ed^TM (KRS simulation)*, which enables the educator to inhabitat the role of a sick child by using a puppet.

Kerry with one of the puppet resources and the new educational resource logo

"With the child/puppet the nursing students change their mindset and responses so they can engage and learn in a more authentic way," Kerry says.

JoAnn Crownover from Colorado State Uni says her first exposure to Kerry and her innovative simulation strategy was back in September, 2010.

"I was convinced at that first meeting that her simulation technique was going to change the face of simulation," JoAnn says.

"The masks and props that Kerry uses are so life-like that it is easy and natural to relate to the character as a real person.

"I have been doing simulation for years using high fidelity manikins.  Although I do believe that the manikins provide tremendous learning opportunities for the student nurses,  I always have some students who have difficulty relating to the manikin as if it is a real patient.

"MASK-ED will provide all students with an opportunity to care for a real patient in a safe learning environment.  The students, faculty and community of CSU-Pueblo were all extremely impressed with Kerry Reid-Searl and Lea Vieth from CQUni as they demonstrated the teaching-learning technique.

"Following one of their presentations, I had one nursing student who stated that she felt so lucky to be a student at this University because of the innovative teaching strategies.  I predict that as soon as the United States nursing educators are exposed to MASK-ED, it will be in great demand." 

As part of her USA visit, Kerry was delighted to visit the Los Angeles factory which now produces her masks and props including authentic-looking wounds, injectible arms, breasts, abdomens, torsos, genitalia, and even colostomies.

She says the manufacturer is being profiled soon by a major American news network, including a focus on the educational potential of his products.

"Whilst the props hide the face of the educator, the skill is in knowing how to use this technique.  Hence it is fundamental that the educator is prepared with the educational resources that Kerry has created," Kerry says.

"We believe MASK-ED  has application not only for nursing and health settings but in any learning situation involving a patient or client relationship.

"You don't have to be a trained actor to use the mask and props but we can train educators to ensure they can totally transform into a character with a back story who is able to help create the right educational outcomes."

* Pup-Ed^TM (KRS simulation) is a teaching technique where puppets are worn by a wearer who is an informed professional. Pup-Ed^TM (KRS simulation) is an acronym for the teaching approach developed for the technique.

The acronym stands for P-puppet and professional preparation, U- understanding the learner, P-play in action to suspend disbelief, E- evaluation, D- debrief. The KRS component stands for knowledgeable, realistic and spontaneous simulation.

The 'knowledgeable' implies that the wearer of the puppet has a deep understanding of the content being imparted as well as an understanding of different learning styles in order to develop strategies in the puppet experience to engage the learners.

'Realistic' suggests that the puppet experience mimics a real situation and the learner is suspended in disbelief. The reality comes from the experience of the wearer who should have a deep understanding of their discipline and simulation. For example in nursing, the professional wearing the puppet - (being the nurse), can draw upon episodes of patient care relevant to the content, the objectives of the episode and learner level.

'Spontaneous' implies that the reaction of the puppet is unprompted. However, the puppet is directed by the professional who is, in turn, influenced by the learner response. Because scripts are not set, the reactions can be immediate in response to learners.

The purpose of this technique is for the professional to use puppets as a means to engage, teach, play and communicate with learners.

The puppets can be used in different contexts and the learners can be diverse. For example the learners could be university nursing students in a classroom; children in a paediatric unit, children in a classroom with differing needs or a child undergoing counselling.

The informed professional could be a nurse educator teaching undergraduate nursing students, the experienced registered nurse in the paediatric unit, the teacher in the classroom or the psychologist in a counselling session with a child. The contexts can, in essence, be any setting involving children or where there is a need for teaching individuals who will be involved with children.

Sainiana M. Radrodro's business study with CQUniversity came at the midpoint of her astonishing journey from school dropout and teenage mum through to her current status as Principal Transport Planner for Fiji's Ministry of Works, Transport and Public Utilities.

Along the way, Sainiana has experienced ups and downs in her personal life but is now happily married to her second husband, with a blended family of eight children.

Sainiana M. Radrodro pictured after graduating from CQUniversity

CQUniversity reluctantly closed its Fiji Campus during that country's political turmoil last decade, but not before Sainiana completed a Postgraduate Diploma in General Management in 2006 and MBA in 2007.

Growing up in Suva as a child, Sainiana's parents were civil servants and she had a middle class existence for a while.

"My life became shattered when my parents divorced when I was 11 years of age," she says.

"Life from then on was a struggle as I moved from family to family. For the most part, it was embarrasing as most family members did not welcome any new additions to their families given that they each had their own struggles.

"I remember when I was around 13, I prayed hard one night before I went to bed with an empty stomach that I hoped I would be accepted into an all girls' boarding school better known as Adi Cakobau School. This was to allow me to have a roof over my head to sleep and food in my stomach. I got through my exams and was accepted into this prestigious school where I spent four wonderful years of what was almost a normal life except for no visitors to visit me during a whole school term. I used to envy those lucky girls whose parents would visit their daughters every weekend. I would pretend it didn't matter but there were many nights I would cry myself to sleep and miss my mum and dad and my brothers and sisters who were almost all living with different families by then."

Sainiana entered the next phase of life as a school dropout and teenage mum. She said she spent three years looking for work and missing her son, who was growing up with her elder sister in a town in western Fiji.

"With no formal qualification, I literally went office to office looking for work. I presented myself at the Fiji Times newspaper one day after I did a soul searching and realised the only talent I had which I could use was my ability to write well and my love in fact for it.

"I remember telling the Editor I needed a job and that I had a son to support and would be the best journalist he would have one day. He gave me an assignment to go to the Sukuna Park where the World Water Day was being held. I was to write a story on this and if he liked the story, I would be recruited. I wrote the story and was hired my first fully paid job!  My first pay packet I received $347 for two weeks of work. That was plenty for me and for the first time in my life, I felt independent and ready to face whatever the world threw me.

"I worked for the Fiji Times for almost five years and started taking preliminary courses at the University of the South Pacific. My hunger for studies drove me and I shortly after left the Fiji Times to join the Fiji Electricity Authority, with work including serving in customer service to packing FEA bills.

"By this time I was married and had a second son. I had my last child whilst at FEA and was unfortunately given my notice of services no longer required as the letter stated that because there was no provision for pregnant casual staff to take leave, I was to end my career with FEA.

"That was a low blow to my life with expecting a child and being chucked out of my job. I left and vowed to be back one day. I gave birth to my only daughter and after a year at home, applied to the Daily Post where I got a job as a political writer and later rose to the rank of Chief of Staff.

"Three years later I joined the United Nations Development Program where I travelled the world and had my first international exposures as an international civil servant. It was at the UNDP where I learnt to write proper reports and ensure documentation of all projects were submitted on time, proper budgetings were done and monitoring of project implmentation was a priority.

"I finished my career with UNDP four years later appointed as the Overall Project Cordinator for a special project my team had been assigned to do. Whilst at the UNDP I enrolled at the Central Queensland University.

"Studying at CQU was one of the best times of my life. My lecturers were top professionals and the learning environment at CQU Fiji Campus was an experience in itself. I felt privileged to be studying in the same lecture room during those days with some renowed civil servants, CEOs and executives from various professions.

"CQU had a great blend of students who in fact were mostly older students studying part time whilst being gainfully employed.   I left the UNDP in 2006 and joined the Fiji Islands Trade and Investment Bureau as its Senior Public Relations and Investment Development Officer. It was at FTIB that I completed my Masters and travelled up to Australia with my mum and daughter to graduate from CQU Rockhampton in February 2008.

"On my return from graduation I joined the Ministry of Works, Transport and Public Utilities where I took up the position of Principal Media Liaison Officer and later got posted within the Ministry as the Principal Economic Transport Planner; a position I hold to date."

Sainiana says her current position means she looks after transportation analysis and assists in future transport development planning, whilst also addressing current issues that affect the Transport Industry.

"It's a challenging career but rewarding because I am dealing with challenges people go through daily in their quest to access transportation services and means."

After three years of mapping koala sightings, including responses to a ‘wanted dead or alive' SMS Hotline campaign, researchers have identified the CQ region's hotspots and coldspots.

One hotspot for sightings is the Bruce Highway in a corridor between Granite and Waverley Creeks near St Lawrence. Another is on the Peak Downs Highway from the top of the Eton Range to Denison Creek.

The koala wanted poster which encouraged reports of sightings

Addressing a CQ Koala Workshop audience including regional, national and international specialists, CQUniversity researcher Gail Tucker reported receiving 42 sightings of live koalas and 62 deaths; many via the SMS hotline.

LINK for more background, photos and audio from the ABC online re  Koala workshops at CQUniversity or

LINK to Koalas are in desperate trouble and likely to be listed as threatened

"In contrast, we used to get regular reports of koalas sightings and deaths in the area between Rockhampton and Emerald, but  have not had any for some time. We are keen to hear from residents in that area too.

Working with colleague Dr Delma Clifton, Ms Tucker is trying to establish whether the death rates are increasing and what impact these deaths have on the regional populations.

The researchers are looking at possible causes for the road deaths, which may include a habitat change, increased traffic or changes in koala population density.

"During the workshop we will also be discussing whether we can reduce koala fatalities by erecting roadside fencing or perhaps using signage or reducing speeds in certain areas," Ms Tucker said.

"We hope that our research can inform the design and construction of future transport corridors across Central Queensland to reduce impacts on koala populations."

Koalas are in desperate trouble and are likely to be listed as threatened by the Commonwealth - but there are no 'one size fits all' solutions.

The threatening processes, ecology and knowledge of koalas are as patchy as the distribution of the species. However, there is abundant evidence that the koala is in serious trouble and does pass the threshold for listing as a threatened species. It's likely that Minister Tony Burke will determine the EPBC Act listing in a decision due on February 17.

Koala workshop participants L-R Ros Leslie (Koala Policy and Operations Branch QPWS); Dr Frank Carrick (UQ), Jennifer Tobey (San Diego Zoo), Gail Tucker (CQUni); Dr Bill Ellis (UQ) and Dr Alistair Melzer (CQUni).

That's according to Dr Frank Carrick AM from the University of Queensland's Koala Study Program, who was this week joining discussions for the three-day Central Queensland Koala Workshop.

Hosted at CQUniversity Rockhampton, the forum involves around 40 leading local, national and international koala experts.

LINK for more background, photos and audio from the ABC online coverage of  Koala workshops at CQUniversity or

LINK for Koala researchers reveal CQ region hotspots and coldspots

"Having provided evidence at the Melbourne hearing of the Senate Committee, made various additional submissions and having followed its deliberations and the unanimous report, I have to say the Senators ‘got it right' - basically the Committee has strongly urged Tony Burke to list the koala as threatened under the EPBC Act and has pointed out inconsistencies/inaccuracies in the Threatened Species Advisory Committee's (TSSC) previous advice to the Minister," Dr Carrick says.

"The Queensland Government is going to look pretty silly if it has to 'play catch up' with the Feds, since the key elements leading to the likely Commonwealth listing are based on Queensland research.

"In the unlikely event that Commonwealth listing does not happen, it will clearly demonstrate the complete inadequacy of the EPBC Act to protect Australia's unique fauna before it teeters on the very brink of extinction and thus will provide the impetus to develop a national 'Koala Conservation Act' that will actually help protect this national and international iconic species."

Dr Carrick noted that before human beings arrived on our continent, koalas once lived in parts of all of what are now the mainland States. His national perspective update on the status of koalas in 2012 included the following:

WA - there are actually koalas back at Yanchep where fossils of their ancestors were discovered in a cave about 50 years ago - but these are ‘ex pats' from the East and are essentially a zoo population.

SA - All the present koalas here are also ‘ex pats', though free-ranging. Due to their depauperate genetic origins, they make a very limited contribution to the evolutionary potential of the species and their issues are largely those of managing a species outside its natural range.

VIC - The koala now occurs over most of its pre-European-occupation range, BUT its distribution is highly fragmented and much of the population is probably biologically unstable due to the near extinction bottleneck and the unintended consequences of large scale translocation of koalas.

NSW - The koala is almost extinct in the southern half of NSW and in diabolical trouble in the north-eastern parts of its range; several populations are listed as ‘Endangered' and a number have been monitored as they became locally extinct - but one western population has shown us that despite all the other pressures, habitat restoration on a large scale can bring a population back from its descent into the "extinction vortex".

QLD -Although the Queensland populations are also in desperate trouble, this is where the majority of the evolutionary potential of the species resides - thus it is especially important to secure the future of Queensland's official faunal emblem. It is also a microcosm of the overall national situation: the ecology of the species is quite different in the south-eastern corner, the western regions, the dry tropics and the wet tropics of this State; so are the threatening processes, the precision of our knowledge and the amount of management attention.

The contemporary Queensland scene: The most comprehensive data that exist for any koala population are derived from studies of the high density SEQ populations. There is clear evidence that the coastal SEQ koala populations meet the IUCN criteria for listing as ‘Critically Endangered' and the Nature Conservation Act criteria for listing as ‘Endangered Wildlife' - despite nominations for such listing in the second half of 2010 there has been a deafening silence from the Queensland authorities and procrastination by the Commonwealth. Our knowledge of the western and northern populations is less complete but nonetheless clearly demonstrates that there are serious problems for the species here too - consolidating our knowledge and identifying major deficiencies that need to be made good urgently, are the raisons d'etre  for this Koala Workshop in Rockhampton hosted by the Central Queensland Koala Research Centre.

In the first study of its type, researchers will use ‘social networks analysis' to understand how stakeholders communicate and share information about water resources and flooding disasters in their region...

A $280,000 research grant from the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) is supporting the study led by CQUniversity and including academics from the University of Melbourne, Griffith University and the University of Maryland*.

Julie Mann and Dr Susan Kinnear chat about their project with Eddie Cowan - Local Area Controller, SES

Researcher Julie Mann says that, for regional communities to respond to climate change, finding ways to communicate effectively will be critically important.

"Social network analysis has already successfully been used to manage complex problems (for example, in natural resource management), and in disaster management (such as the Victorian bushfires)," Ms Mann says.

"This research project is the first time SNA will be used to explore water resource management and flooding.  Specifically, the research will focus on the three case study areas of Central Queensland (Rockhampton, Emerald) and South-East Queensland (Brisbane).

"We have a project team that includes Australian and American research experts, and we intend to engage closely with the key stakeholders from the three case study areas.

"The project outcomes will include preparing research reports and fact sheets, as well as staging stakeholder workshops, to help local organisations and to develop policy at the regional, state and national levels."

Project leader, Dr Susan Kinnear, says the research team is interested in interviewing representatives from organisations involved in management of water resources and infrastructure; and/or in disaster management and recovery effort during periods of flooding. Prospective participants can inquire further via  4930 9336 or s.kinnear@cqu.edu.au.

"Water body reps can participate in this research by agreeing to spend approximately 20 minutes doing an interview with us, in the form of either a telephone or face-to-face interview," she says.

"During the interview, they will be asked questions about how their organisation operates, and in particular, the ways in which it communicates and collaborates with other organisations.

"There will also be some questions regarding how they might expect their organisation to operate in the future."

Interviews will be conducted by a researcher from CQUniversity or Griffith University. Answers will be used to identify the key ways in which organisations communicate and interact with each other, in order to respond to flooding, or to manage water resources and infrastructure more effectively.

The project commenced November 2011 and will run to December 2012.

* As well as Julie Mann, CQUniversity academics involved include Dr Susan Kinnear, Dr Dave Swain and Kym Patison. Other collaborators include Professor Garry Robins (University of Melbourne); Dr Vicky Ross (Griffith) and Dr Elizabeth Malone (Joint Global Change Institute, University of Maryland).

CQUniversity researchers have addressed a problem facing fish farming, which is crucial for averting hunger as the world population grows beyond seven billion people and there are pressures on sustainability of fish stocks in our seas.

Doctoral student Sadia Khan, Professor Rob Reed and Dr Mohammad Rasul have researched ways for fish farms to prevent bacterial infection, and their latest findings are published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Microbiology.

LINK for the journal article via Sunny prospects for aquaculture purification

Sadia Khan, Professor Rob Reed and Dr Mohammad Rasul display their research equipment

The CQUni research demonstrates that a prototype water purification reactor containing a thin film of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is able to enhance the sun's natural disinfection properties. This device could reduce the need for expensive antibiotics or poisonous chemicals.

Outbreaks of infectious diseases by bacteria and other microbial pathogens can cause substantial losses of stock in aquaculture. While antibiotics, biocides and conventional disinfectants can be used, they are expensive and leave behind chemical residues. Using sunlight for disinfection is not a new idea, however conventional solar disinfection is slow and inefficient. 

The CQUni researchers addressed this problem by adapting thin-film fixed-bed reactor (TTFBR) technology to provide treated water. In the reactor, water contaminated by Aeromonas hydrophila was slowly passed over a sloping film of TiO₂ at a fixed rate and in full sunlight. Results showed that using TiO₂ as a photocatalyst increased the effectiveness of solar disinfection by over 10 times.

LINK for a larger image

Professor Reed explained, "Other people have looked at using TiO₂ as an enhancer of solar disinfection, but they either used a suspension of TiO₂ particles in water, or artificial UV to test their reactors. Our TTFBR technology is very effective at killing pathogens at high levels of natural sunlight and consequently is particularly suited to countries with sunny climates and is especially useful to developing countries where sunlight is abundant but other resources are scarce."

Former Bangladesh student Sadia Khan has been carrying out her research under Professor Reed's supervision, with CQUniversity engineer Dr Mohammad Rasul supervising the structural side of the project.

CQUniversity microbiology lecturer Dr Sandrine Makiela is keen for landholders to nominate to have microbes in their soils tested, in an effort to produce baseline data of micobial activity in Central Queensland soils.

Thanks to a new trial jointly funded by CQUniversity and consultants Grazing BestPrac (GBP), graziers may be able to get feedback on microbial activity in their soils without sending samples interstate.

Dr Sandrine Makiela pictured in her laboratory

Dr Makiela says the project aims to check the amount and types of microbes necessary to build and maintain productive soils to support healthy pastures.

She is keen to collect between 60 and 80 samples from a variety of Central Queensland region soil types, including a highly productive paddock and a run-down paddock (for comparison).

"While many have spoken of the link between microbes and improved pastures resulting from changes to management practices, the tests should show what worked and what did not," Dr Makiela says.

"We first need the data to compare to find out what levels we have now and what effects those microbes have on soil health."

Anyone interested in becoming involved in this project can call Grazing BestPrac via 4938 3919.

Paddock soil health is crucial to graziers

The Gladstone Regional Art Gallery will soon host an exhibition entitled Australian Portraits 1880 - 1960: Paintings from the National Gallery of Australia Collection.

The National Gallery asked Gladstone Gallery to determine the strength of the hanging fixtures and chains to ensure that the paintings would be safe.  The Gallery then asked CQUniversity to test the chains and fixtures to give an indication of the safe working loads of the wall fixtures and fittings.

A Hugh Ramsay oil on canvas which is part of the exhibition. From the National Gallery catalogue

Dr.Alan McLeod, Senior Research Fellow at the Process Engineering and Light Metals (PELM) Centre based at CQUniversity in Gladstone, this week carried out load testing of the Gallery walls.  

The PELM Centre has already undertaken a series of laboratories tests to measure the breaking strains of the chains and hooks. 

The Australian portraits 1880 - 1960 exhibition features bushrangers, flappers and fashion icons and includes 52 portraits by 34 leading Australian painters, including Tom Roberts, George W. Lambert, Grace Cossington Smith, Margaret Preston, Arthur Boyd, Sidney Nolan, Russell Drysdale and John Brack.

You can LINK HERE for details about the exhibition scheduled for Gladstone Regional Art Gallery between February 11 and May 12.

Event organisers, marketing consultants, industry reps and business people can all gain by hearing from former Queensland Events Corporation chief executive Michael Denton, who will present a seminar at CQUniversity Mackay Campus on March 1.

'The Business of Managing Successful Events' seminar will draw on Mr Denton's extensive experience securing major international events such as the Goodwill Games, Rugby World Cup, and Rotary International World Convention. He's also been Director of Riverfestival Brisbane and has served on major event organising committees.

Michael Denton

Mr Denton was Chief Executive of the successful Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games bid, following his 11 years with Queensland Events Corporation. He is currently Deputy Chairman, Gold Coast Events Management Ltd.

This one-day seminar is presented by CQUniversity's Queensland Centre for Professional Development (QCPD) in partnership with Mackay Convention Bureau and ABC Tropical North.

For registrations LINK HERE or contact 4940 7878 or l.forbes-smith@cqu.edu.au

Minister for Disabilities Curtis Pitt has visited the proposed site of a new centre that will provide early intervention for children with autism at CQUniversity Bundaberg. The centre is expected to provide a multitude of benefits for all involved.

The visit on January 24 followed the State Government's commitment of $700,000 to support the development.

