In the News

(for the period February 2009 to April 2009)

(compiled with the assistance of CSU Media. Latest CSU News.)

Barking Owls
A report on a short film based on the work of PhD graduate Natasha Schedvin on Barking Owls in the Chiltern-Mt Pilot area featured in the Victorian Landcare and Catchment Management magazine’s Autumn 2009 issue.

Long range forecasting
Prof Kevin Parton was interviewed by ABC Orange on the accuracy/validity of long range weather forecasting on Feb 3

Adapting to climate change
A story on Dr Rik Thwaite’s research on how farmers are adapting to climate change/variability appeared in The Land on Feb 5

Charles Darwin birthday celebrations
Institute members were active participations in the University-wide events organised to celebrate the 200th birthday of the ‘father of evolution,’ Charles Darwin on Feb 12. Morning teas, complete with large birthday cakes, were held at the Wagga Wagga and the
Albury-Wodonga (Thurgoona) campuses. Both events attracted considerable media interest
with:

Ninth Westpac and CSU Index
The results of this quarterly agribusiness survey from Tom Murphy and his Western Research Institute resulted in 52 media hits in regional, state and national media during February and 12 hits in April.

Ecosystem services
While in Townsville, Prof Max Finlayson was interviewed by WIN television Townsville, Feb 10 and spoke on ecosystem services and their value for human wellbeing

Bushfires and climate change
These were some of the  topics were covered by Prof Nick Klomp in her regular science segment on ABC NSW state wide drive on Feb 12, Feb 25. He was also interviewed by Prime News TV on the same topics on Feb 10.

Echoes of the Past exhibition in SA
A/Prof Dirk Spennemann has taken his successful photographic exhibition “Echoes of the Past: Voices of the Future” (which was exhibited at the Albury Library Museum last year, and also at the Temora Rural Museum Dec 9 to Jan 31) to the Barossa Valley in South Australia. The exhibition, featuring sepia photographs of German settlements in the Riverina, was on display at the Barossa Regional Gallery, Tanunda, from Feb 22 to March 27 and was featured in an article in the area’s local paper The Leader on February 11.

Community interaction during bushfires
PhD student Emily Sharp spoke on ABC Radio NSW State-wide Drive about how communities interact with emergency services during bushfires, Feb 11; on Prime TV Albury News, April 15 and there was a story ‘Trust in Fire’ in the Border Mail on April 1

Effects of changing rural communities and bushfires
ABC Goulburn Murray ‘News’ featured Prof Allan Curtis and his views on the effects of changing rural communities, tree-changers and managing bushfires on Feb 12. He also spoke of CSU support for staff and students affected by the bushfires on ABC Goulburn Murray breakfast on Feb 18. Prof Curtis’s views on a cooperative research centre as the right model to deliver bushfire research were in the Canberra Times, Feb 25

Moving to regional cities and centre
Dr Debra Da Silva interviewed on ABC Radio Riverland SA, on getting professionals to
move into regional cities and areas,  Feb 18

International Drivetrain Systems closure
Tom Murphy spoke on the decision to close IDS to ABC Goulbourn Murray, Feb 18 and the vulnerability of the Australian manufacturing industry on ABC Central West on Feb 27

Bird movements
Dr David Roshier spoke to ABC702 Sydney ‘Drive’ presenter Richard Glover about bird movements in response to the recent flooding, Feb 24

More research on future food needs
ILWS Adjunct Dr John Mullen called for more research on future food needs after his studies showed that the productivity of Australian broad acre agriculture has declined over the past 30 years, along with the decline in investment in agricultural research. This was covered widely by ABC Radio Broken Hill on  Feb 26, on ABC Country Hour, Prime News and ABC Rural Online on Feb 27, 2BS on March 2. A further story written by Dr Mullen, “Food productivity declining with research”, appeared in the April 2009 issue of Australasian Science (p. 37). This lead to an interview for WIN news and an article in the Central Western Daily, and on-line articles in Water Conservation and Earth Stream on April 1

