Congratulations to my previous PhD student, Dr Van H. Tran who has created impact and engagement from her PhD and our VietSpeech ARC Discovery grant by developing the following SBS radio program/podcast titled: Cùng giữ tiếng Việt https://www.sbs.com.au/language/vietnamese/vi/podcast/cung-giu-tieng-viet
A/Prof Tamara Cumming and A/Prof Kathy Cologon have been advocating for early childhood workforce policy recently, with a number of radio interviews based on the CSU media release:
The news story was syndicated across the Australian Community Media network in the wider NSW Central West, including The Oberon Review: (Oberon), The Central Western Daily (Orange), The Lithgow Mercury (Lithgow), and The Daily Liberal (Dubbo). One interview, five newspaper stories!
Join us in celebrating the official launch of the Charles Sturt University Children's Voices Centre - a pioneering hub for transformative interdisciplinary research with, for and about children.
10:30am Wednesday 1 October (Australian Eastern Standard time)
* at The Treehouse, Building 1451, Research Station Drive, Charles Sturt University Bathurst campus
* or online https://charlessturt.zoom.us/j/69606943832
To find out more, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/childrens-voices-centre-launchtickets-1558210642979
CSU News story:
Shaping a better world for children ─ innovative new research centre opens in Bathurst
Dr Tamara Cumming was interviewed by 2MCE for their breakfast news broadcast.
This morning I was interviewed by Noah Secomb, Political Reporter in Canberra for the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) for the Pillar to Post podcast. The topic of the podcast was motivated by the Australian government reducing students' HECS debts in parliament yesterday. Noah wanted to discuss more broadly how much should higher education cost by interviewing me as an example of someone who benefited from free higher education and who advocated for my PhD students.
Here is the podcast: https://omny.fm/shows/pillar-to-post/relief-for-student-debts-opens-the-door-to-further-university-reform
Today was Charles Sturt University's Foundation Day. Each year staff are invited to come together for coffee and cupcakes. It is a great time to chat with key people
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| Distinguished Professor Sharynne McLeod, Professor Renée Leon (Vice Chancellor), Bruce Andrews (CSU Media), Professor Zahid Islam, (Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Business, Justice & Behavioural Sciences), and Dr Sharon Schoenmaker (Chief of Staff, Office of the Vice-Chancellor) |
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| Orange cupcakes |
To end the year, CSU has published two news stories about our work and impact:
I was interviewed on the local 2BS breakfast radio show this morning. It's always great to champion children's communication and everyone's right to communicate.
Charles Sturt University has just released their Sustainability Development Goals Report. The report highlights the university’s continued commitment to environmental and social sustainability.
Here is the CSU media release: https://news.csu.edu.au/latest-news/charles-sturt-university-releases-sustainability-development-goals-report
Here is the report: https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/files/552252729/M3125_SDG_REPORT_2023_WEB_FINAL_VERSION_2.pdf
We are featured on pages 18 and 67
Today Charles Sturt University has announced the Children's Voices Centre via a media release:
https://news.csu.edu.au/latest-news/new-research-centre-champions-childrens-communication-rights
This is a very exciting milestone and gives us great direction for our research with and for children from 2025-2027. Our new centre focusses on children, families, professionals, workforce and policy – and is truly interdisciplinary with members across all three faculties.
CSU News has released the following story titled "Two Charles Sturt research leaders acknowledged among Australia's best"
Late last year I was interviewed by a CSU Communications student - Here is the published article from The Junction - University Student Journalism from Australia, NZ and the Pacific
Charles Sturt University, Noah Secomb
https://junctionjournalism.com/2022/12/20/helping-children-find-their-voices/
"I have a dreadful habit of running late. It might have only been a short walk from my room to where I was supposed to meet Australia’s leading speech pathology researcher, yet even with that in mind I found myself ten minutes late. “Hello! Good to see you!” chimes a voice in the courtyard. The voice belongs to Charles Sturt University Professor of Speech and Language Acquisition Sharynne McLeod. She begins talking as I frantically get myself together. “You know, this all came at such good timing. See, I’m due for surgery on Monday,” she says casually, as if she were just getting her car serviced. “They’ve found a cancer in here,” she says as she points from the bridge of her nose to her eye. “They’re going to cut somewhere thereabouts. At the end of it all, I might look completely different! So thank goodness you’re here to get a photo before that!” No pressure.