CQUniversity Bundaberg Head of Campus Professor Phillip Clift with Cr David Batt (representing the Mayor), Minister Curtis Pitt and AEIOU Foundation CEO Alan Smith

The purpose-built facility will be operated by AEIOU Foundation, a Queensland based not-for-profit organisation which is a one of Australia's leading providers of early intervention for children with autism.  

The new centre will provide 12 full-time placements for children with autism aged between two and a half and six years. Once established, the centre's team will provide support to surrounding areas such as Kingaroy.

AEIOU Foundation CEO Alan Smith said the Foundation is delighted to join the Queensland Government and CQUniversity to develop the centre, explaining it will present several mutual benefits to the local community.

"Autism is not a rare disorder, with around 750 children diagnosed with autism each year. Bundaberg residents have been calling for a service like this, and it is terrific to work with CQUniversity and the Queensland Government to support local families," Mr Smith says.

"This partnership also presents tremendous opportunities, including the prospect of research collaboration, and the opportunity for students studying at the University to engage in work experience.

"Allied health and education students can engage in our world-class program, and learn from skilled professionals.  As a result, when entering the workforce, they will possess a unique skill set in this area.

"Students who engage in work experience with AEIOU often seek long-term employment with AEIOU once they complete their degree. This means we are employing engaged staff members who are prepared for the unique challenges and incredible rewards we encounter in our centres every day."

CQUniversity Bundaberg Head of Campus Professor Phillip Clift agrees this initiative will enable practical experience for CQUniversity students enrolled in learning management degrees, especially those focused on early childhood and primary education.

"Our Dean of Education Professor Helen Huntly believes that having our students interact with children with autism would be a rich and valuable learning experience," Professor Clift said.

"As the relationship evolves, there should also be opportunities for postgraduate students and academics to participate in research projects, initially in psychology, social work and health promotion and also longer-term in areas such as music therapy, occupational therapy and other allied health areas."

In 2011, AEIOU Foundation opened a temporary service in Bundaberg to provide support to families until the custom-designed centre can be constructed in 2012.

AEIOU Foundation operates from 10 locations across Queensland.  Each AEIOU centre is staffed with full-time specialist early childhood teachers, speech pathologists, and occupational and music therapists, as well as skilled learning facilitators.   More than 70% of children that complete the program transition to mainstream schooling and around 90% of children are able to communicate functionally.  For more information about AEIOU Foundation, go to www.aeiou.org.au/ 

CQUniversity graduate Jordan Edmeades is continuing to find favour with his role as Basil Fawlty in the Faulty Towers Dining Experience, with his latest show taking him to The Netherlands.

"I might have mentioned the war but I think I got away with it," quipped Jordan (in Basil mode) during a recent Email to friends from his days at the Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Mackay.

Jordan Edmeades finds a warm place in The Netherlands

Jordan reports on the freezing cold conditions, shares photos from a recent day-trip to Brussels and then notes:

"Fawlty toured to the Schalm Theatre in Veldhoven, in the south of Holland. Great audiences, lots of laughs ...

"Saturday night was a fundraiser for a children's charity which went very well and some much-needed money was raised. Next week we play in Utrecht for a solid eight shows."

Jordan and his dining experience cast members have previously toured Ireland, England and Australia.

Jordan in Basil Fawlty guise backstage 
Jordan on a day trip to Brussels 

CQUniversity Social Work student Kattie Butterfield is heading to Denmark to complete three of the courses towards her bachelor degree.

The four-month trip from February to May has been made possible thanks to a $10,000 student exchange scholarship funded* as part of the European Union-Australia joint mobility projects.

Kattie Butterfield plans her trip to Denmark

Once back in Australia, Kattie will have a final practical experience to arrange before graduating from her four-year program. She has previously completed a practical placement with Anglicare and she also volunteered as a community visitor for elderly people through a Lifeline service.

'Im really looking forward to this amazing opportunity," says Kattie, who will be studying at Denmark's VIA College University in the city of Aarhus.

CQUniversity's Dr Daniel Teghe, from Health and Human Services, says the Meanings and Practices of Social Work: cross-national comparisons project involves a consortium of Australian and European partner institutions.

This project aims to advance social work education and practice by recognising social work as an international profession. It also recognises that the legal and organisational meaning of social work and related practices, and the identity of 'the social worker' will be influenced by the national and cultural context.

Last year, the project enabled two Hungarian students and one Danish student to visit CQUniversity's Rockhampton Campus. This year, Rockhampton is likely to host three social work students from the University of Salford (near Manchester).

Dr Teghe says CQUniversity's involvement in the Meanings and Practices of Social Work project is administered by the Learning and Teaching Education Research Centre (LTERC).

"Our International Office colleagues have been just fantastic with their help and advice, and also for supporting exchange students," he says.

* The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) provides the scholarships for Australian students.

CQUniversity and Mackay Health Service District have welcomed $375,000 in funding, enabling a joint academic role to become the first of its type in Australia in the field of medical imaging and sonography...

This Clinical Academic Fellowship success is the result of a collaboration between the Mackay Health Service District and the CQUniversity Medical Imaging/Medical Sonography programs.

The funding was awarded as part of a statewide competitive process from the Office of Health and Medical Research, Queensland Health.  

The successful applicant will be employed for five years, dividing  their time between the clinical and academic environment at both the hospital and campus, with a strong focus on research.

This new role will enable CQUniversity and Mackay Health Service District to collaborate on research which improves outcomes for patients using medical imaging and sonography services.

As well as the core funding from Queensland Health, CQUniversity and Mackay Health Service District will contribute resources towards this shared academic, helping to cement the relationship already initiated.

Danielle Hornsby, the Executive Director Allied Health, says "Mackay Health Service District is delighted to cement this research program with CQUniversity, and this boost will certainly help to attract world-class clinicians to Mackay".

CQUniversity's Head of Program for Medical Imaging and Sonography Caroline Falconi says "this initiative will strengthen ties between the University and our clinical affiliations, enabling us to move forward together in contributing to advances in our profession".

"I see this as a positive relationship and believe it will be valuable for consolidating our program's place in Central Queensland," Ms Falconi says.

CQUniversity Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean Professor Graham Pegg said the funding opens up exciting possibilities to develop first rate research that incorporates the critical clinical component.

"It is expected the new role will be filled during the first half of this year," Professor Pegg says.

CQUniversity is looking forward to the next (late February) intakes for its popular medical imaging and sonography programs, which were launched in 2011, along with the new $4 million Medical and Applied Sciences Laboratories at Mackay Campus.

These laboratories are so well equipped with state-of-the-art digital imaging equipment that they rival any clinical department and are expected to become a centre for excellence for simulation teaching and assessment techniques.

The University is addressing the need for qualified radiographers and sonographers in regional Queensland.

CQUniversity Mackay recently hosted board meetings for Mackay Tourism, giving Head of Campus Professor Pierre Viljoen the chance to update tourism sector leaders on campus expansion plans.

Tourism senior lecturer Steve Noakes was available to update the visitors on new Tourism degrees and to address his research into sector trends and statistics. Mr Noakes is also a member of the board.

Professor Pierre Viljoen (left) and lecturer Steve Noakes welcome some of the Mackay Tourism board members

CQUniversity's revamped Rockhampton Campus library is now chock full of technology which encourages collaborative learning. There's even a ground-floor coffee shop for socialising, with the whispering zone consigned to the top floor.

With $6 million worth of renovations and enhancements now in place, the iconic Bruce Hiskens Building is no longer just a place for quiet bookworms, according to CQUniversity library director Graham Black.

LINK for a larger image

LINK HERE for more on the Library refurbishment

"When the library was first designed and built back in the ‘70s, individuals tended to come alone, get some books off the shelf, look at microfilm and work alone. We need spaces today that are open, networked and lend themselves more to more collaboration, discussion and ease. That's what the renovations have done," Mr Black says.

Forget chalk on a blackboard - CQUniversity's Rockhampton library now features whiteboard-style 'smart boards' which enable touch-sensitive displays for computer applications, with note taking and saving using 'digital ink' instead of smudgy pens

New 'surface computers'  arriving during the first half of 2012 have a coffee-table like design so users can not only touch the screen but also drag objects across to interact with the computer's graphical mode.

There's an access grid with split screens enhancing group-to-group panel discussions anywhere in the world. Participants can access multiple video streams, multiple camera angles, multiple voice inputs, and multiple data inputs (eg. electron microscope images). They can hear and see each other while sharing documents and images in real time without delays.

Wireless internet access is now standard, of course, and chairs and tables have wheels so rooms can be configured in a variety of ways.

And helpdesks can answer either IT or library search questions, although searches are a lot easier now thanks to Discover It!, the Library's Google-style interface for access to scholarly information including databases, electronic journals, and the catalogue.

While technology is to the fore, there's plenty of natural light and views of green parts of the campus, as well as funky furniture and open-plan design.

CQUniversity has been able to achieve a significant improvement to the building with help from Wilson Architects, which has gained renown as a specialist in university library design. It has also helped that Woollam Constructions was on board as this firm built the original library building in 1978 and then came back in 2001 for a major refurbishment.

The latest $6 million facelift has been achieved thanks to the Federal Government Teaching and Learning Capital Fund - Higher Education.

Mr Black says the latest work represents the first complete refurbishment since the library was officially opened by Princess Alexandra - but the new look is not without one small regret.

"As exciting as it is to have the refurbishment, it was sad to see the orange carpet go," he says.

Teachers could be playing catch-up in high-tech classrooms with Apple's recently announced foray into interactive textbooks helping to accelerate this trend.

That's according to CQUniversity's Dr Michael Cowling who is researching the ‘technology competency' of educators, following a recent study into the potential use of the Twitter social networking tool in the classroom.

Dr Michael Cowling

Dr Cowling said teachers and lecturers were digital immigrants compared with their younger digital native students. He says his research exposed a 'fear factor' among academic staff worried that technology would take over their classroom when they were unprepared.

"You can imagine teachers will be enticed into using the very rich environment of textbooks on tablet computers, and their students may be way ahead of them in terms of the technology," he said.

"It's unclear how companies such as Apple expect teachers to manage this transition, trying to educate using technology that students know more about than the teacher."

"Announcements such as Apple's new interactive textbooks are forcing teachers and lecturers to become reluctant adopters of technology; I don't think they're all ready for that," he said.

"Universities and schools are going to need to seriously consider their staff professional development programs if they're going to deal with this digital divide between teaching staff and the students they teach."

Equitability in the classroom is also important, with Dr Cowling expressing a concern that not all students would have access to the tablet technology.

"Our Twitter research showed that for these initiatives to truly work, all students need access to these technology devices, otherwise you quickly run into the situation where the student who really needs the benefits from the technology does not have access to it, removing any pedagogical advantage," he said.

"For this type of initiative to truly succeed, it will need to be an iPad for every student or a tablet computer at every desk."

Dr Cowling is collaborating with a colleague Jeremy Novak from Southern Cross University on research funded by CQUniversity. The pair will publish the initial results from their technology competency work at the 6^th International Technology in Education conference in Valencia, Spain this coming March.

Rural occupational therapy (OT) practice can be challenging with large diverse caseloads, the generalist nature of practice, vast distances to travel, a lack of referral agency and equipment resources, and limited access to professional support.

Apart from the potential for 'burn out', if rural practice is not considered an attractive option, there may be unfilled OT vacancies and ultimately a lack of adequate health service provision for rural communities.

New Discipline Leader for Occupational Therapy, Associate Professor Patricia WielandtHowever, it is possible for therapists to avoid ‘burn out' when working in rural communities by sowing the seeds of resilience during their OT training. Additionally, the emergence of new technologies such as telehealth can help maintain professional links while reducing the need for long-distance travel to remote communities.

That's according to CQUniversity's new co-Discipline Lead for Occupational Therapy, Associate Professor Patricia Wielandt who is keen to ensure her students can embrace rural practice by the time they enter the workforce.

"Retention of rural and remote allied health workers in Australia has been an issue for many years but new innovations in OT education are changing this," she says.

"The new OT program wants to 'home-grow' their graduates for OT practice in the Central Queensland region (urban and especially rural) and that means having a curriculum that highlights the characteristics of the population they will be working with, as well as knowledge about the regions'  industries (mining, agriculture and fisheries).

"Adequately preparing graduates for the realities of rural practice obviously involves discipline-specific theory and practice skills, but also there needs to be strategic fieldwork experiences, knowledge about developing skills for building social capital and maximizing community support networks.  These are all building blocks for a rewarding career in rural occupational therapy practice."

After a career as a practitioner and academic in Australia, Assoc Prof Wielandt recently spent five years training OT Masters students for practice in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. Whilst employed at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, she conducted research surrounding preparedness for rural OT practice in Alberta (2007), the actual nature of rural OT practice in prairie provinces (2007), the rewards and challenges of rural OT practice in Saskatchewan (2009) and developing resilience in order to survive as a sole rural OT practitioner (2010). The findings from these studies were used by the Saskatchewan health authorities when developing an application for their own OT program this past year.

Planning a fresh role with CQUniversity, Assoc Prof Wielandt says her research will include a study to identify the factors that facilitate the development of resilience in local rural OTs. She says this is an exciting time developing a new rural OT school to address the imbalance in the region with regards to allied health care provision.      

CQUniversity senior lecturer Dr Ali Black hopes to help people recover their sense of purpose and creativity, through two workshops to be delivered at Gladstone Campus.

Recovering a Sense of Creativity will be presented on Tuesday, February 7, while Recovering a Sense of Purpose will be presented on Saturday February 11.

Dr Ali Black

The sessions are aimed at professionals, staff interested in personal and professional renewal, anyone feeling disengaged or undervalued at work, and others who want to reconnect with what gives meaning and purpose to their lives.

A certificate of attendance is provided for all, but teachers may also like to use this as evidence for accumulation of Queensland College of Teachers CPD Points Engagement (7 hours).

Details are available via 07 4970 7282 or r.kinslow@cqu.edu.au .

Dr Ali Black has more than 20 years of experience as an educator (early childhood, primary, tertiary). Her research has supported staff during organisational change and emphasises the importance of reflection and meaning for personal and professional renewal. Ali has been involved in a range of projects and investigations around the centrality of story, creativity and meaning for wellbeing at work and beyond work.

Introduction of $1 bets would be a positive way to combat problem gambling, but in some cases may only be the difference between ‘bleeding to death' slowly or quickly. The end result is the same.

That's according to gambling researcher Associate Professor Matthew Rockloff of CQUniversity, who says he's in favour of $1 bets, but that mandatory pre-commitment would be more effective for combating problem gambling.

Assoc Prof Matthew Rockloff

"You can get just as drunk on beer as you can on hard liquor. Similarly, the $1 bet just slows down the process of losing money for gamblers, but still produces intolerable losses over time",  Dr Rockloff says.

"The benefit of pre-commitment is for those who are on the cusp of losing control of their gambling, and preventing them from developing more serious problems. Getting control is the key."

Assoc Prof Rockloff says he does not want to throw cold water on $1 bets, because they would be useful, however research evidence suggests that pre-commitment is the better option for reducing gambling problems in the community.

"Unsurprisingly, the clubs lobby hates both options, but pre-commitment has better long-term potential to put the industry on a sustainable path to unimpeded growth" he says.

CQUniversity Australia has a strong tradition of links with Chinese institutions and academics, most recently hosting Visiting Scholar Professor Qin Chenqiang, Dean of the Sino-Canadian International College (SCIC) at Guangxi University in Nanning...

Qin has been visiting CQUniversity Sydney with side tours to other campuses as a guest of CQUniversity's International Education Research Centre. He is collaborating on several research projects with IERC Director Associate Professor Alison Owens.

Visiting Scholar Prof Qin with Assoc Prof Alison Owens, Sydney Campus Director Susan Loomes and Dr Clive Graham (Head of Programs for the Doctor of Professional Studies)

In addition to a focus on English language and intercultural learning, SCIC is seeking to embed entrepreneurial skills across programs so that graduates are creative, innovative and effective professionals in the context of an increasingly competitive Chinese domestic labour market.

Professor Qin's academic expertise and research interests include linguistics, language teaching (particularly English) intercultural communications, international education and pedagogies for entrepreneurial learning. He is the chief investigator for a grant from China's Ministry of Education entitled:   Reform Pilot Project to Cultivate Innovative Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurial Talents in China - ASEAN Free Trade Area.

Qin selected CQUniversity as a result of his research online seeking to find an Australian university with a strong international education focus. He also noted the transdisciplinary and entrepreneurial focus of programs such as the Doctor of Professional Studies. Qin hopes to establish ongoing links for collaborative research into intercultural communication, international education and entrepreneurial pedagogies as a result of his visit. He is very keen to begin student and staff exchange between CQUni and Guangxi University.

Guangxi University was established in 1928 and currently offers 70 undergraduate, 80 postgraduate and six doctoral programs to just under 25,000 enrolled students.

Prof Qin's college was established in 2001 through the joint efforts of Guangxi University and the Canadian Foundation Centre for International Education (CFCIE). A key objective of SCIC is to "...generate a native-like language learning environment where students not only learn English, but also immerse themselves in cross-cultural communication".

Qin explained why he selected Australia as a visiting scholar: "I completed my postgraduate studies in Canada and was interested in experiencing a further, culturally different context for education so that SCIC can benefit from my international knowledge, experience and relationships. My staff are from Canada, USA, Australia, UK and New Zealand as well as local Chinese staff, so expanding my intercultural knowledge and skills can assist me support teaching staff at SCIC." In addition, Qin had seen the 'many beautiful sceneries' of Australia and wanted to visit them for himself. He will also be travelling to New Zealand at the end of his CQUni residency.

Qin will visit several CQUniversity campuses over his residency and welcomes contact from staff interested in meeting with him to discuss collaborations. His contact details and further information about Guangxi University and SCIC are available below.

Contact Prof Qin at q.chengqiang@syd.cqu.edu.au

Guangxi University website: http://www.gxu.edu.cn/administration/gjc/index-e.htm

Sino-Canadian International College website:  http://www.sinocan.cn/Html/list_71.html

More than 100 local businesses provided input for Central Queensland innovation projects in 2011, enabling progress to be continued in 2012...

That's according to Dr Susan Kinnear, CQUniversity's Sustainable Regional Development program leader, who was reflecting on completion of a 'CQ Innovation Prospectus' project funded by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science, Research and Tertiary Education  (DIISRTE). 

Regional leaders have contributed to innovation forums, providing a platform for progress in 2012

"This project provided a range of insights relevant to the innovation and engagement agendas," Dr Kinnear said.

"Local business input enabled us to identify and promote some of the potential CQUni linkages in the region, as well as build a strong evidence base for the ‘Innovation Central' concept." 

CQUniversity recently joined with Capricorn Enterprise and CQ Innovative Regions to launch a concept for an 'Innovation Central' process and campus location.

The University has representatives on a steering group to develop the concept further in 2012, alongside representatives from DIISRTE, Capricorn Enterprise, the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), the CQ Local Government Association (CQLGA) and local business.

"Innovation Central was conceptualised out of the collaborative project between CQUni and the CQ Innovative Regions centre," Dr Kinnear says.

"IC is a practical way for regional business and industry to collaborate with key regional organisations - to bring forward innovative ideas and convert them into benefits for our region.

"The tagline for IC is 'national objectives, regional value' - referring to the fact that we must find ways for CQ to be recognized as important and productive region at the national scale.

"Just as importantly, though, that development has to be focused on keeping value in the region - making sure our local economy, communities and environment are made stronger. We need both these things together - and we need to innovate together to make it happen."

Dr Kinnear says that if IC can be established it would become a great 'front door' to help local business engage with the University.

The Innovation Central concept involves a process and a physical space at CQUniversity, giving people with innovative ideas a place to gain assistance from valuable government and university resources in making their ideas become a reality.

The IC steering committee will continue to explore how the IC model can become linked with CQUniversity's new CQ Innovation and Research Precinct (CQIRP), which is being established at the former CSIRO labs across the highway from Rockhampton Campus.

CQUniversity Singapore is entering an exciting new era in 2012, with a revamped structure and the appointment of a dedicated CEO to complement a host of new degrees...

The University, which has worked in partnership with Singapore's Melior International College for a number of years to deliver higher education in the city-state, will now run its Singapore campus as a standalone entity majority owned by CQUniversity.

The new entity will trade as simply ‘CQU' in the Singaporean market.

Associate Professor Ken Bruce

In the CEO/campus director's chair will be Associate Professor Ken Bruce, who has held a number of senior academic and campus management positions with CQUniversity since 2004.

Assoc Prof Bruce will draw on his prior experience as campus director of both CQUniversity Melbourne and CQUniversity Gold Coast as he leads the University's Singapore operation into this exciting new period.

"I'm thrilled to take on the role of CEO of the new CQUniversity campus in Singapore as it transforms into a fully fledged operation in its own right," Assoc Prof Bruce said.

"CQUniversity has enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Melior to date and this will give us a solid foundation from which to relaunch into the Singapore market.

An image from CQUniversity Singapore

"I look forward to welcoming our new cohort of students in 2012, and welcoming back our existing students to the newly incorporated organisation. Our provision of quality learning and teaching can only improve under the new arrangements."

