Home > Regional News

22 Mar 2011
Students with Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga will take a break from the normal mental challenges of study to pit themselves against fellow students from CSU in Wagga Wagga and La Trobe University in Wodonga in some physical competition in the annual Southern Zone Challenge this Thursday 24 March. The students will commence playing mixed netball and mixed touch from 3.30pm at Thurgoona Football Oval and Netball Courts, Tabletop Rd, Thurgoona, followed by presentations, a barbeque and music at ‘The G’ on the University’s Thurgoona campus. Student services adviser, Ms Kerry Read, said the event gives students the opportunity to travel to other universities and campuses and socialise with their peers.

Media Officer	: Wes Ward
Telephone	: 02 6051 9906

Media Note:

Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews.

Print this story

22 Mar 2011
A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic who was due to travel to disaster stricken Japan next week has instead organised a Uniting Church service in Bathurst on Wednesday 23 March for victims and survivors. Professor Sharynne McLeod, from CSU’s Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education, was to accompany a tour by Bathurst High School students to Bathurst’s sister city, Okuma, the site of the Fukushima Dai-ichi (No.1) nuclear power plant. “I am organising this service in response to my connection with the children of the world through my professional role with Charles Sturt University and my Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship,” Professor McLeod said. “Bathurst students visit the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant each year on their visit to Okuma, and this year’s group were scheduled to visit it in the coming weeks. As well as sending students to visit Okuma annually, Bathurst High School was to have 11 students from Okuma visit Bathurst this week, arriving 20 March. Of the 11 students to visit, seven have fathers who work at the power plant. It is a very tragic situation.” Ms Joyce Voerman, a staff member at the School of Teacher Education who recently returned from teaching English in Okuma for two years, will speak at the service with other people who have had a close association with Japan.

Media Officer	: Bruce Andrews
Telephone	: 02 63386084

Media Note: People are encouraged to make paper cranes (origami) to bring to the service. Alternatively, they can be given to Professor Sharynne McLeod or taken to the Bathurst High School office. These cranes will be sent to the people of Okuma to show support for them in this time of crisis.
Print this story

21 Mar 2011
International students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host an annual Harmony Day event in Albury-Wodonga to recognise and celebrate cultural diversity in Australia and the Border. Activities will include tasting food from around the globe (including an Aussie barbeque), as well as demonstrations of Tae Kwon Do, cooking and traditional Chinese dance, organised by the CSU International Club. The event will commence at 1pm today, Monday 21 March, outside the Gums Café on the University’s Albury-Wodonga campus at Thurgoona.

Media Officer	: Wes Ward
Telephone	: 02 6051 9906

Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews and pictures.
Print this story

17 Mar 2011

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note:
Print this story

15 Mar 2011
A Charles Sturt University (CSU) student will present a seminar on Wednesday 16 March at CSU in Albury-Wodonga about how she is using her research experience in the USA to monitor threatened species in Australia. Last year, environmental sciences student, Ms Gaye Bourke, spent the final semester of her degree working as a fieldwork biologist with the Cascades Carnivore Connectivity Project in Washington state, evaluating how highways act as barriers to the movement of American black bears in the North Cascades Mountains. Ms Bourke lived in the tiny community of Newhalem (population 27) in the centre of the spectacular North Cascades National Park. “The three months were a steep learning curve, especially given the lack of large carnivore species in Australia. There were some magic moments, like our first close-up ‘bear encounter’ where we stood watching a female foraging for berries while her cub bounded playfully from rock to rock in front of us,” she said. “The techniques we used with the US black bears are applicable in Australia and they have already been used to monitor populations of threatened species here.”

Media Officer	: Wes Ward
Telephone	: 02 6051 9906

Media Note:
Print this story

15 Mar 2011
The move to university is being made easier for new students with the introduction of a mentor program at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst and Wagga Wagga. The Student Mentor Program offers new on-campus and distance education students extra support during their first year at CSU. The student mentors are trained by the University’s Division of Student Services and then matched with new students in a similar course. The support offered by the new program includes information from the student mentor on where to go for academic assistance or information about CSU. The contact between mentor and the new student can be direct or via the telephone or by email. The volunteer scheme has so far attracted 35 mentors.  . “I found my first year at university rather daunting and confusing, so I feel the Student Mentor Program is one way these feelings can be alleviated in new students,” Bachelor of Arts (Psychology, Animation and Visual Effects) student Ms Georgina McMahon explains. “My role is to oversee the program, making sure mentors are offering new students the correct support. It is hoped this program will discourage any struggling new students from giving up and dropping out of university.”