A public service announcement for cancer screening Professor McLeod’s experience with cancer began in 2018. “I’ve been very open with this the whole time. I feel like I’m a public service announcement to tell everybody to go for cancer screening. In 2018 I went for routine screening and they said, ‘oh my goodness, have a surgery next week.’ Then I had chemotherapy and radiotherapy and other treatments that lasted for the next year.” But Sharynne’s personal battle with cancer was just another chapter to an already incredible and unpredictable life. As we move to her office of 19 years on the Bathurst campus of CSU, Professor McLeod’s illustrious career becomes tangible.
Bookshelves are full to overflowing with academic publications and there’s an entire shelf dedicated to the books she’s written or co-authored. Newspaper cuttings are hanging over the edges while the walls are covered with posters, kids art or handmade gifts from past students. Then in the corner is the filing cabinet with awards and accolades piled on top. Each framed certificate tells a unique story in the career of Professor Sharynne McLeod. A group of people in a room Sentimental photos taking centre stage on the filing cabinet. Photo by Noah Secomb. After ten years working at The University of Sydney, Professor McLeod received a teaching excellence award, despite receiving no formal teaching qualifications. “Academics never got taught how to teach!” she says with a smile. “Except at CSU … you actually have to do courses on being a good teacher. And that was complex for me, because I had to do the course, but I was teaching in it at the same time!” Young Sharynne was the first in her family to graduate high school, first to go to university and certainly the first to complete her Masters. “My parents were so excited if I anything-ed!”
After landing a teaching contract at The University of Sydney, Sharynne found herself co-ordinating the honours students, working full time, completing her PhD in the area she was lecturing in and having two kids. “That was a bit of a challenge,” she says rather nonchalantly. Also in the pile of achievements is her certificate from the Royal Society of NSW bestowing her a fellowship. An honour which as she put it, “Sounds quite nice doesn’t it!” Then Sharynne pulls out one of her most recent achievements. She received Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, who officially changed the rules to allow Professor McLeod to be the first non-American to win the award. “What that award enabled me to do was to speak on the radio about why children’s speech matters, and how we need to support their communicative capacity,” she said. “Every time I get these awards, to me it’s another opportunity to speak and make a difference in a child’s life.”
If it’s small and boring, we don’t do it Once Sharynne sits down, she is quick to divert the conversation to her PhD students. “They are amazing because their hearts are in it and they do such interesting work. If their research is going to be small and boring, we don’t do it. So of course they’re going to win awards! They’re brilliant!”While talking with Sharynne, it becomes clear where her priorities are. No matter how many framed awards lay stacked against the wall, or how many books ‘by Prof. Sharynne McLeod’ line the shelves, she and her team remain focused on one goal. “I’ve just been very blessed to have amazing people around me that I just learn so much from. We wake up every morning and go, will this make a difference in a child’s life. If we can’t see that it will, we say well, it’s not worth doing that and move on to something else.” Despite any challenges that may have come her way, Sharynne McLeod has garnered an impressive catalogue of writing. She has published 11 books, over 230 peer reviewed journal articles and chapters, nearly 10,000 citations according to Google Scholar and over a quarter of a million views on her professional blog. She has been named the world’s best in her field, presented her research to the United Nations, and is in the process of writing another two books, guest editing a journal and supporting her PhD students. She is a physical embodiment of hard work and a product of what free tertiary education can lead to. And yet, Sharynne remains outward focused. “We’re given gifts to do whatever we can, to enable people to thrive and do their best. That’s really the underpinning of what I do.”"
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| Sharynne at radio 2BS |
There has been media interest surrounding the announcement regarding being one of "Nine Aussie Researchers are Planet's Best". I have been interviewed by
It has been a great opportunity to talk about children's communication during the week that children are beginning school.
I have been elected a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia https://socialsciences.org.au/.
Here is my citation: "For outstanding contributions to research on child speech development and advocacy for communication rights for children across language and cultures."
I am in Panel D: Education, Psychology and Public Health and I am grateful to my nominators Prof Lyndsey Nickels, Prof Sheena Reilly, and Prof Denis Burnham.