CQUniversity Singapore will continue to operate out of its current Chinatown Point site, which is conveniently located close to the Singapore CBD and is directly connected to a Mass Rapid Transit station.

A range of new programs are planned for offer in 2012, including Engineering, Financial Planning, Early Childhood Education, fourth year Psychology and a Masters of Learning Management.

These programs will sit alongside existing degree choices like the popular Bachelor of Biomedical Science, Bachelor of Science (Psychology), Bachelor of Business (Management) and the Masters of Business Administration, among others.

Assoc Prof Bruce said he was looking forward to settling into Singapore life as part of the new role.

"I have spent considerable time in Singapore in the past and have always found it to be a welcoming, vibrant place and a great melting pot of cultures," he said.

"I'm really looking forward to arriving in Singapore and helping to set the direction for CQUniversity Singapore going forward."

Assoc Prof Bruce will take up the joint mantle of CEO and Campus Director from early February.

Melior will retain a non-controlling stake in CQUniversity Singapore and will lend its considerable experience in local education provision to the new entity.

The hard copy edition of our latest Be magazine will be available during January at all CQUniversity campuses.

Pick up your FREE copy of Be at your local campus reception or faculty building. You can also LINK HERE for our online edition.

Follow Be through Friends of Be Magazine (CQUniversity) in groups on Facebook, where you can access loads of Be extras such as video and audio clips and photos. You are able to comment on published articles and give story ideas for upcoming editions.  Be extras are also now available on our website.  

This latest edition of Be features some great yarns:

There's collectors and their obsessions with unusual things.

If you've found yourself scouring through junk yards, second-hand shops, antique boutiques and garage sales and are an early riser for swap meets, you've no doubt been bitten by the collector's bug.

There's the allure of running as a sport and a lifestyle.

Some cringe at the thought of walking more than 10 metres to the beer fridge, while others are at their best 10km into their monring session.

There's Beef - beyond the dinner plate.

The next time you indulge in your favourite beef burger spare a thought for where your meal has come from.

There's a CQ woman who is Australia's expert on aliens and UFOs.

While many of us believe we are not the only living beings in the universe, the jury is still out on UFO and alien sightings on Earth.

There's Alumni coming together in costumes for the cricket.

While some are in their element watching sport on the telly, others go to extraordinary, sometimes wacky lengths to enjoy it.

Our latest edition also profiles a CQUniversity alumnus who uses social media to pull a crowd at his blues gigs and we delve into the life of CQUniversity's new Associate Professor for Oral Health Leonie Short; while our parenting expert Dr Ali Black shares with us her tips on raising toddlers.

This edition's Around Central Queensland feature focuses on the township of Calliope and we also learn about the new technologies that make studying via distance education an easy choice. There is also our university news pages and calendar of upcoming events.

It may be thousands of kilometres away, but CQUniversity Noosa Campus is part of an Indigenous education revolution taking place across Cape York...

Since 2009, past and present CQUniversity education students have been at the front line of teaching reforms directed by the Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA) that have been closing the gap between Indigenous and mainstream schoolchildren.

L-R CQUniversity Bachelor of Learning Management (Primary School) graduate Juliet Greenlees with program head Susan RichardsonCYAAA Executive Principal Cindy Hales says CQUniversity has been helping secure the educational future of a generation of Indigenous children by providing the region with access to quality teachers.

"We need teachers who are confident in their skills and enthusiastic about building community relationships and learning about local Indigenous culture," Ms Hale said.

"CQUniversity has always supported our schools because they appreciate the context in which we operate and what we hope to achieve.

"They invite us down to provide information about our placements to their students first hand and ensure that their decisions to come here are the right ones.

"There is also a very close connection between CQUniversity lecturers and students, which nurtures aspiring teachers' individual capabilities and talents."

CQUniversity placed three student teachers in the Cape York communities of Aurukun, Coen and Hope Vale during 2011, with all returning to commence their teaching career in the remote Indigenous schools as permanent teachers.

In Aurukun alone, up to 10 of the school's teaching staff are current or former CQUniversity students; while another three graduates also secured teaching positions in the FNQ region.

One of those is Bachelor of Learning Management (Primary School) graduate Juliet Greenlees.

"My driving passion is to help communities move ahead through education," the 50 year-old former Tewantin resident said.

"Working in Aurukun can be very challenging, but also extremely rewarding.

"Seeing children learn how to read, the joy they experience and how proud they are of themselves - there is nothing more exciting for a teacher than witnessing that love of learning."

CQUniversity Bachelor of Learning Management (Primary School) head Susan Richardson says the program is structured to give students an insight into teaching in a range of environments.

"We have a broad focus on different types of learners and how they respond to a variety of education methods," Ms Richardson said.

"There is also a strong emphasis on giving students practical experience in the classroom as soon as possible.

"We're very proud that this approach is producing teachers that are playing a huge role in shaping the futures of Indigenous children in Far North Queensland.

"Like all Australian children, they have the right to a quality and meaningful education."

L-R CQUniversity Bachelor of Learning Management (Primary School) graduate Juliet Greenlees with program head Susan Richardson.

The tourism industry needs leaders able to think strategically as it rebounds from floods, cyclones and exchange rate pressures.

That's according to Capricorn Enterprise Tourism Manager Krista Brown, who says a deep, strategic-level understanding of tourism achievable through a university degree is valuable for students who aspire to leadership roles in the industry.

Tourism industry manager Krista Brown believes in the value of university study

Krista is a tourism graduate of CQUniversity, which is now introducing fresh Bachelor of Tourism and Bachelor of Business (Tourism) degrees.

She says her tourism studies gave her a head start in the industry, leading to roles with companies such as; award winning Capricorn Caves, Marketing Manager at Capricorn Resort Yeppoon as well as Capricorn Enterprise, where she is now responsible for managing the Tourism and Marketing Department.

This current role includes destination marketing, product development, brand and communication and overseeing the region's five accredited Visitor Information Centres.

As well as her Bachelor of Tourism degree through CQUniversity, Krista has a Certificate IV Heritage & Interpretive Tourism, and is currently undertaking graphic design studies to extend her skills.

The new CQUniversity Tourism programs cover areas such as tourism management and marketing, as well as key consumer tourism areas such as events, special interest tourism, nature-based tourism, and resort and hotel management.

The Bachelor of Business (Tourism) also allows students to choose a number of elective subjects that give them the flexibility to pursue other interests and career goals such as human resource management and marketing.

There's still time for applications for degrees starting in late February. To explore your options further contact CQUniversity via http://www.cqu.edu.au/ or 13 CQUni (13 27 86).

The first graduates from the two new CQUniversity Tourism programs due to begin in February will be presented with an unprecedented demand for their services as they enter an Australian tourism industry facing a shortage of more than 90,000 workers.

A recent Australian Government report confirmed an estimated 35,800 current tourism vacancies across the nation, with an additional 56,000 people needed by 2015, the same year the majority of CQUniversity's first group of Bachelor of Tourism and Bachelor of Business (Tourism) graduates will enter the job market.

With the report finding almost half of the vacancies would require skilled workers; CQUniversity Head of Tourism Programs Dr Scott Richardson said the timing could not be better for the graduates, who will be in unprecedented demand.

"We expect gaps throughout the industry and, with our graduates highly trained in a number of aspects of the tourism business, the opportunities will be substantial," Dr Richardson said.

"It won't stop in 2015 either, with China, South-East Asia and India booming, the number of inbound and outbound tourists will be larger than ever before and will provide opportunities throughout the region.

"Australia in particular will be well placed to capitalise on the rapidly expanding number of Chinese tourists, so it will be an incredibly exciting time for the tourism industry here."

The report acknowledged the crucial role CQUniversity and other educational institutions would play in addressing the shortage, citing a need for skilled workers as among the "most prominent labour force pressures facing the industry", with structured career pathways and better training key factors in meeting the demand.

The new programs will be offered at CQUniversity's Noosa and Mackay campuses, as well as by distance education, and Dr Richardson said the programs would offer solid career pathways into local, national and international tourism industries.

"We engage directly with local industry - such as Mackay Tourism, Tourism Noosa, Tourism Whitsundays and the Sheraton Noosa - to ensure the program is relevant to industry needs," Dr Richardson said.

"CQUniversity also recently was appointed as an affiliate member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), which is the leading international tourism body, and the University is also a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.

"These memberships allow us access to the latest data, research and policy decisions relating to tourism at the highest international level."

Dr Richardson and fellow CQUniversity tourism lecturer Steve Noakes are members of the UNTWO's Global Panel of Tourism Experts, a group of leading industry figures appointed to give strategic policy advice to the organisation on international tourism issues.

Dr Richardson said, between them, he and Mr Noakes had more than 45 years of experience in the tourism industry.

Four CQUniversity education students were among 22 applicants selected throughout Queensland for a Department of Education and Training 'Teacher Education Centre of Excellence' experience.

Final-year students Di Barrett and Kylie Barrand (Bundaberg), Anita Stockwell (Emerald) and Katie Chaseling (Noosa) were selected as part of a Statewide competitive application and interview process.

Professor Helen Huntly (second from left) at the Centre of Excellence launch in Brisbane with Kylie Barrand and Di Barrett (from Bundaberg), Anita Stockwell (from Emerald) and Katie Chaseling (from Noosa)

The Morayfield Cluster Teacher Education Centre of Excellence will work alongside the CQUniversity students to place them with a trained mentor teacher who will support them throughout their time with the centre. Access to extended classroom experiences will help the students hone their teaching expertise.

CQUniversity Education Dean Professor Helen Huntly recently attended a launch for the Morayfield Centre, at which Director Janet Banner commented on the high quality of the applicants and the exceptional quality of the selected pre-service teachers.

"Gary Francis, a Director within the Department of Education, Training and the Arts also expressed his high regard for the quality of the selected students, noting that they were indeed  'the best of the best'," Professor Huntly says.

"It was my pleasure to share this occasion with our exceptional Bachelor of Learning Management students."

Morayfield Cluster Head of Mentoring Kerri Holzwart says the program participants will be prioritised for employment with Education Queensland schools and may receive early offers of employment. 

The program provides an extended employment induction process and continues into the students' first years as working teachers, to ensure additional mentoring.

The CQUniversity participants have been invited to attend special professional development programs at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane. They will also engage with Morayfield Cluster online throughout the next two years, to help them specialise in 'literacy and numeracy in low SES settings'.

"Participants can access extra professional resources at Education Queensland even before they become teachers," Ms Holzwart said.

Mindfulness can be a great antidote to a range of woes including depression, anxiety, pain and stress, says newly arrived clinical psychologist Dr Kumari Fernando, who is based at CQUniversity's Rockhampton Campus.

Dr Fernando's research has focused on rumination (overthinking/overanalysing) as well as thought suppression.

Dr Kumari Fernando

"Mindfulness - the practice of deliberately focusing attention on the present moment and accepting experiences non-judgmentally, is a powerful, effective contrast to either of these approaches," she says.

"More and more researchers are becoming interested in mindfulness."

After PhD research into how people in romantic relationships regulate their emotions, Dr Fernando's postdoctoral research involved being part of a randomised trial of schema therapy versus cognitive behaviour therapy for depression.

While in New Zealand, she worked as a clinical psychologist for acute inpatient units which saw a number of admissions of people who chronically engage in deliberate self-harm.

Dr Fernando championed a 'green card' system enabling preventative admission and client involvement in treatment plans, which led to a dramatic reduction in the time people needed to be in the unit.

"The green card system was more dignified and promoted autonomy and faster return to functioning, as opposed to relying on crisis admissions," she says.

Born in Zambia to Sri Lankan parents, Kumari grew up in South Africa and spent her initial professional career in New Zealand before moving to Australia for the 2012 academic year.

Dr Fernando will teach into CQUniversity's Masters of Clinical Psychology program, which is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC).

Ageing Australians are losing strength, with as few as 15% of them completing strength-based training.

Even among this minority, only around 5% are training at sufficient intensities to gain health benefits.

That's according to CQUniversity's Dr Brendan Humphries, who recently presented a study to the Australian Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport, highlighting the issue.

Dr Humphries says there's a growing need for exercise and sports science specialists to enable an effective mix of strength training, aerobic, flexibility and balance-based programs, as well as strategies to encourage their adoption.

"Despite the shown benefits of strength training, the practice seems to be being ignored," he said.

"Decades of research into muscle strengthening activities have shown multiple health benefits for both healthy and elevated risk populations."

CQUniversity Australia offers a comprehensive Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science degree covering elite performance; exercise and sports management, psychology and physiology; community and personal health and more.

Students can choose to study in Rockhampton or by distance education. More details are available via www.cqu.edu.au/degrees or by phoning 13 CQUni.

Rockhampton residents are encouraged to become involved with a new book club based at CQUniversity's refurbished Rockhampton Campus library.

The club will meet on the ground floor of the library on the third Monday of each month from 5.30pm. Tea, coffee and light refreshments will be available from 5pm.  Library tours will also be available at 5pm.

The club will meet on the ground floor of the refurbished library

Membership is by application and is open to anyone with an interest in books and reading. Application forms are available via www.cqu.edu.au/library/rockhampton-bookclub  or by phoning Debbie Orr (4930 9347). Book club members may borrow free of charge from CQUniversity Library.

The first meeting will be Monday  February 20 and the book will be The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas. Multiple copies are available from CQUniversity Library.

A chairperson will be selected to host each meeting and they will be responsible for preparing background information on the author/book and for circulating a set of discussion questions.

Questions can be directed to Debbie Orr, phone: 4930 9347 or d.orr@cqu.edu.au.

CQUniversity is a National Year of Reading partner ...  LINK also to Uni helps spread word about ‘biggest book group'

Book cover of 'The Slap' 

Mackay's Brett Comerford longed to become a teacher but struggled with reading, writing and spelling.

It was not until the age of 37 that he was brave enough to enrol in a teaching degree. Later that year he was diagnosed with dyslexia.

Mackay's Brett Comerford

Brett says CQUniversity gave him the support he needed to cope with studying as a dyslexic student and he's now a successful primary school teacher able to help other students gain the confidence to succeed.

For further information on dyslexia contact the Australian Dyslexia Association: http://www.dyslexiaassociation.org.au/

Since completing his original Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) degree, Brett has graduated from CQUniversity Mackay with a Graduate Diploma in Learning Management (Special Education).

He's presently undertaking postgraduate studies in 'Multisensory Structured Learning Education' through the Australian Dyslexic Association, to assist students who have dyslexia (either as children or adults).

Brett's learning journey has been featured in the January 2012 edition of Australia's Take 5 magazine.

"In the first year of my university degree I remember seeking the help of the University Counsellor as I was having difficulty managing all the reading, having lots of headaches and feeling like the only thing to do was to drop out of Uni," he says.

Brett in his graduation robes

"With her help I was diagnosed and given all the support needed to cope. I was unaware of what the Uni could actually offer me by way of increasing the size of my text books, having them photocopied onto blue paper, given breaks during exam time etc. The diagnosis opened up a new world as it showed me that I could learn.

"Being born in 1961 and raised in a small country town, assistance wasn't readily at hand. My earliest recollection of learning was filled with difficulty in reading, writing, spelling let alone maths problems.

"I would rather have died than to read out aloud. School life was hell on earth for me. I day dreamed and often got into trouble because I could not do the work. I was sent to the office on a daily basis to get the cane. I would take a long time to walk to and from the office and even though it meant getting the cane, it was still better than staying in the classroom struggling through my school work.

"My teachers would often say that I was a ‘dumb, stupid, lazy, good for nothing no hoper'. I can still remember the day that my Year 4 teacher said in front of the class: 'Comerford, all you will be good for is painting white lines in the middle of the road'.He had me repeat that year which was embarrassing. I got no extra help at school, just more caning.

"I was failing high school in a big way; the Deputy Principal was a family friend and he knew the store manager at a local sugar mill. He kindly gave me a start as a cadet purchasing officer. I was way out of my comfort zone as I wasn't sure how I was going to handle all the paper work and the maths side of warehousing but I did.

Brett and family at his most recent graduation

"I wanted to succeed as going back to school was not an option for me. So I learnt how to get out of doing things I knew I couldn't handle; I found ways to cover up my shortcomings. From the sugar mill I went to a coal terminal doing similar work just on a larger scale. Having a computerised system helped me to cope with the work. I had no job satisfaction but felt I wasn't capable of doing anything else. My wife always believed I would make a great teacher but I wouldn't leave my job in fear of failing at Uni."

At the age of 36, Brett was retrenched. He was devastated but his wife felt it was a blessing in disguise as he now had no excuses about giving Uni a go.

"Deirdre financially supported me and I went to Uni as a mature age student at the age of 37. My wife always said I was dyslexic but it took Uni to open my eyes and get the help I needed."

Brett graduated from his initial degree in 2002 and was immediately employed as a teacher.

"I currently teach Year 5 and dyslexia never leaves you; it is with you for life. I use lots of strategies to compensate on a daily basis. I often talk to my students about my childhood and dyslexia. Wearing coloured lenses in my glasses invites questions from students. So I get the opportunity to explain about Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome and how the coloured lenses help me cope. Each year I get my students to Google dyslexia so that they have an understanding of my challenge.

"I am faced each day with children who have learning difficulties. I have a special affinity with them; I know how it feels to struggle to learn. Keeping their self-esteem intact is of utmost importance to me.

"Living with dyslexia and being a school teacher has driven me to make changes for students who have dyslexia.

"What failed me at school makes me more determined not to let that happen for students in my care.  I now feel that my dyslexia is not a disability but a gift - instead of being frustrated I feel liberated."

When Ron Wallis arrived on campus in 1977, he was given a manual typewriter for routine 'office work' and a bottle of ink with nibbed pens to ensure a personal feeling for letters.

There was only one computer for the whole institution and staff and students had to make bookings to share the only photocopier.

Ron Wallis proudly shows off his national association membership award

Some things remain the same though as vibrantly coloured beanbags were all the rage back in the 1970s, and they have made a comeback in the refurbished campus library.

Ron was initially employed as a student counsellor at CQUniversity's predecessor institution - the Capricornia Institute of Advanced Education - with responsibility for personal counselling, study skills counselling and vocational counselling.

Nowadays he's a specialised careers counsellor and was recently recognised as one of three foundation members of the National Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (NAGCAS).

Since starting out with the 'Institute', Ron experienced the transitions to the University College of Central Queensland, the University of Central Queensland, and Central Queensland University, which occurred over the past two decades.

CQUniversity is currently celebrating 20 years of being a fully-fledged University.

Ron recalls that, despite humble beginnings, technology did soon take hold on campus and the Ministerial announcement of CQU's new name (in 1994) was videoconferenced from Brisbane to Rockhampton via the then ground-breaking Interactive Systemwide Learning (ISL) system. In fact, CQUniversity is still a leader in the use of videoconference as well as online and digital technologies for education.

"While students tend to have the same types of issues over time, campus life has certainly changed," he says.

"Before the 1980s brought us the 'recession we had to have' education was experienced 'just for the sake of education' as graduates knew they could just walk into a job in a bouyant employment market. Consequently, campus life was more social and relaxed.

"Nowadays, students have to be much more career focused and discerning and they tend to be juggling work and study. There's many more mature-age students and women coming into study after having families. Students are more pragmatic since they are paying fees to attend."

Ron recalls that a symptom of campus-based socialising in the early days was the occasional need to take a utility around campus after big parties, offering lifts home to students incapable of walking.

"CQUniversity has always prided itself on the level of support available to students and it's still a frontrunner in offering prospective students access to careers counselling services. This greater level of service often convinces them to enrol with us," he says.

Careers and Employment Service staff are members of the National Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (NAGCAS). They are also associated with the Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA) and contributors to the Australian Journal of Career Development, plus Career Development Research Australia.

All Australian-accredited career practitioners adhere to the Professional Standards for Australian Career Development Practitioners, administered by CICA. Career practitioners operating within the higher education sector draw their 'key attitudes' from assumptions established in a handbook established by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation).

Among these assumptions is that opportunities and choices should be available for all people, regardless of gender, socio-economic class, religion, sexual orientation, age or cultural background.

Back in 1997, Ron participated in the initial UNESCO survey via NAGCAS. The UNESCO handbook was based on results from this survey.

We're all aware of the community focus on high-OP school leavers, but there's also a groundswell of interest in younger students who may not have even realised they have the potential to attend university...

Some students lack confidence, are not aware of wider horizons, and may not have role models who can show them the range of careers and study pathways available.

Teens discuss career options during a campus experience arranged as part of the Widening Participation campaign

While there's value in turning highly-motivated school students into successful tertiary students, there's even greater potential for value-adding by seeding aspirations.

With many communities designated as LSES (low socio-economic) within its footprint, CQUniversity has played an influential role as part of a Queensland universities consortium which has been developing project submissions to widen participation in university.

CQUniversity recently gained around $3.3 million of the $21 million in federal funding granted to the Queensland Consortium to break down barriers to university through Schools Outreach and Indigenous Engagement between now and 2014.

This funding is part of $67 million announced Australia wide for partnerships between universities, schools, state governments and TAFE Colleges, designed to help students traditionally under-represented in higher education go to university.

