Education & training

Serena Kirby. WA College of Agriculture Denmark’s open day last weekend also marked 80 years since the school was established. To commemorate, education dignitaries were on hand to unveil an old collegians society plaque ... Principal Rebecca Kirkwood said she was proud of the school’s achievements as it was now widely known for its excellence in cattle and dairy programs.

WA College of Agriculture Denmark student Ella Smith won the Junior Paraders title at the recent Beverley Show ... In Junior Paraders, students lead heifers, bulls and steers and are judged on their ability to control the animal which can be a 600kg bull.

Narrandera High School finally celebrated NAIDOC Day, its first in three years, with the Welcome to Country and Didgeridoo welcome setting the scene for a day of inclusivity and education. The highlight of the day was the final event - the commissioning of the Stewart James mural.

Wyreema State School is lucky enough to have access to its own Story Dog, Lady, on a weekly basis and the students love reading to her. Lady is directly sponsored by the Toowoomba West Lions Club but the program itself is run by the charity, Story Dog Australia, which covers the training and insurance of the dog.

Keith Blaikie. In order to keep our students at the centre of the school’s vision, which is to be an inclusive community committed to high levels of learning for all, staff have been engaged in a body of research known as the Science of Reading.

Vincent Savolainen. Professor Vincent Savolainen has come back to Lord Howe Island to set up new research about the role that underground fungi may play in generating and maintaining plant diversity ... Our understanding of how species originate has changed considerably since Darwin's seminal work. One aspect, however, that has been totally ignored is the role that microbes can play in driving plant and animal diversity.

Most of the staff are dressed as crayons to represent the book “The Day The Crayons Quit” by Drew Daywalt. After having a giggle at their teachers the P-10 students enjoyed the day by dressing as their favourite book character.

Dog owners are being cautioned to keep an eye on their animals this spring to ensure a simple frolic does not end with a trip to the veterinarian. Charles Sturt University academics are leading the country in research that could provide widespread benefits for dog owners and veterinarians across the globe.

The Murdoch University research team - working with local industry including Synergy, Bluewaters Power Station and South32 - investigated the feasibility of using fly ash and other industrial by-products and waste materials as an ingredient in a low carbon concrete product called 'Colliecrete'.

Virginia Gale. On President Beth Gale’s patio we all gathered together for a quick meeting as there wasn’t a lot to report. We were then joined by Skye MacPherson, Project Coordinator for South Eastern Red Tailed Black Cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus banksii) ... The Red Tailed Black Cockatoo are on the endangered list and there are about 1500 in the South East.

Greenmount State School is one of fifteen schools in Queensland that is taking part in Queensland University of Technology's (QUT) Zoomed-In-Science virtual outreach program ... “For rural communities this program provides access to fabulous lab facilities, and knowledgeable staff who are in tune with students and who demonstrate a real keenness to engage all students in all things science": Greenmount teacher, Kelly Stenzel.

Kirstin Nicholson. Leitchville’s Matthew Hawken is part of a new program designed to strengthen the future of regional communities through capacity building and collaboration. The Drought Resilience Leaders Development Program is an initiative of the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund offered in 12 regions around Australia. The Mallee region program includes 25 people working in agriculture, financial service providers, irrigators and self-employed business consultants.

Research led by a Charles Sturt University academic examined the innovative ‘SayBananas!’ app that may assist children with speech sound disorders (SSD) and their parents living in less populated areas ... the effectiveness study examined the usability and rating of ‘SayBananas!’, a Mario-style video-game providing high-dose individualised speech therapy with rural Australian children.

Grain growers across the wheatbelt have gathered to hear the latest advice for managing mouse damage to crops this growing season at a series of in-paddock workshops with Steve Henry, leading mouse expert and research officer from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO. The field walks visited 11 locations across four days, from Calingiri down to Beaumont, as part of a Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) investment addressing increased mouse activity in WA’s grainbelt.

Two hundred years ago, a university was judged on the quality of its teaching, today it is on its research output. While there are many dedicated academics who produce useful research, the “publish or perish" syndrome can also lead to undesirable outcomes. I heard recently that a retired scientist published 400 peer-reviewed papers, as well as two books in a 40 year career. I calculated that a paper was produced, on average, every five weeks.

Chris Oldfield. The community spirit of Tatiara District Council was on show last week when its monthly meeting was held in Padthaway’s sporting complex. Some of the many key issues raised included road safety, a lack of child care and wishes for a school hall and pool. The issues were raised by Padthaway Primary School’s Years 5 and 6 class.

Offshore wind turbines are getting bigger every year, a trend that already helps offshore wind reduce costs all over the world. Whilst recent research suggests that costs will continue to dip as wind turbines get bigger and are deployed further offshore, the challenges to the design of the floating platform that supports the wind turbine increase.

Nicole Funston. What a wonderful weekend of horses and ponies. We started on Saturday with a show jumping clinic with Allan Mitchell. A legend of his trade and finished off on Sunday with our August Rally.

Serena Kirby. The Denmark Art Club has breathed new life into the old Murphy’s workshop since it opened for classes earlier this year. Bought by art teacher Kendel Lynam, and her husband Nick in 2020, the once dilapidated shed has undergone a major transformation and created an artistic hub for young and old students.

Frank Batini’s article (The role of academics in influencing the perceived threat from climate change) highlights how data can be misused to achieve an end. The ‘peer review’ process is intended to ensure that scientific findings are credible and justifiable. But with the frenzy to publish for academic standing and the proliferation of journals wanting to accommodate them, the peer review process often fails under the pressure ...ARR.News asked a few questions of Jack.

The Aurora Foundation announced that Trinity College alum Ethan Taylor is one of two Charlie Perkins scholarship recipients for 2022 ... Ethan says that this opportunity is his first step towards injecting the lived experiences of Aboriginal people into professional political philosophy.