Proteas Ebook- Introducing the Protea family

New to the ACS Ebook shop is the Ebook - Proteas and their relatives. Written by John Mason, this book has some beautiful illustrations on proteas and information on types of proteas and their specific growing requirements.

There are around 1700 species and 79 genera of plants in the Proteaceae (Protea) family, and most are indigenous to the southern hemisphere. Around half of these species come from Australia and a quarter from southern Africa. Protea is internationally, one of the best-known and most widely grown genera from the Proteaceae family. Proteas originate in Southern Africa and many species are known and grown for their large colourful flower heads.

This book focuses mostly on Proteas, but also considers some of the other Proteaceae genera that are more widely cultivated.

For more information on the book and to download a sample, visit our bookshop:
http://www.acsbookshop.com/products/2301-proteas-pdf-ebook.aspx

Student Feedback
We regularly gather feedback from our students, which we use to improve our courses and student services.
The excerpt below is from a student feedback form from Darrell Murdoch, who is studying our Sports Turf Management course.
This is what Darrell had to say about our Sport Turf Management course:

Was the course a valuable learning experience for you? Why?
Yes. I have been out of the greenkeeping industry for some time and the course was a good way to refresh my knowledge and also improve it, with new information.

Did the course meet your expectations? Please add comments.
It did. It was well compiled, the lessons followed on from each other logically and by completing each lesson in order I was able to better understand the theory of greenkeeping.

Did you like the way the course was structured (presented)? Please add comments.
Yes the subjects, ideas and theories of all the lesson were well presented and easily read and understood. The set tasks were a good way to prepare for the assignments.

Were there any parts of the module/unit where you had particular difficulties? Which parts?
Sometimes I was a bit daunted by some scientific descriptions, but by taking my time re-reading those items and getting a different view via the internet I was able to grasp their meanings and relate them to my job.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.acs.edu.au/courses/sports-turf-management-38.aspx

Save The Date! International Horticultural Congress 2014

This from the Organising Committee of the International Horticultural Congress 2014:

With great pleasure, we invite our colleagues and the horticultural industry throughout the world to Brisbane, Australia for the 29th International Horticultural Congress, 17-22 August 2014.
The Scientific Program Committee is assembling an exciting and stimulating scientific program and we urge you to submit an abstract via the link above.
The Congress is being hosted by the highly-acclaimed Australian Society of Horticultural Science, the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, under the auspices of the International Society for Horticultural Science.
Held every four years at various sites around the world and attracting more than 2,000 delegates, the Congress is a world forum covering all aspects of horticulture and horticultural science.
The theme of the 2014 congress is 'Horticulture - sustaining lives, livelihoods and landscapes'. We've chosen this theme to highlight the unique potential of horticulture addressing the key issues of modern society - health, poverty, food production and the environment. Horticulture matters to us all, whether we are involved in research, extension, education, or servicing horticulture in commercial, amenity or environmental horticulture, in both developed or developing countries. In the spirit of scientific cooperation and sharing knowledge globally, the Congress will showcase advanced technologies that are becoming globally significant in a world with a rapidly growing population, less cultivatable land and an environment under threat.
Although this is the 29th congress, it is only the second time that it has been convened in the southern hemisphere, so we encourage you to avail yourselves of this opportunity. The vibrant city of Brisbane and the adjoining Gold and Sunshine Coasts are rich in natural beauty and cultural heritage and offer adventure, fun and entertainment for all ages. For those with time for pre-or-post Congress exploring, Brisbane is the gateway to iconic travel locations including Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef and Kakadu.
So please reserve the dates of August 17-22, 2014 in your calendar. On behalf of the Organising Committee, we encourage our global colleagues to join us, to participate and to experience our unique Australian hospitality.

To find out more, please visit: www.ihc2014.org