CQUniversity has established a good track record and evidence of success for Widening Participation projects, which are designed to raise educational aspirations without promoting any particular degree or campus.

Widening Participation Coordinator Stacey Wallace says CQUniversity works with 33 high schools and 107 primary schools to build collaborative partnerships, helping teachers to explain requirements for higher education, raise aspirations and smooth students' transition into university and TAFE programs.

"While not all careers require a university qualification, our focus is helping students to make informed choices, to set goals about career paths and to understand the benefits of education generally," Ms Wallace says.

"Fresh initiatives for primary schools include a Mobile Education Trailer able to build affiliation with university life through a virtual tour and stories from high-profile role models.

"Secondary programs available to encourage ongoing participation include 'film making, ' career match', 'uni skills', 'amazing race', and a circus program called 'artists in residence'. Indigenous students can participate in the Badi Athu (Grow to Know) and week-long Youth Sports programs."

Ms Wallace says CQUniversity's journey to become Queensland's first dual sector university, with seamless transitions between vocational and academic programs, will help reinforce that education does not have to be a ladder-style linear progression.

"We are keen to help students focus on education in terms of life-long learning," she says.

In Australia, participation in sport and alcohol consumption appear to go hand-in-hand.

Whether it be for team bonding, peer pressure, stress release or to celebrate a victory, alcohol and athletes appear to be linked, especially in team sports.

Associate Professor Peter Reaburn

But are athletes and coaches aware of the specific negative effects alcohol has on sports performance. What effect will a night on the drink have on injuries, on training, or on actual performance the next day.

These and other important factors will be addressed by CQUniversity Associate Professor Peter Reaburn at a forthcoming ‘Good Sports' Alcohol and Sports Forum.

The forum is being held at Frenchville Sports Club in Rockhampton from 6pm-8pm on Wednesday, February 1. No registration is required to attend.

Dr Reaburn, from Exercise and Sport Science at the University, is on the program alongside representatives from the police, the health sector and the Australian Drug Foundation.

CQUniversity and Hail Creek Mine are continuing their support of local students by offering seven scholarships* worth a total of $28,000.

Since 2009, the Hail Creek Mine CQUniversity Partnership Program has been offering scholarships worth $4000 each over two years to first-year nursing, health, business, science, IT, and engineering students.

Levi Houley is looking forward to a career in the mining industry once he's finished his electrical engineering degree at CQUniversity.

Former recipients Levi Houley and James Mogg, who are both studying engineering at CQUniversity, strongly encourage their peers to start applying.

Levi Houley, aged 21, has only six months to go of his electrical engineering degree and said he is hoping to get a job in the mining industry upon graduation.

"In my course I've undertaken two six-month work placements, including at Hail Creek Mine where I was mentored and got to solve real engineering problems," Mr Houley said.

"For example, I did my thesis on a project that involved modelling the site's two electrical rope shovels, one that ran on DC drive and the other on AC drive.

"The AC shovel was the first in Australia of its type so it was a great opportunity to help the team determine the impacts of this shovel on the site's electricity loading."

James Mogg receives a Queen's Scout Award from the Governor of Queensland Penelope Wensley AC in a presentation in Brisbane recently

James Mogg, aged 18, said it was a challenge moving from Year 12 to university.

"With all the changes going on, I was glad that I had the scholarship to help out with expenses like text books," Mr Mogg said.

"It's been a great year and now I'm working over the break at the Dumbleton Water Pump Station upgrade to put what I've learnt in mechanical engineering into practice."

A high achiever at university, Mr Mogg has also been an outstanding ambassador for the community, receiving a Queen's Scout Award from the Governor of Queensland Penelope Wensley AC in September last year.

Hail Creek Mine general manager operations Rowan Munro said the scholarships support local people in their chosen fields and provide opportunities to pursue their career in central Queensland.

"We open these scholarships up to a variety of disciplines so that we can continue building the skills capacity of the entire region, which benefits not just mining but a wide range of other industries as well," Mr Munro said.

"I strongly encourage people who are looking to study any of the specified courses full time at CQUniversity's Mackay Campus to apply."

Mr Munro said the recipients will also have access to opportunities such as undertaking work experience and being assigned a professional in their field of study as a mentor.

"The experiences that they can gain through the scholarships will be a great advantage when they pursue employment after university," Mr Munro said.

To apply for one of the scholarships or to find out more, please contact Hail Creek Mine's Marie Cameron on 07 4951 6437 or email marie.cameron@riotinto.com. Applications are being accepted now and close February 24.

* The scholarships will be made available for first-year students enrolled at CQUniversity Mackay and who have had a primary residence in the year prior in the Mackay Whitsunday region.

Lynelle Fallon says the tragic loss of her brother to suicide at the age of 20 was the spark which inspired her to consider higher education and a professional career...

The Mackay woman with a proud Indigenous heritage says that, at the time of the family tragedy, she was a stay-at-home mum with two children.

Lynelle Fallon in the medical imaging lab at Mackay Campus

"My life came to an ultimate low. I was faced with a life choice of either to stay down or move on. I decided I needed to live my life to the fullest for my brother."

Lynelle says she had always wanted to go to university but this had always seemed an unattainable dream.

"After I gave birth to my third baby I started studying externally with CQUni doing the STEPS preparatory program, as I didn't do grade 11 and 12.

"Working in the kitchen at the Mackay Base Hospital really cemeted my love for a career within the health sector. I went on to do introductory chemistry, physics and biology with the Women Into Science and Technology (WIST) program at CQUni before starting the new Medical Imaging degree full-time on Mackay Campus.

"During my first year of the Imaging program I carried my fourth baby and gave birth about six weeks before the term two exams."

Lynelle says her family has made a financial sacrifice as her husband Cameron stopped work to help look after the newborn baby girl plus the two boys and eldest girl.

Lynelle Fallon's keen to make the most of her opportunities

"Cameron has been the best and I could not have done it without him. I study a lot at night and into the early hours of the morning and I plan ahead, organise and prioritise all tasks."

With her goal of a career with Queensland Health still a few years away after graduation, Lynelle has not stopped viewing longer-term options.

"When I finish my degree I would love to become more involved with Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) and help contribute towards the ‘Close the Gap' campaign to improve the health and life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

"Maybe I am being overly ambitious but I have already completed half of a chef apprenticeship and maybe sometime in the far far future for something fun and different, I would like to complete my apprenticeship and become a qualified chef to finish what I started."

Lynelle says that when she feels emotionally strong enough to help others, she would also like to complete suicide prevention training with the Grapevine Group and Lifeline to help others and promote awareness.

While having spent the past 16 years in Mackay, Lynelle was actually born in Mount Isa and is a proud Waanyi woman with a strong connection to her grandfather's country at Louie Creek. Her mother has an Aboriginal and Chinese background, and her father's background is Torres Strait islander, Japanese and Malay.

Lynelle Fallon in the medical imaging lab with lecturer Caroline Falconi

Dean of Nursing and Midwifery Professor Ysanne Chapman had an early Christmas present last month as she was able to inspect the final stage of construction for a new clinical nursing facility at CQUniversity Mackay Campus...

The new facility will consist of an open plan training space with eight beds at one end. There will also be a bathroom-equipped training space and three beds able to be used for high-fidelity manikin simulations at the other end.  A compact store area centrally located between the two spaces will service both.

Professor Ysanne Chapman inspects work on the new clinical nursing facility on Mackay Campus

The ability to train students using simulation facilities will ensure CQUniversity keeps pace with other leading institutions in provision of clinical training for our nursing students.

The current project fit-out cost is around $250,000 but with new beds and ultimately the inclusion of manikins and other specialty equipment it's more like a half-million-dollar investment.

The works were developed and delivered by the Division of Facilities Management using Paynter Dixon as the contractor.

Once complete, the new Mackay facility will include simultation equipment

CQUniversity Professor Qing-Long Han has been liaising with Chinese academics with the status of a '100 Talents Program' Chair Professor.

In the latter half of 2011, the Talents Coordination Committee of Shanxi Province confirmed that Professor Han had been selected and appointed due to his outstanding contributions to control theory and control engineering.

Professor Qing Long Han presents a seminar at Shanxi University

The '100 Talents Program' in Shanxi Province is organised by the Talents Coordination Committee of Shanxi Province on the Recruitment of Talents. The program will last for five to 10 years and has been carried out since 2009. It aims to recruit 100 overseas top scientists and talents.  

The program requires that within the past five years, the talents should have published important academic articles in core journals in the international academic circles, or have been awarded with distinguished technology awards, or be in good mastery of important experiment skills and key technology.

The talents should either have worked as professors or in equivalent positions in famous international universities or research institutes, or have served in managerial positions as professional and technical personnel in internationally famous companies. They should be in possession of independent intellectual property rights or key technologies, and have independent overseas business experience. They should be familiar with the international industrial rules in relevant circles. Preferably they should be creative talents or business personnel that are most urgently needed in Shanxi Province, China.

Based at Rockhampton Campus, Professor Han is Director of CQUniversity's Centre for Intelligent and Networked Systems (CINS).

CQUniversity's business, industry, government, NGO and academic linkages for its new 2012 tourism degrees have extended into the heart of the South Pacific.  

In his current research on tourism and international development outcomes in the Pacific Islands, Senior Lecturer in Tourism Steve Noakes has been supported by a leading world tourism academic, Professor David Harrison, Head of the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, and his team at the Suva-based University of the South Pacific.

CQUni's Steve Noakes with Professor David Harrison from the University of the South Pacific

Professor Harrison is a renowned sociologist of development, with specific reference to tourism. For some 30 years, his teaching and research have focused on the economic, social and cultural aspects of tourism in less developed countries. He has carried out research and written about tourism in the Eastern Caribbean, Southern Africa, Eastern Europe, South-east Asia and the South Pacific.

LINK HERE for details on the Bachelor of Tourism or the Bachelor of Business (Tourism)

"These types of linkages can enhance the international eminence of our research here at CQUni and help us attract Australian and international students looking for a University that thinks and acts with our Asian and Pacific region neighbours," Mr Noakes says.

"We are committed to the internationalisation of the new tourism management curriculum and offering international opportunities for our domestic students, as well as providing an Australian cultural and social experience for international students.

"Our graduates will have the opportunity to seek future employment opportunities in the Australian tourism sector, as well as within the vibrant tourism industry across the islands of the South Pacific.

"Our linkages with regional institutions such as the University of the South Pacific not only strengthen the international outlook we deliver in our courses, but also open doors to explore potential for mobility of our students through future study abroad and exchange programs."

CQUni's Steve Noakes with staff from the USP School of Tourism & Hospitality Management

Welcome to January 2012, which marks the 10th anniversary of UniNews in its format as an online newsletter.

Before 2002, UniNews was distributed via email. Before Email was available it was a fortnightly hard-copy publication which had to be delivered around the various departments and campuses.

LINK for a larger image

Readers are welcome to look back over some RECENT PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS such as this great image from our mini-Olympics on Rocky Campus earlier in 2011.

You can also look back over our VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS which we started uploading a few years ago.

Over the past decade we have been proud to publish 8884 stories, 243 videos and 11,792 photos with great help from staff and student submissions.

LINK for graphs from Google Analytics

According to Google Analytics, during 2011, there were 51,034 unique visitors, including 35.73% new visitors.

While most visitors were Australian, there were also significant visits from the USA (2563), the United Kingdom (1351) and India (1309) along with visitors from many other countries.

The International Business Times has announced that two CQUniversity graduates have been added to the 'exclusive ranks' for membership of Stanford Who's Who, which bills itself as the world's largest premiere networking resource for career professionals.

Physics graduate Guy Wilmington is currently serving as Director of Project Services with the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, overseeing delivery of all IT projects.

The IBT reports that Mr Wilmington's awards include the ACT Program Director of the Year (awarded by the Australian Institute of Project Management for 2009 and 2010). The AIPM also awarded him the Australian IT Project of the Year, the ACT Project of the Year, and the ACT IT Project of the Year in 2009.

Stanford Who's Who has also welcomed CQUniversity alumnus Graham Kent, who earned a earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in Digital Electronics and Power Systems.

The IBT reports that, as a Project Manager with Incitec Pivot, Mr Kent has consistently demonstrated the vision, dedication and diligence necessary to be successful in the business world. Incitec Pivot Ltd. is an Australian public listed company which is involved in the manufacturing and selling of fertilizer products. It also manufactures, sells, and provides consulting services for explosives.

"Graham is a project manager who is responsible for controlling contracts, budgets and project programming on multimillion dollar engineering ... projects for IPL across Queensland." IBT reports.

"He possesses extensive expertise in the electricity supply industry and in the area of asset management over a wide variety of industries and equipment types. Mr Kent has excellent people management skills which he developed through both direct management and consulting experiences."

CQUniversity MBA graduate Vereimi Levula has been appointed as the Chief Manager of the Financial Systems Development and Compliance Group within the Reserve Bank of Fiji.

Mr Levula, who gained his CQUni degree in 1993, had been acting in this position since February 7, 2011.

Vereimi Levula

He joined the bank in 1989 as the Senior Insurance Technical Officer and was later promoted to the position of Assistant General Manager in the Capital Markets Division. He assumed the role of Manager Domestic Markets in 1998 and later became the Manager Insurance Supervision in the Financial Institutions Group.

In 2008, Mr Levula was appointed as the Adviser Financial Supervision and Policy and, in 2009, he became Manager Financial Systems Compliance.

Mr Levula is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute in London and a Chartered Insurance Practitioner and holds a Diploma in Insurance and Insurance Management from the United Kingdom.

In announcing the appointment with effect from January 1, the Governor, Barry Whiteside said that given the challenging and ever-growing role of the Reserve Bank in new areas such as financial inclusion and the continuing importance of capital markets development, the bank was pleased to have filled this position.

Several presenters for a recent 'Coal Seam Gas and Water' short course in Brisbane are associated with CQUniversity.

Twenty-three participants from most Australian states attended the International Centre of Excellence in Water Resources Management (ICE WaRM) course, which was aimed at CSG producers, environmental mangers, regulators, researchers and water users.

The course was presented at CQUniversity Brisbane Campus in Ann Street and addressed the formation, production, treatment and management of water associated with coal seam gas (CSG) operations.

CQUni PhD researcher Ben Kele presents for the gas and water short course

Chair for the course was Ben Kele, Director of Middell Water, who is a CQUniversity PhD researcher specialising in management of sodium adsorption ratio and salinity in water treatment. Ben also lectures for the ICEWaRM Master's program.

Another presenter was CQUniversity Research Fellow Ted Gardner, who has 40 years' experience in the area of edaphology (soil/plant relationships), irrigation and catchment hydrology/salinity, effluent reuse, and urban water sustainability.

Presenter Jim Kelly, Director of Arris Pty Ltd, has links to CQUniversity through a recent partnership with Middell Water and the University which is dedicated to finding a solution to salinity and sodicity of the water associated with CSG production.

These presenters linked with CQUniversity worked alongside industrial project delivery specialist Larry Sirmans and water engineering expert Colin Hazel to deliver the three-day course in mid-December.

More details about the short course program are available via: www.icewarm.com.au/short-courses

A man who started out as a kindergarten assistant and farm labourer is now getting worldwide recognition for potentially lifesaving research in the field of breast cancer diagnosis.

Peter McLeod's never been one to rest on his laurels though. Despite gaining a double degree in Accounting and Business (Information Systems) and a Masters in Informatics by Research through CQUniversity, he's still focused on completing a PhD and would like to move into academia as a career.

Peter McLeod

He's also a proud member of the Golden Key Honour Society based on his early academic performance at CQUniversity.

Peter is currently working as a systems accountant for the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba, but he's better known in the prestigious Marquis Whos Who in the World and Marquis Whos Who in Science and Engineering for pioneering breast cancer diagnosis work in tandem with his supervisor Professor Brijesh Verma from CQUniversity.

"The research focused on classifying identified anomalies in the breast as to whether they were malignant or benign," Peter said.

"In order to achieve this, the system identified groupings of benign or malignant patterns in order to identify similarities so it was better able to learn the characteristics of each group and hence make a better classification.

"Doctors have essentially done this for years in terms of stating that a patient has a particular type of cancer but in pattern recognition no such distinction has previously been made.

"My supervisor Brijesh inspired me as it is a privilege to be able to work with a brilliant researcher.  I have been fortunate to work with very smart people like Brijesh.

"While undertaking my Masters I completed the CPA program under the mentorship of Dr Andrew Johnson who was the NSW public sector CPA of the year in 2002.  I also completed a Certificate III in Leaderhsip support and a Certificate III in Front Line Management (as part of my involvement with the local Scout group where my children are members).

The dedicated student confesses that his career path has been "all over the place".

After the kindergarten and farm roles, Peter progressed into a council traineeship, which flourished into a career in local government. He then moved into a role with the software development company that provided the council with its finance system.

"During the time with the software development company I managed to improve a number of their operating activities including software release distribution, converting 127 councils from one system to another and gaining some major performance improvements to the operating of the software," he said.

"The company was purchased by another organisation and last year I was made redundant.  This provided the opportunity to come and work at USQ."

Peter's association with USQ has enabled him to carry out research relating to the National Broadband Network rollout in Toowoomba region (also involving the Australian Computer Society and the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation).

With so much under his belt in terms of study and career success, it's no surprise Peter is sometimes just a little too focused on the task at hand.

"I once drove a car through a flooded creek to get to a job interview," he said. "I had about a foot of water splashing around in the bottom of the car... the resume suffered a bit of damage but I secured the position."

CQUniversity has unveiled its grand vision for a more sustainable Gladstone, with plans for a number of cutting-edge developments to tackle the region's most pressing issues...

Among the proposed developments are a state-of-the-art marine research and rehabilitation facility, an early childhood education and training hub, and a mixed-use affordable accommodation complex for students and the wider community.

Professor Chad Hewitt (centre) discusses a vision for new Gladstone projects with Member for Flynn Ken O'Dowd and Gladstone Region Mayor Gail Sellers

CQUniversity Gladstone head of campus, Professor Chad Hewitt said Gladstone's rapid growth had been the focus of national and international attention.

"As one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia, and home to Queensland's largest multi-commodity port, the eyes of the nation are now on Gladstone," Professor Hewitt said.

"Those eyes are watching carefully to see how we address this rapid growth in a sustainable way - one that takes into account the social and environmental impacts of the industrial boom.

"As Gladstone's university, CQUniversity has a significant role to play in contributing to sustainable growth, by educating and training the region's future workforce and by undertaking research that provides innovative solutions to local problems.

Professor Chad Hewitt handles media interest sparked by the vision for a sustainable Gladstone

"With these proposed developments, we hope to do just that. I look forward to CQUniversity taking these important steps towards contributing to the future sustainability of the Gladstone region."

At a glance, the proposed developments that make up CQUniversity's vision for Gladstone include:

• Marine Research and Rehabilitation Facility
• World-class rehabilitation and treatment facility for sick and injured marine mammals, turtles and seabirds
• Hub for research into marine life, water quality, biosecurity and ecotoxicology
• Visitor centre targeting community and school education
• Independent capability to monitor and assess the health of Gladstone Harbour and the southern Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
• Support for the establishment of a proposed CQUniversity Bachelor of Marine Studies and postgraduate marine studies, with a focus on marine conservation

• Centre for Early Childhood Education, Training and Research
• Dedicated education and training facility for the region's future early childhood education workforce, with a focus on improving staff attraction and retention
• Work-integrated learning centre for CQUniversity Bachelor of Learning Management (Early Childhood Education) students and future TAFE cohort
• Research hub for early childhood development and innovative models of childcare delivery
• Fully integrated, professionally staffed childcare centre for around 50 children, including around-the-clock childcare for shift-working families
• Aligned with CQUniversity's commitment to children in Gladstone, following its signing of the Gladstone Region Child and Family Charter in 2010

• Gladstone CBD accommodation development
• Partnership with developer to build around 100 units for mixed tenancy
• Development of prime CBD site in Glenlyon Street
• CQUniversity student accommodation to allow out-of-town and international students to study in Gladstone
• Affordable community accommodation to address shortages
• Cost-neutral joint venture for the University

Gladstone Regional Council Mayor, Cr Gail Sellers said the proposed CQUniversity developments would be a great asset to the Gladstone region.

"Not only will these developments contribute positively to sustainable growth in the Gladstone region, they will also add to the vibrancy of the community and to the diversity of the local economy," Cr Sellers said.

"I congratulate CQUniversity on its foresight in recognising the importance of sustainable growth to the booming Gladstone region and I look forward to seeing this vision realised."

Professor Hewitt encouraged industry, government and community representatives to "come to the table" and discuss the proposed developments and funding options with CQUniversity.

"Now that the initial proposals are on the table, we are actively seeking development partners to help us make our vision for Gladstone a reality," he said.

"These projects will have positive flow-on benefits for business, government and the community at large; it's only right that these groups have input into shaping the vision and bringing it to fruition, for the collective good of the region.

"CQUniversity aims to be the most engaged university in Australia and with these projects, we can really demonstrate that aim at the local level, right here in Gladstone.