Here is the ASSA announcement of the 34 new Fellows for 2022: https://socialsciences.org.au/news/34-leading-social-scientists-elected-to-the-academy/
‘These new Fellows represent the best and brightest minds from around the country. They are at the forefront of social science research and public policy,’ said Academy President Professor Richard Holden. ‘I congratulate the new Fellows on their election. It is one of the most prestigious forms of recognition of their enormous contribution to our society. ‘For 50 years, research and advice from Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia have helped shape the nation. In troubled times and in boom times Fellows are called on by Australia’s leaders to advise on government policy and apply themselves to the most challenging problems facing society. Their work helps all of us to better understand what it is to be human and to participate in our society and shape its institutions.’ ‘We welcome the new Fellows and are honoured to have them join the Academy.’
The CSU news story is here: https://news.csu.edu.au/latest-news/national-honour-for-world-leading-speech-language-academic
Here is the link to my 3 minute presentation to introduce myself to the Academy:
ASSA YouTube (start at 1:10:53): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmHP_3uSAU8
Link to my pre-recorded presentation: https://charlessturt.zoom.us/rec/share/4ua1SJkvojlDejtcKC7vYjmryO-HGS9veYpyXtvgOtgSp6-NTE1iobdTh87C-B1r.5HnkaMkr9pvRVLPl?startTime=1668147857000
Here is the description of ASSA from their website:
Established in 1971, the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia is an elected body of over 700 leading researchers and professionals across the social science disciplines. We are both a peak body for the social sciences and a distinguished, independent membership organisation, gathering the best and brightest social science minds from universities, research institutes and policy agencies across the country. These are the people whose research shapes government decision-making, whose advice is called on by Australia’s leaders, and whose expertise has long played a key role in shaping our nation. The breadth of the social sciences means that our elected members, known as “Fellows”, are experts in diverse fields from economics, history, education and law, through to psychology, linguistics, anthropology and statistics. The Academy works with a diverse range of academic, private, public and not-for-profit organisations to develop and advance shared agendas. We have a commitment to reconciliation (including through the election of Australia’s leading indigenous researchers), supporting early and mid-career researchers, and building strong international research linkages in the social sciences. Above all, we are focused on drawing on our experts and partnering with other organisations to advance and promote the conduct, awareness, translation, and uptake of social science research in ways that improve the lives of people and society, now and in the future. https://socialsciences.org.au/the-academy/
The Academy consists of an elected Fellowship of almost 700 distinguished Australian social science researchers and professionals who work together to:
The five learned Academies in Australia are:
The Academies cooperate through the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA).
Today CSU News published a story about our request for children to draw talking
Children from across the world are invited to “draw a picture of you talking to someone” and answer a few quick questions Drawings will be displayed at the Early Childhood Voices 2022 Global Online Gallery Submit by 7 Nov 2022: https://earlychildhoodresearch.csu.domains/go/22-drawing
s
Our research is being profiled for Speech Pathology Week.
Here are our recent CSU media releases:
ABC radio has been interested in our VietSpeech research. To date, most of the media we have received about this has been in Vietnamese media so it is great to see mainstream Australian media now being interested as a result of Speech Pathology Week's theme:
https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2022/04/media-vn-peoples-army-newsletter.html
Here are some links about our VietSpeech research:
https://news.csu.edu.au/latest-news/app-research-helps-speech-therapy-for-rural-australian-children
Last week CSU media published a story about our resreach understaken in Fiji. The story is based on Holly's honours research. We are excited that Holly is now undertaking her PhD with us.
The CSU media release is here: https://news.csu.edu.au/latest-news/first-of-its-kind-research-aids-multilingual-fijian-childrens-speech-sound-acquisition
Here are the journal articles Holly has published from her Honours research that were quoted in the news release:
McAlister, H., Hopf, S. C., & McLeod, S. (2022). Effect of dialect on identification and severity of speech sound disorder in Fijian children. Speech, Language and Hearing, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/2050571X.2022.2052506
McAlister, H., McLeod, S., & Hopf, S. C. (2022). Fijian school students’ Fiji English speech sound acquisition. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2022.2044905
The next day another Vietnamese news site - Talk Vietnam - ran a story titled "Book to encourage Vietnamese language learning published in Australia" https://www.talkvietnam.org/2022/04/book-to-encourage-vietnamese-language-learning-published-in-australia/
Here are more Vietnamese news sites that have run the story:
Da Nang Today: https://baodanang.vn/english/society/202204/book-to-encourage-vietnamese-language-learning-published-in-australia-3911592/
Vietnam Plus: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/australia-xuat-ban-cuon-sach-khuyen-khich-hoc-tieng-viet/785129.vnp