World food shortage
Tom Murphy spoke on the world food shortage on ABC Dubbo on March 9 with comments on the Bathurst economy in the Western Advocate on March 12, on ABC Orange and in the Central Western Daily, March 18. He was also interviewed by 2BS on March 27 re a survey of accountants in regional NSW and Victoria, ABC Goulburn Murray, March 30, ABC Riverina morning show, March 31 and Prime TV News Orange, April 1

Environmental Farming
Institute adjunct Barney Foran’s views on environmental farming being the way of the future in the Northern Times, Sutherland, New Zealand, March 9, and also the New Zealand Herald, April 2

Ambulance Accelerated Pathway
A/Prof Peter O’Meara spoke on the launch of this new program on 2BS on March 10

Tribute
A tribute to women from all walks of life including Dr Jenny McKinnon was in the Daily Advertiser on March 10

Valuing natural assets
PhD student Eloise Seymour who sent out a mail survey to 500 residents in and around Maryborough and Castlemaine in Central Victoria to access how the community values its natural assets as part of her PhD research, was on air discussing her research on ABC Central Victoria (and ABC Goulburn Murray) on March 10

Grants for bushfire victims
Prof Allan Curtis’ views on the Government’s Clean Up and Restoration grants for bushfire victims appeared in the Weekly Times on March 11

Supporting women in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Dr Elaine Dietsch’s work in the Congo was featured in the Western Advocate on March 14

Paradise Found
Institute adjunct A/Prof B ruce Pennay featured in a story on the movements on migrants in the Border in the Midweek Xpress, March 18

Australian Labor Force
Tom Murphy spoke on the latest data from this report on ABC NSW  and Victoria’s Country Hour, March 20

Harmony Day
PhD students Bugi Sumirat and Lukas Wibowo featured in a story about Harmony Day in the Border Mail, March 24

Antarctic Adventure
Dr Rosemary Black  who lectures in ecotourism and interpretation spent two months at sea working as an assistant expedition leader with Australian-based Aurora Expeditions. The story on her experiences certainly generated plenty of interest from media and included:

Wagga PhD graduates
Some of the Institute’s PhD students who graduated at Wagga were in the news. A third generation GP, Dr Catherine Harding, whose thesis was on ‘Media discourses of female medical practitioners’ was interviewed by ABC Riverina Morning Show on April 2; as was 70 year old Ms Helen Byles-Drage who relocated from WA to study on CSU who was interviewed Prime TV news Wagga Wagga. Ms Byles-Drage’s thesis was on Urban migration to inland rural areas: Issues in rural wellbeing and social cohesion.

Earth Hour  
A/Prof Dirk Spennemann and his views on the Albury CBD’s poor response to Earth Hour on Saturday evening March 28, made the Border Mail in a story “Light’s on but no-one’s home” in the Border Mail on March 30, and  (with images to back up his comments) on Prime TV Albury news

Drinking water
Dr Andrea Crampton’s study on rural drinking water featured in the Weekly Times on March 25, and in an article in Wagga’s Daily Advertiser on April 16

Blue green algae
Institute adjunct Prof David Mitchell spoke on blue green algae in the Murray and its effects on the ecology of the river on Prime TV News Albury on April 14

Tree-change research
Dr Angela Ragua’s research into tree-changers has again prompted interest by the media, with articles appearing in Melbourne’s Sunday Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, Border Mail April 19 and The Northern Star on April 24.

Mistletoe Research
A/Prof David Watson’s comments on mistletoe and parasitic plants were in Life Science Weekly, April 21

Weather
The Weather Channel interviewed Environmental science academic Associate Professor Ben Wilson on the effects of incoming cold front and rain on Lake Hume on April 22.

Plains Wanderer research
PhD student Kylie Eklom featured in a large photograph and article, about her research into the plains wanderer, in a postgraduate education supplement in the Sydney Morning Herald on April 27

Supermarket Botany
Dr Geoff Burrows was interviewed by ABC Riverina’s morning show re the new educational tool, Supermarket Botany, on April 28

Award
Institute adjunct A/Prof Bruce Pennay featured in the Midweek Xpress for his Wodonga Council April Eagle Award on April 29

 

Link to In the News November 2008 to January 2009