CQUniversity is currently finalising the expression of interest process for its accommodation project, with building by the preferred partner expected to begin in the New Year, and the first dwellings ready to move into by end-2012.

Meanwhile, feasibility investigations for the marine facility and early childhood facility are now underway, with CQUniversity expected to make decisions on project scope and funding options early next year.

Louise Byrne has a confident manner, with neat and stylish glasses, hair and clothing and a strong grasp of academic terms.

But it's the more shambolic aspects of her life that make her particularly valuable as a lecturer, who may be involved in a world's-first format for the teaching of undergraduate nursing students.

Louise Byrne

Louise now describes her role as a Lived Experience Practitioner who teaches 'Recovery' within the mental health field for CQUniversity's Nursing degree.

Earlier in life, as a homeless teenager, Louise was at various times hospitalised and institutionalised and began a journey as a user of mental health services.

She says her mental health issues still 'raise their head' from time to time, and she has ups and downs, but these days she knows 'how to get back up again'.

As a younger woman, Louise was able to use her own experiences on the streets to help troubled kids, including Indigenous teens, homeless youth and those at risk of suicide. She honed her sense of social justice by encouraging young people to tell their own stories through plays, short films and mixed media productions.

It was this real-world credibility that enabled Louise to complete a Masters by research degree with Griffith University without having done an undergraduate program.

Now she has embarked on her PhD research, seeking out best practice for lived experience practitioners who are collaborating in the mental health field. Louise has also been well received as a national conference keynote presenter in the field of mental health nursing.  She has also done a keynote for a conference in the legal profession, as solicitors are focusing on reducing stigma relating to mental illness in the workplace. 

CQUniversity's Engaged Research Chair in Mental Health Nursing, Professor Brenda Happell says that understanding what it is like to be diagnosed with a mental illness and to experience significant emotional distress is an important step to working as a nurse in mental health.

"This can be a pretty difficult concept to teach, that is unless the teacher understands the experience first hand. Louise Byrne has used her lived experience with mental health challenges and the mental health service system to help students appreciate the journey people take in recovery and the crucial role nurses can play in facilitating this.

"Louise doesn't just teach into this subject, she teaches it, calling on the assistance of nurse academics when she thinks they have something to offer, an interesting role reversal. We think this is a first in the world for the teaching of undergraduate nursing students."

Professor Happell says student evaluations show they think it is 'fantastic' to have Louise's experience to learn from.

"Many described it as the best subject they've ever done, helping them to understand the person in a way that could be adapted to all health settings.

"One student described: 'The most amazing aspect of this course is its humanity. Louise gave of herself (much more than I have experienced any lecturer do before) and this in turn encouraged me to give of myself ... it has changed my thinking in soooooo many ways ... It has made me a better person and therefore a better nurse'.

"The mental health team is currently undertaking research to explore students' experiences of this innovative approach to learning and teaching."

Professor Happell says Ms Byrne's valuable role is part of CQUniversity's push to stimulate undergraduate nurses' interest in mental health nursing as a career path, including a major focus in the curriculum as a pathway to a Masters degree.

Kelley Stone began studying her Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology externally through CQUniversity back in 2007. She moved away from her original research topic, instead focusing on the rate of depression in people with coeliac disease.

Progressing her research component in 2008, Kelley then started submitting her manuscript to journals at the start of 2009. She completed her internship in Community Mental Health in Tenterfield, NSW.

CQUni alumnus Kelley Stone stays cool, calm and collects publication outcome after years of effort

"It took three years, six journals and eight edits to get accepted for publication in December 2011," she says.

"Previous research has found a higher rate of depression in people with coeliac disease than the general population.

"My research looked at the rate of depression in people with coeliac disease in Australia and associated variables.  The results were that stress and comorbid (simultaneously occurring) medical illness are associated with depression in people with coeliac disease.  These are both established risk factors for depression in the general population."

Though growing up on the south coast of New South Wales, Kelley considers Brisbane as her home town, and that's where she completed a mature age entrance exam to complete her undergraduate Psychology degree at UQ.

"Growing up I wanted to be a dancer.  My mother is a psychologist and I thought being a psychologist would be depressing.

"I began a degree in dance at QUT when I was 21 but due to various injuries I was unable to continue after first semester.  I started studying Psychology because I wanted to continue with tertiary study once I had started.

"Initially I planned to go into Organisational Psychology or something in the Human Resources field post grad.  However as I studied I found the clinical field more interesting."

Kelley moved to Longreach in October 2011 to work for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.  She provides psychology services to the communities of Alpha, Jericho and Longreach in her role as a clinical counsellor.

"In the future I would like to do my Master of Clinical Psychology with a view to gaining my clinical registration," she says.

CQUniversity awarded two graduates from its Melbourne Campus with Campus Director Awards at its recent graduation ceremony.

Master of Professional Accounting student Ivy Chiang and Bachelor of Multimedia Studies student Bronwyn Ban Den Berg were awarded for their outstanding academic achievement and leadership potential.

Winners of the Campus Director Award Ivy Chiang and Bronwyn Van Den Berg.Ivy arrived in Melbourne two years ago from Malaysia and has since impressed all her teachers with her outstanding academic performance, which included achieving the top grade in four of her courses. 

She was also commended on her willingness to assist fellow students with difficult concepts and her active participation in all her classes. 

Ivy's goal now is to continue her studies to become a Certified Practising Accountant so that she may advance in her career and accept management responsibility in future. 

Bronwyn arrived in Melbourne three years ago with her family from Johannesburg, South Africa. 

Her academic achievements include scoring the top grade in seven of her courses which prompted strong recommendations from several lecturers for this award. 

Described as an enthusiastic, conscientious student who made positive contributions in all her classes, Bronwyn also actively engaged with students from other nationalities.

Looking to the future, Bronwyn hopes to extend her software and web development skills and eventually take on a project management role in Australia.

Both Ivy and Bronwyn were among 153 graduates from 20 nations who attended the graduation ceremony in Melbourne.

Guest speaker at the event was former State minister, the Honourable Phil Honeywood .

CQUniversity researchers Dr Wendy Hillman,  Davina Taylor and Julie Mann have supported the findings of the recently released report Disability Expectations:  Investing in a better life, a stronger Australia report (2011)...

Drawing on their experience in the disability field and their own research, the Rockhampton-based trio say the information provided in the report is :damning" and that some Australian people with disabilities are experiencing lives that do not meet basic human rights.

Dr Wendy Hillman, Davina Taylor and Julie Mann discuss their support for the report

"We also support the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)," they say in a shared statement.

"We agree that reform is urgently needed in this country and that the NDIS 10-year vision will see fundamental changes to the disability experience (through changes to how people with disabilities are perceived and supported and how carers are supported).  However, these changes will not be possible if all stakeholders are not committed to change.

"We would like to see further support from the community recognising the situation for people with a disability in Australia, as it is depicted in this report.

"The urgent change needed will only occur through initial recognition of how dire the situation currently is and then a cohesive commitment to moving forward to build communities that are based on true inclusion and a better and fairer system for people with a disability."

The Disability Expectations:  Investing in a better life, a stronger Australia report (2011) calls for urgent and radical change for support for people with a disability and their families in Australia.

 The report states the following salient points:

• One in five people in Australia have a disability
• Over 1.3 million Australians have a severe/profound disability
• Australia ranks 21^st out of 29 OECD countries for employment participation for people with a disability
• 45% of people with a disability in Australia live either near of below the poverty line
• The biggest challenge is to provide an environment for change which allows for a cultural shift across all parts of society
• Broader access to economic stability and society is imperative as Australia's overall performance in outcome and cultural terms for people with a disability, their families and carers has been poor
• Policy promises of fairness and basic human rights have gone unfulfilled
• Active pursuit of systemic and societal change in combination with the NDIS is the most obvious way and achievable way of providing an entitlement rather than welfare-based access for people with a disability; changing the cultural and material environment and explicitly changing the way mainstream and specialist disability services interact

Quotes from the report include:

"The regularity with which I meet parents with murder-suicide ideation as they have been unable to fund adequate help for their child is both alarming, but also a marker of the failure of coordination of any service" (Senior Psychiatrist)

"The only way to get help, we were told, was to relinquish our little girl to DoCs (community services).  Eventually we could not cope and found ourselves in a world where authorities find it hard to distinguish loving parents from those who abuse their child.  It was wrong: (Submission153, p.7 Mad as Hell).  

The NDIS is a 10-year commitment by all levels of government to focus on supporting people with a disability to participate in life on equal footing with all other Australians.  The NDIS is underpinned by three key platforms:

• The human rights imperative - people with a disability must be given the same rights as all other Australians
• The social imperative - inclusion and participation in everyday life for people living with a disability is imperative but all Australians are a part of the solution and this involves changing embedded attitudes toward people with a disability
• The economic imperative - people with a disability need to be able to earn an income, be productive in the workplace by being supported and encouraged to make real contributions through workforce participation and other viable and meaningful productive avenues that are appropriate

From the dream-like worlds of ballet and cabaret to the dream world of sleep, Sarah Blunden certainly took a sharp turn part of the way through her working life...

Dr Blunden recently signed on to head Paediatric Sleep Research at CQUniversity's new Appleton Institute in Adelaide and she'll also be involved with the clinical masters in psychology. She'll juggle these commitments while operating her own Paediatric Sleep Clinic in Adelaide.

Dr Sarah Blunden now a sleep researcher at CQUniversity's Appleton Institute in Adelaide

The busy academic gained praise recently for a 'new and exciting Scientist in Schools venture' described as the first of its kind in Australia.

"I have long desired to engage in rural and remote Australia. In partnership with School of the Air (SOTA), we will endeavour to bring sleep science to children in schools serviced by SOTA," Dr Blunden says.

"How this will be achieved will include remote lectures and interactive on-line sessions, as well as site visits to remote locations where possible. CQUniversity, which nurtures rural and remote education and community involvement, is a good bouncing board for this collaboration."

Dr Blunden started her professional life as a classical ballet dancer, who performed with The Australian Ballet, Festival Ballet, Ballet Classique de Paris and then assorted small contemporary ballet companies mainly based in Paris.

"Health problems with rheumatoid arthritis made me change focus, so I danced with companies such as the famous French cabarets of Alcazar de Paris, Moulin Rouge and Cabaret 102 achieving the role of soloist and dance captain. I moved into choreography and direction, running my own companies in Europe, Asia and Australia for several years. In fact the reason I went to the University of South Australia as a mature age student when I returned home was to do an Arts Administration degree, but I got caught up in psychology."

Dr Blunden achieved her PhD while bringing up a family and won the Helen Bearpark Scholarhip for excellence in research, enabling her to work at the University of Michigan in 2005.

Now back in Adelaide, her hobbies include cooking, but she has to compete with the skills of her French-born husband whom she married in a small village in Provence.

Calen District State College Principal Brian O'Neill recently shone a light on the potential of CQUniversity's Start Uni Now (SUN* program) during a speech in Adelaide, while accepting the school's Australian Rural Education Award.

Mr O'Neil commented that other universities offer extension programs to secondary schools but they require students to attend lectures on campus or to have a school teacher accredited to deliver the program at the school site.

He noted that, to the best of his knowledge, only CQUniversity provided opportunity to rural, remote and regional students by offering extension courses on line.

Calen is a small school located just north of Mackay. Its partnership with CQUniversity enables Year 9 and 10 students to get involved in a Career Match Trial program, while Year 11 and 12 students can enrol for the SUN program.

Meantime, Calen's primary students will receive a visit from a Mobile Education Team arranged by CQUniversity through the Widening Participation program.

Mr O'Neil's presentation in Adelaide described how Calen students engaged with the 'Mechanics Matter' and 'Radio Rocks' programs, in partnership with Cummins Mackay and Radio 4CRM respectively, can also enrol for related SUN programs through CQUniversity.

* Start Uni Now (SUN) is a CQUniversity initiative that allows students in Year 11 and 12 to study CQUniversity subjects (known as courses) while still in high school. Students can enrol in a range of CQUniversity courses, either on-campus (face-to-face) or by distance education (online), and combine them with their regular high school work. Download the SUN Brochure for details.

Progress has been made on an agreement enabling Chinese students to complete Information Technology degrees through a joint program with CQUniversity and Shandong Normal University.

In general the program would involve students studying for two years in Shandong before coming to Rockhampton Campus for a further two years.

Shandong President Professor Zhao Yanxiu and other senior academics recently visited Rockhampton Campus to co-sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the arrangement.

Professor Yanxiu travelled to Rockhampton with his Dean of Information Science and Engineering Professor Liu Hong, his Dean of Communication Professor Wang Huanpeng and his International Office Director Professor Zhou Lianyong.

Shandong Normal University President Professor Zhao Yanxiu signs an MOU with CQUni VC Professor Scott Bowman 
Senior staff from Shandong Normal University visiting CQUni

Recently Dr Patrick Keleher was one of eight international keynote speakers from organisations and universities in China, Spain, Australia, and the Philippines to deliver a keynote presentation at the inaugural Symposium on Active Learning for Global Professional Engineers in Beijing.

This symposium was led by Aston University (UK) and Beijing University of Technology* and was held at the Beijing University of Technology. CQUniversity was the only Australian university represented with a keynote speaker at the symposium.

Dr Patrick Keleher focussed upon his research into authentic learning strategies relating to Work Integrated Learning

This event was well attended by 126 delegates from a range of universities across the world and interested companies from China.

Dr Keleher's keynote presentation focussed upon his research into authentic learning strategies relating to Work Integrated Learning, with an emphasis upon professional and technical competency development of engineers so they graduate with the skill base and experience to be competent and confident global practitioners.

The two-day symposium of keynote presentations and workshops provided the platform for an international exchange of innovative ideas and discussion of current and future practices.

Dr Keleher said this was an excellent opportunity to champion the established reputation of CQUniversity's undergraduate and postgraduate engineering programs and to promote the success of CQUniversity's Work Integrated Learning focus, across many disciplines, in order to meet employers' needs and in addressing ongoing skill shortages.

* Beijing University of Technology, as a centre for Engineering Education Excellence, has a national reputation for innovation and expertise. Aston University ranks as the top 17^th (of the 115) of UK higher education institutions, according to The Complete University Guide 2011.

Thanks to growing University staff donations to the CQUni Cares fund, four nursing students have recently been provided with financial assistance to attend residential schools in Mackay, Noosa and Rockhampton.

Students who are attending residential schools or placements as part of their program can apply for financial assistance through CQUni Cares to cover the costs of attending these vital elements of their program.  

LINK also to Deborah able to travel for 'res school', with help from CQUni Cares scholarship

Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman is flanked by CQUni Cares advocates L-R Tamsen Clifford-Banks, Anthea Cuddihy, Suzi Blair, Reegan Bickey and Aimee BartlettCQUni Cares has this year provided $2700 to the Student Support Centre and is growing funds to ensure CQUniversity meets its goal of 'no student leaving their course because of financial hardship'. This initial funding has enabled students to attend residential school thanks to financial assistance and provides other emergency assistance for students in need.

In addition to this, CQUniversity is matching every dollar donated by staff into CQUni Cares, and this year about $5700 is expected from staff donations. The Vice-Chancellor has matched this amount and the endowment fund for CQUni Cares will grow by almost $11,500.

Staff at a range of workplaces throughout Central Queensland will be encouraged to get involved with CQUni Cares, so the wider community is able to support students through their degrees.

All staff at CQUniversity's Office of Development and Graduate Relations are already donors into the fund.

LINK HERE for more details about CQUni Cares

CQUniversity graduates had an overall full-time employment rate of 80.4% compared with the national average of 76.6% for Australian resident bachelor degree graduates.

That's according to the latest data from Graduate Careers Australia's annual Australian Graduate Survey. The AGS studies the activities of new higher education graduates around four months after the completion of their qualifications.

Further comparisons of the latest AGS results for Australian resident bachelor degree graduates, shows CQUniversity graduates in the study areas of Nursing Basic (96.5%); Building (95%); and Other Engineering (94.4%) were most likely to have job success.

CQUni graduates from Accounting (80%), Business studies (84%), Social Work (80%), Visual/Performing Arts (80%), Psychology (73.3%) and Education Initial (78.8%) also had job-search success above the comparative national averages.

Every bit of help is welcomed by Cairns-based Nursing student Deborah Reynolds, as she juggles work, study, health issues and caring for her elderly mother.

That's why she was happy to accept $500 from the CQUni Cares scholarship program to help cover the costs of attending a Noosa Campus residential school for the subject ' Psychiatric Consumer'.

LINK HERE for more details about CQUni Cares

Deborah (left) is fitting study around her family responsibilities, with help from a CQUni Cares scholarship

Deborah was pleased for extra help so she could fly to Noosa and spend as little time as possible away from home and her role as a primary carer.

"I have always wanted to become a nurse ever since grade 3 after a friend of mine became ill with leukaemia," Deborah says.

"I was very passionate about being with her and trying to make her laugh. We became great friends and at the age of 17 years I was diagnosed with a rare endocrine disorder (MEN Type 1).

"I was unable to go to nursing training which was provided in the hospitals back then, as I was coping with the loss of my pancreas and resultant diabetes and it took me a long time to recover before then having to have my parathyroid glands removed due to further tumour development.

"Now I am looking after my mother who is 83 years old and suffering from non-hodgkin lymphatic cancer.

"My father was against my proposed nursing career, but he passed away five years ago and my children have all grown up, so I now have the chance to fulfil my dream."

Deborah says she chose CQUniversity due to its reputation for distance education and excellent support, enabling her to study from home.

"Hardships I've experienced have been through the temporary loss of eyesight in the right eye due to diabetic retinopathy, and further removal of my remaining parathyroid glands, leaving me calcium deficient, tired and lethargic.

"I have now developed a cataract in my right eye and macular degeneration in my left eye and can't wait for an operation to remove the cataract so that I can see again!"

Deborah works five shifts a week in a nursing home to bolster the family income.

"Since mum has been diagnosed with cancer she is unable to get around much anymore and needs daily help, while also suffering from dementia and depression.

"This can be very trying and hurtful at times but I promised I wouldn't put her in a nursing home. My daughter's marriage broke up and she has moved in with mum and I to help out, so there is always someone here for mum. She was cared for by my two eldest daughers while I was at the residential school."

Deborah says she has had great support from CQUniversity in relation to coping with examinations and pacing her study load.

"My preceptor Susan Palmer has been a fantastic mentor and friend and her praises for my attitude and work produced through nursing pracs has spurred me on through the difficult times.

"Thank you to all those involved in setting up this CQUni Cares scheme because without it I would probably would not have been able to attend residential school this December, therefore I would not have been able to pass the subject Psychiatric Consumer, as it is a compulsory requirement."

CQUniversity economics student and researcher Rebecca Gowen has secured a travel fellowship to attend the 2012 International Livestock Congress in Denver, Colorado on January 10.

As a PhD candidate, Rebecca was the only Australian among six international students to receive a coveted International Stockmen's Educational Foundation (ISEF) Travel Fellowship, based on scholastic achievement, leadership experiences and professional references.

PhD researcher Rebecca Gowen

This event gives participants the chance to interact with world industry leaders and contribute to solutions that will shape the advancement of the livestock industry into the future.

The 2012 edition of the congress will bring together producers, retailers, packers and others in the livestock and meat industry supply chain. ISEF aims to serve as a catalyst for exchange among present and future industry thought leaders, by creating opportunities surrounding international livestock industry and meat supply chain perspectives and development of educational initiatives on critical issues impacting the industry.

Rebecca has been studying on exchange at the University of Guelph in Canada, so she will travel direct to Colarado for this major event.She's currently busy analyzing data after surveying Australian graziers' perspectives on how federal carbon policy and the Carbon Farming Initiative will impact on them.

2011 was a year of achievements and successes for Dr Santoso Wibowo who has been an academic at CQUniversity Melbourne for the past decade.

Santoso started his journey in Australia as an engineering student in 1997. He then studied for the Master of Information Systems at CQUniversity Melbourne. Subsequently he went to work as a production engineer for a manufacturing company in Malaysia. However, his love for Australia and the University couldn’t keep him away for long. He migrated to Australia in 2001 and joined the University as a casual lecturer/tutor.

Santoso Wiibowo congratulated for his efforts in 2011.Since then he has been a lecturer in the Faculty of Arts, Business, Informatics and Education delivering information systems management courses for both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. During the period, he has continued to pursue the philosophy of lifelong learning and has obtained a Master of Business by research majoring in business information systems and a Doctor of Philosophy from RMIT University, in 2008 and 2011 respectively.

Very few colleagues on the campus knew of his continuous intellectual and academic achievements during this time. Many were surprised when this year in July he announced the acceptance of his PhD thesis. The excitement had not fully settled when another announcement was made of his promotion to senior lecturer on the campus. Santoso has helped many colleagues truly understand what quiet achievement means, with all these qualifications, the long list of published research in world renowned publications and presentations at multiple international conferences. His pace has also been most impressive as he completed his thesis one year before the scheduled time.

Santoso is also a greatly appreciated and liked teacher at the University. He believes that not all students learn in the same way and therefore it is important to incorporate different learning styles to stimulate the learning environment. He also places emphasis on motivating and creating opportunities through delivery of the course, and by providing real-life experiences to help students build their interest and understand things better.

Encouraged and recommended by his colleagues, Santoso was a nominee of the Learning & Teaching Tier 1 and Tier 2 awards from the metropolitan campuses. In recognition of all these wonderful successes and efforts, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) Professor Ken Hawkins and the Melbourne Campus Director Darryl Stewart presented encouragement certificates to Santoso late last month.    

It has also been a busy year for Santoso on the family front. He and his wife Lillian were blessed with a beautiful baby daughter earlier this year.

And it’s not stopping here. Santoso has plans to continue researching and publishing and, who knows, he may even complete a second PhD qualification or a post-doctoral qualification soon.

With almost $74 million now available for a proposed dual sector merger and engineering developments, CQUniversity now has a responsibility to create a 'revolution' in post-school education across the region.

That's according to Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman, who was speaking to community leaders and staff from the University and Central Queensland Institute of TAFE (CQIT), acknowledging how the funding will be used in coming years.

LINK also to CQUni welcomes $73.8m boost for dual sector and engineering

MP Kirsten Livermore fronts the media scrum

Professor Bowman welcomed the 'early Christmas present' as fantastic news and said he was confident the final due diligence stage of the merger process would progress well.

"We want Central Queensland to not only be a major resource centre but also a significant education hub," he said.

Member for Capricornia Kirsten Livermore also spoke at the funding announcement, saying CQUniversity was now ready to fulfil its potential by introducting seamless and integrated VET and higher education, as well as by super-charging research.

Ms Livermore said the federal government welcomed having strong partners willing to implement 'bold and ambitious' plans to help 'grab hold' of its agenda for higher education.

Plenty of Uni staff and community leaders were on hand to witness the announcement. Photo courtesy Greg Chapman, CQIT

"We have been helping universities imagine their future for the best way to serve their communities and the country as a whole.

"It is recognised by the federal government that CQUni really gets it about what the future requires. We're all on board for the work that comes next."

CQIT Director Gary Kinnon congratulated Professor Bowman and Ms Livermore for obtaining the funding, saying the project would bring immense benefits to the people of Central Queensland.  

Mr Kinnon said that throughout his career with TAFE he had looked forward to a seamless pathway to take students from Certificate 1 right through to university degrees.

"We'll be able to offer students of all ages this seamless pathway throughout their education," he said.

Senior school students from Blackwater, Gladstone and Rockhampton took a break from holidays this week to experience work as a paramedic.

Guided by Paramedic Science program leader Anthony Weber, the students took part in sessions on airway management, defibrillation, CPR and injections, as well as field trips to emergency service bases.

Anthony Weber takes the students through the basics of Paramedic Science. L-R are Kelsey Smith from Chanel College in Gladstone, Amy Dowie from Blackwater High, Joshua Humphris from North Rockhampton High and Nic Johnson from Chanel College

They completed their three-day experience with a simulation challenge against the clock.

TVNZ has featured CQUniversity graduate Sandra Arnold's views about confronting death, as part of a touching story about how families cope with grief.

Dr Arnold recently expressed her views in a book entitled Sing No Sad Songs, published by Canterbury University Press, following her graduation with a PhD in Creative Writing from CQUniversity last year.

LINK for TVNZ's interview with Sandra on the Close-Up Program

LINK for a larger screenshot from the TV program

Dr Arnold's moving memoir is about losing her young adult daughter to cancer. She hopes it will generate discussion about our "death-denying culture" and the way people react to the bereaved.

After the death of her 23-year-old daughter Rebecca from a rare appendix cancer nine years ago she found there was very little information about the emotional, physical, mental and spiritual effects of grieving the death of a young adult child from cancer.

Dr Arnold said her aim was always to have the memoir part of her thesis published as a book so that it would be accessible to others outside academia, as a way for other bereaved parents to recognise and give voice to their own stories, and for the non-bereaved to gain an understanding of what it feels like to be in the skin of a bereaved parent.

"The non-bereaved sometimes have difficulty in empathising with bereaved parents. In Western societies language often fails when talking to the bereaved and euphemisms, platitudes and clichés are used to express condolence because many people do not know what to say."

Dr Arnold lives in North Canterbury and teaches at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. She is the author of two novels. Her short fiction has been broadcast on Radio New Zealand and widely published and anthologised in New Zealand and overseas

CQUniversity has received the lion's share of funding in the Commonwealth Government's latest higher education investment round, putting it on the path to becoming Queensland's first dual-sector institution and an engineering powerhouse...

The $73.8 million CQUniversity slice, part of a total pool of $377m from the Structural Adjustment Fund (SAF) and Education Investment Fund (EIF) for 2011, will be spent on readying the university for its proposed merger with Central Queensland Institute of TAFE and further strengthening its already-solid engineering offering.

Professor Bowman announces spending plans to support major dual sector and engineering initiatives

LINK also for 'Revolution coming for post-school education'

"Today's announcement demonstrates just how crucial CQUniversity is to the national higher education sector, and to the communities of the booming Central Queensland region," CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Scott Bowman said.

"These funds represent one fifth of the overall SAF/EIF funding pool for 2011, which is a massive vote of confidence from the Government in the university, and its plans for dual-sector status and the development of a world-class engineering school.

"Not only will this allow us to deliver critical skills to the region's workforce, but it will also create countless local construction jobs thanks to a huge ramp-up in building activity. 

"I want to thank the Commonwealth Government for its foresight in recognising the immense contribution a dual-sector university, offering world-class engineering programs, will make to a region like Central Queensland."

CQIT Director Gary Kinnon talks of immense benefits for the region

Projects to be funded include $16.6m towards a state-of-the-art new engineering precinct at CQUniversity Mackay, $14m towards an industry-leading, public-access allied health clinic at CQUniversity Rockhampton, and a $12.5m makeover for Mackay TAFE should a merger with CQIT proceed.

"These projects will revolutionise the learning experience for our engineering and allied health students, by equipping them with cutting-edge, custom-built facilities in which to learn their craft," Professor Bowman said.

Other funds will be channelled into "building" an integrated dual-sector university, including a revamp of classroom facilities, IT systems, administration systems and learning pathways across university and TAFE.

"In bringing together two strong institutions, staffed by great people, we can create more flexible pathways between university and vocational programs, and really offer the people of Central Queensland - and beyond - the best of both worlds," Professor Bowman added.

MP Kirsten Livermore describes the scale of the project

Federal Member for Capricornia, Kirsten Livermore MP said the announcement was welcome news for CQUniversity and the Central Queensland region.

"The Commonwealth Government is committed to working with CQUniversity and the Queensland Government to ensure the University is well positioned to meet future growth and to continue to innovate and consider bold new ideas," Ms Livermore said

"Central Queensland is one of Australia's most productive and vital economic regions and this project will better service the diverse and growing needs of the region."

CQIT Institute Director Gary Kinnon also welcomed the announcement, underlining the successful SAF/EIF funding bid as the first stage of satisfying the State Government's requirements for a successful dual-sector merger.

"Following this announcement, the Queensland Government will continue to work with CQUniversity to undertake further due diligence and negotiate how the merged institution could operate," Mr Kinnon said.

CQUniversity student Tracy Scott has her eye on a career change into the developing area of environmental psychology, helping to design spaces like supermarkets and other retail outlets.

That's why she has welcomed support from the Zonta Club of Rockhampton, part of a worldwide organisation dedicated to advancing the status of women, which has provided an encouragement award of $500 towards study books from the CQUniversity Bookshop.

Tracy Scott (front) is flanked by Zonta Club President Margaret Anderton, STEPS representative Dr Julie Willans, Executive Dean Professor Graham Pegg, Zonta Club Secretary Berenice Payne and club Treasurer Valda Fitzgerald

The Rockhampton mother recently completed her STEPS preparatory program with the highest GPA among female students. She has now started a Bachelor of Psychology degree, drawing on the flexibility of distance education.

Originally from Adelaide, Tracy actually completed some psychology subjects back in 1991. She was able to get some credit for electives towards her fresh start with CQUniversity.

Completion of a psychology qualification will enable a career change for Tracy, who has previously worked in the finance sector.

CQUniversity recently held a morning tea function to recognise the support for Tracy from local Zonta Club members.

#         #         #

The next testing and information session for the next STEPS intake is scheduled for January 31 at CQUniversity Rockhampton Campus. Details are available via steps-admin@cqu.edu.au or LINK for details about STEPS, which stands for Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory Studies. STEPS is a pre-university preparatory program that can help prepare potential applicants for tertiary study.

More than $130,000 in contributions from council, industry and university funds will enable detailed planning for the Regional Sports Hub proposed for CQUniversity Mackay.

The development concept includes a synthetic athletics track, Olympic-standard aquatic facilities, indoor sport facilities, a multi-purpose sporting field, leisure water attractions and a sports bar.

LINK for a larger image of this extract from the preliminary concept proposal

Mackay Regional Sports Hub is a partnership proposal between CQUniversity, Mackay Regional Council and sporting associations in Mackay.

According to the preliminary concept proposal, the overall vision is to jointly develop a multi-facility precinct which caters for the future growth of Mackay and meets the clearly identified future planning needs for sport and recreation in the city.

The Hub is expected to provide a 'community heart' to the surrounding residential area, as well as be the interface between campus and community.

The concept proposes the development of aquatic facilities, field sports, athletics and indoor sports needs, as well as providing an innovative integration of teaching and service opportunities for the sport industry and Chiropractic Medicine.

LINK for a larger image of this extract from the preliminary concept proposal

CQUniversity has taken the lead on a Commonwealth Government commitment to place a teacher in every Australian childcare centre within three years, through an innovative training partnership with Noosaville Childcare Centre.

The Collaborative Learning Project has seen students in the Noosa Campus-based Bachelor of Learning Management (Early Childhood) program visit the neighbouring centre to train with staff and children through games, learning activities and group discussions.

Budding teachers have been experiencing work in a childcare centre

It follows a recent Federal Government $970 million pledge to provide kindergarten children with access to a university-trained teacher for at least 15 hours per week by 2013.

CQUniversity Bachelor of Learning Management (Early Childhood) program head Kathy Bauer said the Collaborative Learning Project would support the government's goals by introducing students to a potential career in the childcare industry.

"We aim to encourage student teachers to consider childcare as a career by giving them direct, practical experience at a childcare centre," Ms Bauer said.

"The training is supported by theoretical topics covered in CQUniversity's early childhood program and gives students an opportunity to make an informed decision about the direction they wish to pursue."

Ms Bauer said students had already shown interest in a future in childcare, while she also expected childcare staff to be introduced to the benefits of obtaining a degree.

"Having seen the staff's level of commitment and care, and how important their role is in early learning, our students have gained a real appreciation for their role in the childcare environment," Ms Bauer said.

"Students have broadened their understanding of the links between schools and the childcare industry.

"We may also see childcare centre staff considering up-skilling into a degree course after meeting our students, which will also support the Federal Government's goals."

Twenty-four year-old budding junior primary teacher Katie Chaseling, one of 59 first and second year students taking part in the program this term, said the practical experience would ensure she and her fellow students became more well-rounded teachers regardless of whether they went into childcare or taught in schools.

"The early years of a child's life are crucial and the development that occurs during this time has a huge impact on their later health, social interaction and learning," the Mt Coolum resident said.

"Therefore it is important to us as future teachers, to be able to witness first hand what occurs in an early-learning environment.

"Children don't enter their first years of school as a blank canvas, they come with a range of different experiences and I believe that these visits will help us to understand more about the environments in which they occur.

"As their first school teachers, understanding how the childcare centre environment fits into a child's educational path will enable us to build on their learning and foster smooth and steady educational and social development."

Ms Bauer said the lasting effect of the partnership would be to build respect and understanding between the two sectors.

"This learning project will help develop familiarity between childcare staff and the university environment, and our students and the childcare environment," Ms Bauer said.

"It will encourage professional dialogue between our sectors, as our students and centre staff discuss each other's roles, work together and share knowledge.

"The future will see us build the Collaborative Learning Project using the input of the centre's staff and directors and university students and staff; while I also plan to document our progress and use it as a possible research project."

The Bachelor of Learning Management (Early Childhood) is a four-year program, but can be fast-tracked for completion in three years.

Positions in the program are still available, for more information call CQUniversity on 13 27 86.

A contingent of CQUniversity Nursing and Midwifery students has just returned from a remote community in Nepal, where they have been lending a hand at a local hospital, rural health camps and outreach clinics...

Mackay nursing students Cathy Pert and Caryl Turpin were among the group and reported they had plenty of chance to interact with local people, giving them a taste of delivering healthcare in a resource-challenged environment. LINK HERE for more great images from the Nepal trip contributed by Dr Kerry Reid-Searl

LINK also for Medical Imaging goes international with Ugandan workshop

Caryl Turpin third from left and Cathy Pert second from left among the CQUni contingent in Nepal

Apart from contributing their skills they also delivered donations of medical equipment and supplies.

This was the third annual Student Midwifery and Nursing Placement to Nepal organised by the University in conjunction with Antipodeans Abroad. A previous group travelled to a rural area of Thailand.

Cathy Pert said the Nepal trip exceeded expectations in regard to exposure to nursing experiences.

"We had opportunities including visiting and interacting with nursing/medical staff at a private hospital, public hospital and leprosy clinic
(on wards and in consultations).

Caryl front and Cathy rear with Nepal's famous scenery in the background

"We were engaging with Nepalese nursing students during lecture/discussion forums and we participated in health camps by taking blood pressure, pulse and respirations, with the opportunity to discuss cases with the presiding doctor. We were also able to visit and talk to patients in the local methadone program.

"Having these experiences allowed us to compare and contrast our health system, the nursing and medical profession (education and working conditions) as well as the type of care provided for patients or residents. Going back to basics gives a new perspective!"

Caryl Turpin said the trip to Nepal was a fantastic learning experience as she was able to practice and consolidate her assessment and nursing diagosis skills in a wide variety of situations.

"The opportunity to research many ailments that have been eradicated in the western world was an amazing experience," Caryl says.

"Although the medical equipment and supplies may have been outdated, compared to western standards, the hospital staff provided excellent medical attention to their patients.

"Although Nepalese and Australian nursing skills were very similar it was the application of holistic care for the patient that demonstrated a distinct difference in nursing styles.

"When comparing another country's healthcare system and cultural norms with our own we deduced the following: 'it's not right, it's not wrong, it's just different'."

Caryl (left) and Cathy (second from left) during their Nepal visit

 
Caryl with local children  

CQUniversity's undergraduate Nursing degree has a unique focus on the consumer perspective, and the University could become a nationally recognised centre of excellence for mental health nursing...

These were some of the key points discussed when Minister for Mental Health & Aging Mark Butler came to Rockhampton Campus this week, on a visit with Member for Capricornia Kirsten Livermore.

Engaged Research Chair for Mental Health Nursing Professor Brenda Happell (left) with visiting Minister Mark Butler, Deputy VC Professor Jennelle Kyd and Member for Capricornia Kirsten Livermore

Engaged Research Chair Professor Brenda Happell updated the visitors about CQUniversity's push to stimulate undergraduate nurses' interest in mental health nursing as a career path, including a major focus in the curriculum as a pathway to a Masters degree.

She said part of the fresh approach was the employment of Louise Byrne, a service user, as a lecturer to provide a first-hand perspective.  The response from students to this approach has been very positive.

Professor Happell said establishment of a centre for excellence would facilitate national collaborations and support for best practice.

She said CQUniversity would also focus on the physical health of people with a mental illness, helping to ensure they have the chance for a normal lifespan.

Minister Butler welcomed the chance to talk about mental health workforce issues, including CQUniversity's efforts to encourage more student focus on careers in this area.

Professor Happell said her recent appointment as Engaged Research Chair in Mental Health Nursing helps to cement the importance CQUniversity attaches to the field.

"This new position will enable me to increase my focus on developing strong research teams both internally and in collaboration with industry partners and other education providers. It will also provide an important boost to CQUni's Collaborative Research Network and the partnerships with Queensland University of Technology, University of Queensland and Curtin University.

"I look forward to the opportunity to further strengthen mental health nursing."

Postgraduate student researchers this week went head to head for the title of 'best presentation', during a conference run by CQUniversity's Institute for Resource Industries and Sustainability (IRIS)...

This 'third annual' event was held at Rockhampton Campus, with video links to other campus venues.

L-R Judges David Gilmour and Mick Alexander, guest speaker Helen Newell, posgrad Elise Crawford, judge Ted Gardner and postgrad Rahat Hossain

Students presented topics ranging from the influence of slope steepness on eucalypt forests and analysing risk from people using new technology, through to multi-robot systems for sniffing out odours and the best ways to drive lengthy coal trains.

One presentation described using frogs to gauge the health risk of a newly discovered soluble toxin in our waterways, while another described how native frogs are more susceptible to herbicides than toads.

Rooftop greenery systems, sunlight disinfection for aquaculture, degradation of tubes and piping in a shale oil refinery, solar-assisted air conditioning, and the impact of energy neutral technology on Australia's power network were among other topics discussed.

Students heard from guest speakers including Capricorn Enterprise CEO Mary Carroll and Helen Newell from the Australian Institute for Commercialisation.

Overall presentation winner Elise Crawford with Professor Kerry Walsh

Their presentations were judged by grazing industry stalwart Mick Alexander, IRIS Senior Research Fellow Ted Gardner and David Gilmour, CQUniversity's new VET & Industry business development manager.

Overall Winner: I-pad 2 (32GB) Prize donated by Gladstone Ports Corporation

Elise Crawford, CRE ‘Improving safety through robust and functional socio-technical systems a human  factors concern'

Session Winners - Kindle E-reader Prizes donated by Queensland Alumina Limited

Session 1: Engineering

Ali Baniyounes, PERG ‘Assessment of solar cell assisted air conditioning for an institutional building in a subtropical climate' 

Session 2: Engineering and IT

Conference presenters, speakers and judges

Iuliana Cismaru, PELM ‘ High temperature damage of candidate materials in a shale oil refinery'

Session 3: Environment and Life Sciences

Sadia Khan, CPWS ‘Development and evaluation of a solar photocatalytic disinfection (SPCD) apparatus for treatment of aquaculture systems'

All other Student presenters received a $30 gift voucher donated from the CQUniversity Bookshop.

The Conference was recorded and can be accessed by clicking the following  link http://onlinemedia.cqu.edu.au/media_request.htm?file=cqu/research/iris/iris_postgrad_conference_051211&start=00:07:41&end=07:40:50&formats=16.

CQUniversity student Briana Ives had an encouraging turnout recently when she took on the role as event coordinator for the Open Day at the Central Queensland Materials Recovery Facility (CQMRF) in Parkhurst, Rockhampton...

Briana's assessment for her Communications Project A subject called for a communications and promotion strategy for National Recycling Week, and the Open Day became the highlight of her project. The CQ MRF Open Day involved months of planning and preparations.

Children enjoyed a cuddle from Reece-cycle

When not studying for her degree, Briana works for the CQ Local Government Association educating primary school children about recycling. This project allowed Briana to develop new skills in event management, an area that she is very interested in.

Briana Ives pictured at the recycling event 
CQ Recycling Heroes took on the ultimate sorting challenge and learnt about where their recycling goes 
More than 170 people attended, including CQ region councillors, CQLGA stakeholders and Rockhampton Region Mayor Brad Carter

CQUniversity has joined with Capricorn Enterprise and CQ Innovative Regions to launch a concept for an 'Innovation Central' process and campus location.

The concept launch happened during a Rockhampton business breakfast this week.

Dr Susan Kinnear has been involved this year in a research/project officer capacity.  She says CQUniversity now has representatives on a steering group to develop the concept further in 2012, alongside representatives from the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR), Capricorn Enterprise, the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), the CQ Local Government Association (CQLGA) and local business.

"Innovation Central was conceptualised out of the collaborative project between CQUni and the CQ Innovative Regions centre," Dr Kinnear says.

"IC is a practical way for regional business and industry to collaborate with key regional organisations - to bring forward innovative ideas and convert them into benefits for our region.

"The tagline for IC is 'national objectives, regional value' - referring to the fact that we must find ways for CQ to be recognized as important and productive region at the national scale.

"Just as importantly, though, that development has to be focused on keeping value in the region - making sure our local economy, communities and environment are made stronger. We need both these things together - and we need to innovate together to make it happen."

Dr Kinnear says that if IC can be established it would become a great 'front door' to help local business engage with the University.

The Innovation Central concept involves a process and a physical space at CQUniversity, giving people with innovative ideas a place to gain assistance from valuable government and university resources in making their ideas become a reality.

Chairman of Capricorn Enterprise, Grant Cassidy said "sometimes people and small businesses have great innovative ideas, but need the help to navigate research and put into practice a commercial activity. Capricorn Enterprise is proud to work with our partners in government, industry and CQUniversity to assist businesses reach their full potential."

CEO of Capricorn Enterprise Mary Carroll said "there is potential for significant investment in innovation in our region - to build on the efforts already made since the formation of Capricorn Enterprise. This is another example of what can be achieved when all parties work together for the benefit of our great region."

CQUniversity's Medical Imaging students had their first opportunity to get involved with their profession from a global perspective, with an invitation to travel and work with academic Cynthia Cowling on a week-long workshop in Uganda.

Katrina Ryan, a first-year student, leapt at the chance and spent an amazing 10 days in a learning situation very different from Mackay.

LINK also for Nepal a life-changing experience for nursing students

Student Katrina Ryan with academic Cynthia Cowling and one of the Ugandan workshop participants

Cynthia, in her capacity as Director of Education of ISRRT (the International Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologists), manages and occasionally attends workshops around the world.

This particular workshop was on Image Interpretation for Radiographers and attendees were all graduates of the three-year degree program offered in Uganda. They are also working practitioners in health facilities with few doctors and even fewer radiologists available and where they are frequently asked to provide opinions on the radiographs they take.

Katrina and Cynthia were fortunate to have with them Dr Ian Cowan, a radiologist from New Zealand, and Jenny Motto, Vice Dean of Health Sciences from The University of Johannesburg, who both proved to be a wealth of information.

Katrina enjoyed being on 'the other side' of learning, being asked to mark the anatomy pretests and assist students in the interactive sessions. Cynthia and Katrina both learnt much from the sessions themselves.

Cynthia and Katrina visit Murchison Falls on the Nile River

The key to the program was that radiographers looked at their images in a different way and were able to question why they took the images that were asked of them and what was considered normal and abnormal.

"The Ugandan students were totally committed to the workshop and stayed on long after the end of each day, full of questions. It was a great opportunity to interface with radiographers whose  university program was not that dissimilar to ours but who had a very different clinical experience," Cynthia says.

"Katrina, who had never been outside of Australia, was confronted by the poverty and sheer craziness of Kampala but after a week working with the delightful participants and three days finding an amazing array of animals on treks and safaris, she now has Africa in her blood and this will hopefully be the start of a fruitful relationship with our Ugandan colleagues."

The workshop participants gather

CQUniversity Human Movements Science graduate Cameron Jennings has won Cycling Queensland's Coach of the Year Award.

He coaches between 10 to 15 cyclists throughout Queensland depending on the time of the year, including Alex O'Dea, winner of the Capricornia Cup women's event at last weekend's CQUniversity Rockhampton Cup on Wheels event at the Kenrick Tucker Velodrome.

LINK also to Congratulations to Josh Edwards, Cup on Wheels winner

Now an associate lecturer in the Exercise and Sports Science degree based at Rockhampton Campus, Cameron is also doing his Masters of Sports Coaching research (externally with UQ) on the use of video feedback to improve cyclists' standing starts. Associate Professor Peter Reaburn from CQUniversity is his co-supervisor.

Cameron Jennings with his Coach of the Year trophy

While winding down his own career as a professional cyclist, Cameron has recently served as as program co-ordinator and head coach for the Australian Sports Commission's National Talent Identification and Development (NTID*) program.

"My competitive cycling is winding down.  I spent 7-8 years racing in Europe, but I had realised it was time to move away from that and begin the next phase of my life," Cameron says.

"In 2007 I won a stage of Australia's most prestigious tour, The Herald Sun Tour, and I would class that as my finest result," he said.

* The NTID program was part of Cameron's Masters project: 'The effect of a self-modelling video intervention on motor skill acquisition and retention of a novice track cyclist's standing start performance'.  That project has finished up and is in the review process for a journal publication.

Rockhampton's Josh Edwards has been crowned as winner of the 2011 CQUniversity Rockhampton Cup on Wheels event held recently at the Kenrick Tucker Velodrome in Rockhampton.

Edwards, competing in his ninth Cup on Wheels, was able to take advantage of a 170m handicap and overcame strong winds to upset some of the carnival's top ranked competitors from across Australia and New Zealand.

LINK also to Alumnus Jennings has won cycling coach award

Cup on Wheels winner Josh Edwards. Courtesy Casey Imaging

Josh will be part of a contingent of Rocky riders heading to the Bundaberg Cycling Club's Cup on Wheels carnival this weekend.

In the women's Capricornia Cup on Wheels event, Alex O'Dea was able to win after starting from scratch.

Josh acknowledges the crowd. Courtesy Casey Imaging 
The tight finish in the women's event. Courtesy Casey Imaging

Initial research is indicating that women who receive therapy to manage their anxiety during pregnancy are much less likely to be anxious or have post-natal depression after birth, which also reduces anxiety and relationship pressures in the wider family environment.

One in seven new mothers are affected by postnatal depression and as many as one in five experience anxiety or depression during pregnancy. New research from beyondblue has revealed the stigma relating to antenatal and postnatal mental health stops them from asking for help.

CQUniversity researcher Anita Nepean-Hutchison is currently trialling a program that she has written for pregnant women and her pilot-level study has delivered ‘fantastic' outcomes.

While the program is currently being run on the Gold Coast where she works as psychologist, the program of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) before birth and CBT and interpersonal therapy (IPT) sessions during the new-mum stage are currently being planned further afield next year, from the Psychology Wellness Clinic at CQUniversity's Rockhampton Campus.

"A small amount of anxiety during pregnancy is relatively common, but by teaching women who experience significant anxiety some strategies to better manage and reduce their anxiety early we can reduce the likelihood of developing post-natal depression, which also benefits the wider family unit," she says.

"Participation in this study will help us find out more about prenatal and postnatal anxiety, and the prevention of anxiety for children," she says.

"If you are pregnant and you experience feelings of dread; have trouble concentrating; have feelings of being overwhelmed; often anticipate the worst; and/or worry about many things; your experience may help us with information that could improve the lives of other mums and children."

 Ms Nepean-Hutchison is keen to hear from anyone who would like to be involved in her research, or who would like details. She is contactable via 0487 807 989 or a.nepean-hutchison@cqu.edu.au .

CQUniversity's senior lecturer in HRM Dr Roslyn Cameron has reached a career milestone as Editor for the new International Journal of Mixed Methods in Applied Business and Policy Research.

The open access journal is based at CQUniversity and accepts submissions from a range of business, management and policy disciplines. Dr Cameron edits the publication from her base at Gladstone Campus.

You can LINK HERE to find out more about the new journal

Congratulations to the Scottvale Park Squash Relay for Life team members, who are planning to attend the fundraising event in Rockhampton for their 10th consecutive year in May of 2012.

Team member Kaye Kidd has been along every step of the way and now has extra incentive, as her husband Trevor was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) in February 2011.

Scottvale Park Relay for Life team members celebrate and plan for the 2012 event. Rear - Kaye Kidd, Ingrid McLoughlin, Julianne Crawford, Lyndee Bollington, Sue Evans, Leslie Walker, Marg Wills, Paula Buchholz. Front - Jean Assay, Bernice Dei Rossi, Carole West, Denise Brown.

You can register for Relay for Life, to be held at CQUniversity Rockhampton

on the May 19-20 weekend, by visiting http://www.relayforlife.org.au/ or phoning 4932 8610.

"Trevor had an operation to remove his kidney and was informed the prognosis was very good, but whilst on holidays during October in Victoria a pain in the hip indicated that something was not right," Kaye says.

"Trevor contacted his specialist in Brisbane and he requested a bone scan be ordered at the Geelong hospital. Results showed there were spots indicating cancer in the hips and spine areas. The specialist requested an immediate return to Brisbane for further testing with MRI. Results had indicated the cancer had returned and was located in the hip and lower section of the spine.

"The prognosis was bone cancer and radium was to commence immediately followed by chemotherapy in tablet form."

Kaye says her family is focusing on living life and enjoying every day, as "things like fishing, camping and family/friends are a very important factor".

She says life has changed in the Kidd household but only in terms of altering the meal planning, with certain foods not included in the meals.

"It is very interesting to learn of certain foods and drinks which you may or may not have that can hopefully assist in preventing the cancer from spreading to other organs of the body.

"It is extremely important for everyone to be aware of vital signs in their body, listen to your body and if something doesn't feel right contact your doctor."

Kaye says raising money for research in finding a cure for all types of cancer is very important, so that one day there will be very few people diagnosed with cancer.

Next year is looming as the 10th anniversary of the Relay For Life event held at CQUniversity Rockhampton Campus.

CQUniversity Centre for Plant and Water Science staff Kylie Hopkins and Graham Fox have installed an aquaponic system at Glenmore State High School with the help of a year 9 science class.

Aquaponics combines aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (growing plants without soil) in one system to produce fresh fish and vegetables.

Glenmore High students fitting the bell siphons into the drainage pipe

Clean water is pumped from a sump tank into the fish tank, forcing fish waste out into a yabby pond. The water then flows into three hydroponic grow beds which are fitted with bell siphons allowing the beds to ‘flood and drain'. The water drains from the beds back to the sump tank.

Kylie has been working with Glenmore High science teacher Karen Carvell as part of CSIRO's Scientists In Schools program, while the year 9 class has been studying ecosystems and food chains.

"The class learnt about the nitrogen cycle within an aquaponic system - nitrifying bacteria colonise the surfaces in the yabby pond and the gravel in the grow beds to become biofilters - where the ammonia fish waste is converted to nitrites then to nitrates which the plants use as nutrients.

"Students will continue to test the ammonia levels in the water to monitor the development of the biofilters. When the biofilters are well established, seedlings can be planted."

Graham Fox showing students how to connect the pipe work

Kylie says the simple system allows the students to grow silver perch, red claw and various herbs, vegetables and fruits in just five square metres of space.

She says the aquaponic system has been such a hit at Glenmore High that other science teachers already have plans to use it in next year's lessons.

The finished aquaponic system waiting for its plants 
Students fitting the hose that connects the grow beds to the yabby pond

CQUniversity Rockhampton this week welcomed Susanne Knudsen, who noted Australian teachers tend to dip into many sources, rather than relying on a particular textbook for their class like their Scandanavian counterparts.

Dr Knudsen is a Danish researcher who works in Norway as a Professor of Pedagogic Text and who is the current president of the International Association for Research on Textbooks and Educational Media.

Professor Susanne Knudsen and Associate Professor Mike Horsley chat about learning and teaching materials, at Rockhampton Campus this week

She gave a presentation on campus about new ways of analysing teaching materials devised for school children.

Her research shows, among other things, that Aboriginal authors of history textbooks are interested in 'where and who' explanations, whereas non-Aboriginal authors are more obsessed about the timeline (when) and why things happened.

Dr Knudsen is also considered a world authority on portrayal of gender in textbooks. She's tracking with interest developments leading to textbooks being supplemented by digital materials.

Hosted by Associate Professor Mike Horsley, who is Director of CQUniversity's Learning and Teaching Education Research Centre (LTERC), Dr Knudsen said she would arrange for a Norwegian PhD student to visit Noosa Campus in 2012, to collect comparative data on use of teaching materials by Australian school children.

CQUniversity's Professor Denis Cryle had a national audience recently when he paid tribute to Sir Charles Todd, builder of the Overland Telegraph Line, which linked the Australian continent via Adelaide and Darwin to the international telegraph routes...

Professor Denis Cryle who featured on Ockham's Razor recently

LINK HERE for Professor Cryle's discussion of 'Science and communication in the information age' on ABC Radio National's Ockham's Razor program.

Presenter Robyn Williams introduces the discussion by saying Sir Charles Todd was equivalent to the instigator of the NBN, wiring Australia.

Professor Cryle notes how the legendary Australian will be remembered next year, the 140th anniversary of the Overland Telegraph's construction.

"It was by any measure a risky and remarkable venture which culminated in the wiring of a continent ... for it changed the speed with which we received information, reinforced distant authority while enfranchising local markets and permitted regular exchanges between the imperial centre in London and the periphery."

Professor Cryle notes that Todd's persistence ultimately helped lay the groundwork for the unification of the Australian colonies in 1901.

"Today communication scholars like myself, are also interested in understanding the international networks forged by the telegraph.  Dubbed the ‘Victorian internet' these lightning lines, as James Carey described them, and as James Gleick recently reminds us, were not just about copper insulators and iron poles, but a technology of empire and a portent of modern globalisation."

Rural skills learnt by participants in nationally-accredited training courses funded by Disaster Recovery Funding will now flow into the wider community.

That's according to Palmina Bonaventura from the Australian Agricultural College Corporation (AACC), which provided the training in association with CQUniversity.

Community members and presenters who took part in the fertigation course

The free training in soil management and fertigation (fertilisation through irrigation) was made available, thanks to funding from the Queensland Rural Industry Training Council.

This accredited training was provided through a partnership between the AACC and CQUniversity's Centre for Plant & Water Science. There was an on-campus component in Rockhampton and field trips in the local district.

The soil management training helped participants learn how to design, construct, install and maintain effective erosion and sediment control measures. This course started with the basics of soil characteristics and worked through to cropping, irrigation and drainage strategies.

The fertigation training helped participants become familiar with pressurised irrigation systems and troubleshooting, incorporating the latest technology for delivering fertiliser via irrigation.

Training was presented by Sam Birrell from Netafim Australia, Lance Perdergast from the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation in Emerald, and CQUniversity specialists Dr Surya Bhattarai, Professor Kerry Walsh and Dr Melinda Mchenry.

"Everyone enjoyed the expertise of all the presenters, both the University staff and also the industry experts. We cannot thank these people enough for giving us their time and making this experience so enriched," Ms Bonaventura said.

"The field trips were a highlight for the training as it was hands on; so was the practical aspects of the lab work analysing soils etc. The growers who were visited on the field trips were very welcoming and happy to share their knowledge and experiences.

"The people who attended these two courses did so as part of the effort to help rebuild Queensland after Cyclone Yasi and the recent flood disasters. These skills are now within the community and will be put to good use through volunteer efforts."

Ms Bonaventura said the nine fertigation participants came from within Rockhampton, such as the community gardens, as well as travelling from Clermont. There were 10 soil management participants who came from Emerald, Clermont and within Rockhampton.

The Rockhampton Campus student is broadening her horizons in the shorter term too, as she's been enjoying an exchange program to the University of Bradford.

Devon Holloway has been enjoying the change of pace in England

Devon has been travelling with Psychology student Veronica Duthie, who was also accepted for the exchange program.

"I'm taking one business course, Consumer Behaviour, and two electives, Introduction to Peace Studies and Videography. All of these count towards my degree here at CQUniversity," Devon said.

"The campus is great, there's always something going on and there are heaps of societies to be involved in. The people have been amazing. Those I've met have made this place wonderful."

Born in South Africa, Devon came to Australia with her family as a child and now considers Rocky her home town.

She says she has enjoyed most of her Marketing courses at CQUniversity as well as related subjects organisational behaviour, desktop publishing and photomedia.

Devon and Veronica have found time for some touring too

CQUniversity researcher Dr Corneel Vandelanotte has been named among eight Queensland Young Tall Poppy Science Award Winners for 2011.

Rockhampton-based Dr Vandelanotte* was among winners recognised and celebrated in front of hundreds of guests at the Premier's Science and Innovation Reception at Parliament House in Brisbane this week.

Dr Corneel Vandelanotte is congratulated by Queensland Premier Anna Bligh

 LINK for the official AIPS media release

Dr Vandelanotte's research is focused on finding effective and innovative methods to increase physical activity in large numbers of Australians at a low cost. He has designed and evaluated several innovative website-delivered physical activity interventions.

The latest Tall Poppies were named and awarded by Premier Anna Bligh and Dr Geoff Garrett AO, Queensland Chief Scientist.

They will spend the next year engaging with teachers, school students, parents and the broader community as part of the Tall Poppy Campaign run by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science.

CQUniversity's Dr Mitch Duncan was among 10 Queensland winners in 2010.

Dr Vandelanotte's award came during a busy week as he is also representing CQUniversity at the NHMRC Scientific Symposium at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. The symposium was organised to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the NHMRC (the National Health and Medical Research Council).

The CQUniversity researcher is delivering a presentation about Internet-based interventions to promote physical activity: A randomised trial of text, video and combined delivery-modes'.

"The Young Tall Poppy Science Awards aim to recognise early career researchers who have achieved significant scientific milestones and have demonstrated their willingness and ability to engage people in science," says Australian Institute of Policy and Science Executive Director, Elektra Spathopoulos.

"The awardees are passionate about the need to share their research with the community and about encouraging young people to think seriously about pursuing science into their future education and career pathways," she explained.

"With science issues and policy being debated more in the public sphere, and still decreasing enrolments in senior high school science, the need to inspire young people about science and to engage and inform the wider community has never been more important."

Since the Tall Poppy Campaign began over 10 years ago, former Young Tall Poppy Science Award winners have continued to excel, winning more senior science awards, including Eureka Prizes and the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science.

* Dr Corneel Vandelanotte is a NHRMC & NHF Post-doctoral Research Fellow and Acting Director of the Centre for Physical Activity Studies at the Institute for Health and Social Science Research at CQUniversity. Dr Vandelanotte completed his PhD at Ghent University in Belgium in 2004, and moved to Australia in 2005. Dr Vandelanotte's research focuses on the development and evaluation of website-delivered and/or computer-tailored physical activity interventions, with a population health approach to behaviour change. As an early career researcher Dr Vandelanotte is an author on 23 peer-reviewed publications and was co-awarded $2,376,098 of competitive research money.

CQUniversity has sent a strong team of delegates to the 22^nd ISANA* Annual International Education Conference held in Hobart recently.

Five CQUni delegates attended to present papers, representing CQUniversity campuses from Rockhampton to Melbourne.

L-R Tania, Molly, Robyn, Stephen, Michael, Kym (from AustLearn Rocky) and Jeremy flying the flag for CQUni in Hobart

Dr Michael Cowling and Jeremy Novak from the Gold Coast campus presented a refereed paper on 'using social networking to improve students' participation in the classroom'. This paper is the output of a CQUniversity Learning & Teaching grant awarded earlier this year.

PhD candidate Stephen Lin presented a paper (co-authored with Dr Molly Yang and Prof John Dekkers) on 'Catering to the needs of Indonesian Muslim Students Studying in Australia'.

Stephen ended his presentation with a quote** from CQUniversity Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Ken Hawkins: "Education institutions must work diligently to help those students whom they have invited to Australia to achieve personal, professional and academic success. They need to be provided with a sense of hope and connectedness, to feel as though they belong. Understanding and appreciation of our international students' strengths, resilience and hope for their future are paramount."

Tania Vitale from the Melbourne campus and Robyn Bailey from Rockhampton campus also participated, representing student support services across the regional and metropolitan CQUniversity campuses.

CQUniversity alumnus Dr Molly Yang presented a paper on 'Chinese students' study choice behaviour'  based her recently completed thesis supervised by Emeritus Prof John Dekkers of CQUniversity.

Stephen commented that the conference has also been valuable as a networking exercise.

"Our international marketing and student service experience has been shared through delegates' interaction and presentations, amongst colleagues from all over Australia, the United Kingdom, USA, New Zealand, China and Japan," he said.

Delegates also enjoyed hearing about best practice guides and successful techniques used by other universities, with Dr Cowling commenting:

"I intend to take the innovations I've discovered at the ISANA conference back to the University to help CQUniversity engage even more collaboratively with students".

CQUniversity, once again, has excelled in achieving good performance in both practical and research fronts in international education.

* ISANA is the representative body for international education professionals in Australia and New Zealand who work in student services, advocacy, teaching, and policy development in Australia and New Zealand. Details via http://www.isana.org.au/

** (Ken Hawkins and Gail Baker: The International Student Journey, 2006)

The Vice-Chancellor of India's leading newly-opened Central University of Rajasthan (CURAJ) has visited CQUniversity Rockhampton Campus for talks exploring future collaboration between the two institutions.

Like Rockhampton, Rajasthan* has a dry, hot and arid climate but still manages to attract plenty of tourists, so there's a chance geographical similarities could create future opportunities. For example, it's likely there will be collaborative research on revegetation of disturbed sites, involving arid zones of Rajasthan.

Visitor Professor M. M. Salunkhe with CQUni's Professor Scott Bowman

Professor M. M. Salunkhe is a renowned organic chemist who served five years as Vice-Chancellor of Shivaji University in Maharashtra. He's now using his expertise to shape one of the Indian government's newly established central universities, having taken over the role of building the new institution from scratch in 2009. Students were initially recruited to a temporary campus site at Kishangarh but now a new campus is under construction on a greenfield site beside the highway, at Bander Sindri.

The distinguished visitor met with CQUniversity VC Professor Scott Bowman as well as faculty deans and the Director of the Institute of Resource Industries and Sustainability (IRIS). The visit was arranged with help from CQUniversity Associate Professor Nanjappa Ashwath, from the Centre for Plant and Water Science.

Professor Bowman and Professor Salunkhe discussed closer ties and joint efforts in relation to curriculum and study programs, teaching methods, student and staff exchanges, industry research and consultancy, and reciprocal recognition of awards.

The Central University of Rajasthan has a stated aim to establish academic collaborations for exchange of teachers, researchers, students and experts. Its overarching theme is 'sustainable development'.

Professor Salunkhe said CURAJ and CQUni had common interests across education research, management, sustainability, media studies, environmental science and biotechnology, which were worthy of consideration for collaboration.

He said specific areas for cooperation could include the sugar substitute plant stevia, waste water, phytoremediation (green capping of landfills), medicinal plants, plant biotechnology, biophysics, pollution, waste resource management and fresh water ecology, among others. There could also be collaboration across marketing, finance, organisational behaviour and HRM, as well as artificial intelligence, computer graphics, and algorithms.

* Rajasthan is India's largest state and is located in the north-west of the country.

CQUniversity Bundaberg student Patricia Fox has been chosen as one of five nursing students for this year's Emerging Nurse Leader Program.

Rockhampton Campus student Sherrie Lee was also one of the five selected for the national program*.  This means that CQUniversity students earned two of the five national program spots, selected from 33 applications across Australia.

 Also LINK to Nursing student Sherrie hears of 'emerging leader' award from remote region of Nepal

An initiative of the College of Nursing, the program aims to identify those nursing students with a passion for the profession and who have the ideas and capacity to inspire their peers.

Emerging nurse leader Patricia Fox is based at Bundaberg CampusPatricia lives in Bundaberg with husband Paul, who is the IT manager at Bundaberg Brew Drinks.

"I come from a long line of nurses with both my nanna and mum having long standing nursing careers, and I have enjoyed every step of my study to date," she says.

Patricia says her early career was in sales, including advertising sales for WIN TV, but she was keen to seek out fresh horizons.

"I would like to remain in clinical nursing for some time. I aspire to a role as a nurse unit manager in the shorter term and I am very interested in cardiac care.

"Long term I would like to be a position where I can influence positive change; this may be in a training role in a clinical setting or in a management role away from the hospital."

Patricia started her nursing degree after completing CQUniversity's preparatory program known as WIST (Women Into Science and Technology).

She has already demonstrated the ability for community leadership through volunteer roles as a board director, membership committee chair and PR committee member, when she was a member of Zonta International.

Patricia has also arranged to be a student mentor at Bundaberg Campus in 2012.

* Successful candidates for this program will receive a package that includes membership of the College of Nursing, access to a mentor, development opportunities and exposure to some of the best minds in the profession and across the wider business community. Details are via http://emergingnurseleader.com/

Tracey Osmond, Chief Executive of the College of Nursing, commented on the high calibre of applicants in this inaugural year. "The future of nursing is in great hands if these applicants are an indication of the quality of talent currently in the profession," Tracey said.

The Emerging Nurse Leader is a mentorship program, which has been established to further the development of select nursing students, who have shown leadership skills and a contribution to the community. Each year, an additional five students will be inducted into the program, so by 2016 there will be a full complement of 25 Emerging Nurse Leaders.

Patricia (second from left) at her Emerging Nurse Leader presentation

Each individual leader's strengths, interests and development needs will be taken in to account throughout the program. Mentors from the nursing profession, as well as government and business sectors, will be called upon to assist course participants in their development towards becoming the future leaders of the nursing profession. In their final year, each participant will be involved in a major change project, designed to address a key area of need in Australian nursing or health.  

Vale Liz Huf ... Much-loved academic, alumnus and stalwart of the creative and cultural community of Central Queensland Dr Liz Huf passed away last Friday after a battle with cancer.

After a career as a journalist, Liz made a valuable contribution to the University through more than two decades of service as a lecturer, researcher and community project leader. Liz loved working at the University and was incredibly proud of her association with it.

LINK for a recent Be Magazine article on Liz

Dr Liz Huf pictured recently

Liz may have retired from active teaching roles in recent years, but she was still actively engaged linking CQUniversity to its communities, particularly through her 21 years of leadership of the Idiom 23 Magazine, Bauhinia Literary Awards and the writers' workshops held at North Keppel Island and Byfield.

Liz produced documentary films recording the history of the Central Queensland region, relating the stories of King O'Malley, Tom Wills (founder of AFL), heritage tourism and the opal and sapphire industry. She recently presented her film 'Romancing the Stone' at this years' Gemfest.

She was recipient of the 2005 Johnno award presented by the Queensland Writers Centre in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Queensland writers and writing. More recently she shared a CQUniversity Opal Award for Engaged Service with Dr Lynda Hawryluk for their work organising the writers' workshops on North Keppel Island.

Liz was a co-author on the seminal Rockhampton history Sin, Sweat & Sorrow and also served as editor for CQUniPress after the passing of her friend Professor David Myers.

 All who got to know Liz were treated to her gentle, generous and persuasive personality and would have fond memories.

Academic colleague Dr Lynda Hawryluk said her fondest memories of Liz were from times spent on the island.

"I feel so grateful to have known her and to have been included in her family and am proud to have been her friend," she said.

"She was a real asset to the University and the community and will be greatly missed."

Lynda said Liz loved the University and working with the students and was "so involved in everything".

"She lived a good long life and packed more into it than most people do."

Former Uni colleague Peter Lawrence recalls a story from the days when Liz was a young journalist working in Victoria.

"She was sent to cover the small town of Natimuk's annual show and was asked to enter the local beauty contest - and as part of the story she thought it would be a good idea - she won and was named Miss Natimuk."

Dr Huf's legacy will live on in the publications and documentaries she has created and in the community of writers and artists she helped develop in CQ.

She is survived by her husband Maurice.  The couple had children Louisa, Sam, Emma, Cilla (deceased), Nick and Caroline. 

Kaitlyn Wagner and Stephanie Archibald are the fresh faces helping behind the scenes as the fledgling Museum of Central Queensland project enters a new phase...

This project has an incorporated committee and some enthusiastic supporters in the business sector.  It's now ready to broaden community support and involvement. The committee also hopes to create a feedback loop to gauge community opinion.

Stephanie Archibald (left) and Kaitlyn Wagner plan towards greater awareness of the CQ Museum concept

The CQUniversity students are using their Professional Communication projects to help the museum committee create a public awareness campaign.

Supervised by communications lecturer Celeste Lawson, they are liaising with the committee via Associate Professor Steve Mullins.

"As public relations students we have a great deal to contribute to the committee and to this project; and in return we are being given the opportunity to learn and grow as professionals," Kaitlyn says.

Kaitlyn has longer term aspirations to get involved in political PR campaigns, while Stephanie hope to establish a career in human resources management, using her PR training as a useful tool where possible.

Anyone keen to support the Museum of Central Queensland committee can contact Catherine George via 4922 4779.

Stephanie Archibald (left) and Kaitlyn Wagner ready for their Prof Com project 

CQUniversity nursing student Sherrie Lee heard about her Emerging Nurse Leader Program* award while helping residents in a remote region of Nepal, as part of a health outreach project.

Sherrie has been chosen as one of five nursing students for this year's Emerging Nurse Leader Program, an initiative of the College of Nursing. Bundaberg Campus student Patricia Fox was also among those selected. LINK to Bundy based 'Emerging leader' comes from long line of nurses

This means that CQUniversity students earned two of the five national program spots, selected from 33 applications across Australia.

Sherrie Lee pictured meeting the locals in Nepal

This national program aims to identify those nursing students with a passion for the profession and who have the ideas and capacity to inspire their peers. Details are via http://emergingnurseleader.com/

Successful candidates for this program will receive a package that includes membership of the College of Nursing, access to a mentor, development opportunities and exposure to some of the best minds in the profession and across the wider business community.

Based at Rockhampton Campus, Sherrie has represented CQUniversity at career advice sessions for schools, through the student ambassador program.

She organised a golf day fundraiser for the annual nursing contingent to Nepal and has been an active participant in nursing activities on campus.

"I am very honoured to have received the emerging nurse leader program and will endeavour to do the best I can," Sherrie says.

Sherrie and student Julia Page are welcomed in Nepal

* Tracey Osmond, Chief Executive of the College of Nursing, commented on the high calibre of applicants in this inaugural year. "The future of nursing is in great hands if these applicants are an indication of the quality of talent currently in the profession," Tracey said.

The Emerging Nurse Leader is a mentorship program, which has been established to further the development of select nursing students, who have shown leadership skills and a contribution to the community. Each year, an additional five students will be inducted into the program, so by 2016 there will be a full complement of 25 Emerging Nurse Leaders.

Sherrie takes in the scenery in Nepal

Each individual leader's strengths, interests and development needs will be taken in to account throughout the program. Mentors from the nursing profession, as well as government and business sectors, will be called upon to assist course participants in their development towards becoming the future leaders of the nursing profession. In their final year, each participant will be involved in a major change project, designed to address a key area of need in Australian nursing or health.  

Sherrie chats with a local girl during her Nepal visit

Assessment promoting collaboration between international and domestic students was one of the innovative ideas discussed during the annual CQUniversity International Education Research Centre Forum, held recently at CQUniversity Melbourne.

The keynote speaker this year was Associate Professor Chris Ziguras, Deputy Dean (Learning & Teaching, International) in the School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning at RMIT.

Images from the forum. LINK for larger imagesDr Ziguras presented several innovative ideas for assessment for first-year undergraduate courses, promoting social integration as well as engagement with real world texts and public readership.

Essentially, students can participate in a planned walking tour of their locale, with tasks to research and present on the historical and contemporary significance of points of interest along the walk.  In an alternative approach, students research and re-develop a relevant topic on Wikipedia to improve the page and provide a rationale for how this is achieved, along with before and after copies of the page.

These assessment tasks have proven popular as well as challenging for students and encouraged learners to engage with each other as well as their local communities and online readers.  

Other speakers included CQUniversity Melbourne IERC members Liz Sidiropoulos and Professor David Hamilton.  Liz presented preliminary findings from an ongoing 'Education for Sustainability' project involving students and staff across metropolitan campuses, and David discussed ongoing analysis of data reflecting international student engagement with studies via a range of measures.

IERC Director Associate Professor Alison Owens said the event attracted an internal and external audience.

"It was an opportunity for university educators with an interest in internationalisation of education to get together and exchange a range of initiatives that can enhance the learning experiences of international students in Australia, while promoting integration for international and Australian students," she said.

Congratulations to four CQUniversity education students who were among 22 students selected throughout Queensland for a Department of Education and Training 'Teacher Education Centre of Excellence' experience.

Final-year students Di Barrett and Kylie Barrand (Bundaberg), Anita Stockwell (Emerald) and Katie Chaseling (Noosa) were selected as part of a Statewide competitive application and interview process.

The Morayfield Cluster Teacher Education Centre of Excellence will work alongside the CQUniversity students to place them with a trained mentor teacher who will support them throughout their time with the centre. Access to extended classroom experiences will help the students hone their teaching expertise.

Morayfield Cluster Head of Mentoring Kerri Holzwart says the program participants will be prioritised for employment with Education Queensland schools and may receive early offers of employment. 

The program provides an extended employment induction process and continues into the students' first years as working teachers, to ensure additional mentoring.

The CQUniversity participants have been invited to attend special 'summer' and 'winter' professional development programs at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane next year.

They will also engage with Morayfield Cluster online throughout the next two years, to help them specialise in 'literacy and numeracy in low SES settings'.

"Participants can access extra professional resources at Education Queensland even before they become teachers," Ms Holzwart said.

Staff and members of gyms across Queensland have taken on the challenge to save lives by signing up to the Red Cross Blood Service's Gyms Challenge.

Due to finish on November 30, so far an impressive 975 blood donations have been made, saving 2925 lives...and the gyms are still going.

CQUni gymnasium staff L-R Brendan Kanowski, Shannan Rye and Billy Sarandria are keen to hoist blood stocks, as well as Rachael Speechley from the Australian Red Cross Blood Service

Eleven gyms locally have signed up to the challenge. Jordan Hougan and Brendan Kanowski of CQUniversity Sports Centre are hoping their gym takes out the title.

"We are pumped to be part of this great challenge and are encouraging all our staff and members to sign up to give blood and save lives," Jordan says.

"With less than a week to go we need all the donations we can get if we are going to take out the title of Rockhampton Gyms Challenge Champions. Plus, with every donation saving three lives, everyone wins!"

CQUni Sports Centre is currently leading the challenge, with Yeppoon Health and Fitness hot on their tail with pledges from members.

Rachael Speechley of the Blood Service is encouraging more people to get involved, saying that with the competition so close, it's still anyone's game.

CQUni gymnasium staff L-R Brendan Kanowski, Shannan Rye and Billy Sarandria are keen to hoist blood stocks, as well as Rachael Speechley from the Australian Red Cross Blood Service

"There is nothing in it; any gym still has the chance to win so why not swap the treadmill for a jog into your local donor centre?

"Get your blood pumping and donate blood on behalf of your gym to save three lives and help your gym take out the title" said Rachael.

Gloves off. Towel down. Now roll up your sleeves and give blood. To give blood or for more information call 13 14 95 or visit http://www.donateblood.com.au/.

The future of many players within the Queensland tourism industry is under severe threat from the resources boom, warns a CQUniversity tourism expert based in the heart of one of Queensland's high growth regional economies.

‘‘While the accommodation, airline and airport sectors are benefitting from the resources boom, the viability of many tourism enterprises which serve the holiday markets is under serious doubt right now. The medium to longer-term outlook for entrepreneurs to invest in activities and attractions which are vital to the depth and variety of the Queensland holiday experience is bleak," claims Steve Noakes, Senior Lecturer in Tourism at the Mackay campus of CQUniversity Australia.

Steve Noakes

"It's a case of Queensland's tourism sector being infected by the ‘Dutch Disease' he said, referring to a term coined to describe the decline of the manufacturing sector in the Netherlands after the discovery of large natural gas fields in the 1960s.

"The economic theory outlines how the exploitation of natural resources such as natural gas, coal and iron ore can cause a ‘de-industrialisation' or decline in other sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture or service sectors such as tourism.

Mr Noakes said that, among its various economic and social impacts, the Dutch Disease results in a stronger currency, as we have seen here in Australia, resulting in non-resource export sectors such as tourism becoming comparatively more expensive.

It also crowds out access to accommodation (hotels, motels, caravan parks), makes space and competitively priced holiday fares harder to get on airlines, and pulls capital and labour away from service sectors such as tourism. The Dutch Disease also makes the manufacturing sector less competitive.

"Studies around the world on the Dutch Disease concept and tourism, was more in terms of tourism being the cause of the Dutch Disease phenomenon, when a large flow of foreign investment has come in to unevenly boost local economies through developments such as major resort infrastructure.

"But, here in Queensland now, we are seeing tourism as the victim of a resource sector induced dose of the Dutch Disease," Mr Noakes added.

Mr Noakes has over 30 years of experience in the Queensland tourism industry, including periods on the Boards of Tourism Whitsundays, Tourism Tropical North Queensland, Gold Coast Tourism and Mackay Tourism. He is currently serving as on the Global Panel of Tourism Experts with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, is on the Board of the Washington DC based Global Sustainable Tourism Council, and has consulted on tourism projects with the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, International Labour Organisation, the Asia Development Bank and numerous governments in the Pacific, Asia and Africa.

He said that many of Queensland's regional economies are undergoing massive transformations.

CQUniversity Brisbane was happy to open its doors to all alumni and sponsors on November 16.

The event was a great chance for everyone to see where the University is heading and to hear about the exciting new programs in a relaxed and social atmosphere.

Alumni, staff and sponsors enjoyed meeting for drinks and speeches

Brisbane Campus got the chance to showcase its start-of-the-art facilities in the new Ann Street location, which opened earlier this year. Campus tours were a big hit and the funky fresh fit-out was well received by alumni and sponsors. The feedback from all in attendance was extremely positive.

Formalities for the evening were hosted by Brisbane Campus Director Trent McHenry, with lively speeches from CQUniversity Chancellor Rennie Fritschy and Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman.

Attendees were given an insight into the strategic direction of the University, the latest developments including new program offerings, and the addition of undergraduate domestic students to the Brisbane Campus from 2012.

LINK for a larger image 
LINK for a larger image 
LINK for a larger image 
LINK for a larger image

American student Lauren Thompson recently spent 10 weeks closely observing wombats, thanks to a research internship hosted by CQUniversity and Rockhampton Zoo.

On the eve of heading back to Bellingham, north of Seattle, she summed up her new-found 'love' of wombats.

Lauren says wombat photography does not require fast shutter speeds

"I'm going to miss them. I love their slowness, I love how they think through every action," she said.

"I think we can all learn to chill out, relax and think about things a bit more."

While learning a few philosophical lessons, Lauren's research contributed to baseline scientific data for a project seeking the ideal nutritional and behavioural conditions to boost wombat breeding and general husbandry*.

LINK for recent video about the captive breeding project

The visiting student helped by weighing food supplied and food left over, as well as the wombats themselves. She also collected faecal samples for future wombat food use testing, and compared radio tracking collar data with actual movement observations.

Lauren graduated in Behavioural Neuroscience from Western Washington University and is keen to secure a postgraduate role researching in the areas of Animal Behaviour or Conservation Biology. Her Rockhampton sojourn will help her CV for applications.

Lauren at Rockhampton Zoo

She's been working alongside zookeeper Yvette Fenning who is a Masters researcher under the supervision of Bret Heath and Dr Dave Swain from Rockhampton Campus.

The project is being run in conjunction with Rockhampton Regional Council and Lauren's visit was arranged with help from the AustraLearn organisation.

While based at CQUniversity, Lauren has taken the opportunity to snorkel on the reef, explore the local caves and beaches and visit the historic town of Mount Morgan.

"And of course I've seen plenty of the Botanic Gardens around the Zoo," she says.

* This research aims to explore optimum management techniques to be drawn on when wombat breeding becomes commonplace in captivity. Rockhampton Zoo has the largest captive group of southern hairy nosed wombats in the world, with 13 individuals, and the Masters study will analyse husbandry factors such as diet, enclosure design, enrichment and group composition.  This project is not only expected to provide benefits for the southern hairy nosed wombat breeding program and the welfare of this species, but could also be used to assist the critically-endangered northern hairy nosed wombats.

The BMA ScienceSpark Science Days are happening again at Rockhampton Campus this week. Around 1200 primary school children are participating in hands-on activities, including rocket launches, science experiments, lab tours and fun with large blobs of slime.

Worms were a popular option

Aimed at children in Years 4-7, they are an initiative of the Department of Education and Training, supported by CQUniversity and sponsored by BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance.

These events extend classroom teaching and learning and showcase science facilities on campus.

ScienceSpark Regional Manager Dave Romagnolo says "we're growing beautifully coloured giant water crystals".

"Students watch and predict as the crystals grow from one small cup full to many kilograms over the course of the show.

"We're looking at gases as we blow giant 'smoke rings' across the audience. We're exploding an enormous balloon using chemical reactions. And of course we are pouring 20kg of slime over an unsuspecting student, all in the name of science."

Visiting pupils are testing fruit sugars, finding out about worm farms and inspecting inspects up close. They are using UV lamps and a special lotion to learn how germs remain on hands, even after washing.

Water-powered rockets 'are go!' 
Scoping for fun 
Listening and learning 
Slime time 
Learning can be infectious 
More rocket fun 
Reaching new heights 
Fruitful learning opportunity 

CQUniversity Associate Professor Mike Horsley was recently invited to give a keynote presentation to the Korean Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE)...

Dr Horsley was invited as Director of CQUniversity's Learning and Teaching Education Research Centre (LTERC), and as Vice-President of the International Association for Research on Textbooks and Educational Media (IARTEM).

Dr Horsley with KICE staff members Dr Yoojin Kwan, Dr Jeong Hyo Kim and Dr Yoon Hyun-Jin from the Division of Textbook Authorisation, with the title page of the book on research on textbook policies internationally.

KICE is the Korean government-funded educational research institute tasked with focusing on the development of curricula for elementary and secondary schools. KICE also carries out the authorisation of textbooks for elementary and secondary schools and manages the national Korean student testing and evaluation program.

In 2009 PISA, the international student evaluation conducted by the OECD, introduced an electronic reading assessment.

Dr Horsley says that Korea ranked first internationally in this electronic reading assessment.

"PISA proposes to introduce a Computer Based Assessment of Literacies (CBAL) that includes problem solving and mathematical literacy in 2012.

"As part of their preparation for this new round of PISA assessment Korea is revising its school textbook policy and school digital resource policy."

Dr Horsley was invited to present research he conducted as part of an Australian Research Council linkage grant on the use of textbooks and digital learning materials in Australia.

"In particular I presented research on the potential impact of the new digital education repository that has been designed to support teachers implementing the new Australian national curriculum," he said.

Over 100 researchers, teachers and KICE research staff attended Dr Horsley's presentation, which has been translated into Korean and published in a book chapter on international textbook research.

CQUniversity Gladstone researcher Dylan Charlesworth was involved in a rescue in the Calliope River near Gladstone recently.

While carrying out a boat movement survey for the Centre for Environmental Management, Dylan heard a bang and spotted that a motor boat had struck an underwater cable running from a barge.

The rear end of the boat was ripped off and the boat started to sink, causing alarm for a man and children aboard.