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note:
Print this story

15 Mar 2011
Orange is set to be the home of a new $10 million planetarium thanks to the hard work of a group of astronomy enthusiasts who will present a public lecture hosted by the Central West Branch of the Royal Society of New South Wales at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange on Friday 18 March. Orange Planetarium Inc. President, Mr Rod Sommerville, and Vice-President, Mr Nat Burgio, will provide a detailed overview of this unique and visionary project, which will help advance community understanding of astronomy, and science generally, and will be a major educational and tourism attraction for the Central West. “The Orange Planetarium group has been planning the Southern Skies Earth and Space Centre for more than eight years and it’s exciting to see the project develop,” said Professor Kevin Parton, Chair of the Central West Branch of the Royal Society of New South Wales and Head of Campus at CSU in Orange. “The public lecture will showcase final design concepts which will include internal and external rendered images of what the facility will look like.”

Media Officer	: Holly-Amber Manning
Telephone	: 02 6365 7813

Media Note: The Southern Skies Earth & Space Centre – Orange’s Planetarium, a public lecture of the Central West Branch of the Royal Society of New South Wales will be held at Lecture Theatre 3, Charles Sturt University, Orange,  at 6pm on Friday 18 March. Cost is $3 for Royal Society members, $5 for non-members. The Southern Skies Earth and Space Centre project has matured from a simple planetarium and telescope facility (originally estimated to cost  approximately $3 million) to a multi-functional Earth and Space Centre which is now three times the size of original concepts and projected to cost between $9 million to $10 million.
Print this story

15 Mar 2011
The cultural diversity at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will be on show when the national 2011 Harmony Day is embraced with the theme of ‘Everyone Belongs’. Staff and students will celebrate Harmony Day on 21 March by coming together to taste foods from around the globe. “We are urging staff and students to come along to our local Harmony Day celebrations dressed in their traditional national costume, and with music from their country of origin,” Student Support Officer (International) Ms Jacquie Blomfield said. The local event is being organised by the University’s Division of Student Services and supported by the Health Promotion Service, Rivcoll Student Representative Council and Halls of Residences at CSU in Wagga Wagga.

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note:

Harmony Day celebrations include a barbecue from 12pm to 2pm in the quadrangle at Eat @ 20 (formerly the Nosh Pit), building 20, near car park 2, Darnell Smith Drive at CSU in Wagga Wagga. A gold coin donation for the food tasting will be given to Youngcare; a fundraising program assisting young Australians with full-time care needs. Read more here.

Harmony Day is managed by the Federal Department of Immigration and Citizenship and has been held annually since 1999 to give people the opportunity to celebrate what makes each Australian unique and share what we have in common. The day is also the United Nation's International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. There are more than 180 international students enrolled at CSU in Wagga Wagga from almost 50 different countries. For further information about the Harmony Day event including organising a stall, contact Ms Jacquie Blomfield from the Division of Student Services at CSU in Wagga Wagga on 02 6933 2112.

Print this story

15 Mar 2011
Lecturers at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Human Movement Studies will deliver four presentations at two free seminars for participants in the 25th CSU Bathurst Half Marathon and 10 kilometre Run to be held on Sunday 1 May. CSU lecturer Mr Peter Micalos said the seminars, at 6pm to 8pm on Tuesday 22 March and Tuesday 5 April at the CSU gym lecture room, will provide runners with current scientific knowledge about how to enhance their performance. “The first seminar on Tuesday 22 March will include presentations by Head of the School of Human Movement Studies, Professor Frank Marino, who will examine the question How will you hydrate for this event?, and Dr Rob Duffield’s presentation, Post-training recovery; recent evidence on best practice, will detail recent CSU-based research on positive and negative recovery practices following exercise. The following seminar on 5 April will examine Why should endurance athletes include weight training exercise? and Dietary fats and performance; the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Mr Micalos said.

Media Officer	: Bruce Andrews
Telephone	: 02 63386084

Media Note:
Print this story

15 Mar 2011
Students from a range of disciplines at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo will graduate at a ceremony on Wednesday 23 March 2011. The Head of Campus at CSU in Dubbo, Dr Beverley Moriarty, said, “I’m delighted that 109 students from teaching, nursing, business and social work courses will graduate from Charles Sturt University in Dubbo this year. It is pleasing to note this continuing upward trend in the number of graduating students, many of whom will take up employment in regional NSW.” The Occasional Address will be delivered by Dubbo businessman Mr Bob Berry. The graduation ceremony starts at 10.30am at the Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre, Darling St, Dubbo.

Media Officer	: Bruce Andrews
Telephone	: 02 63386084

Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews.
Print this story

15 Mar 2011
Local radio station ABC Goulburn Murray and The Border Mail will host a political forum at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga on Wednesday 23 March. CSU political commentator Dr Troy Whitford will be a guest speaker for the evening event, which will be facilitated by ABC morning show presenter Mr Joseph Thomsen and Border Mail journalist Ms Di Thomas, who will take questions from the floor and online. The public forum will be an opportunity for the Albury community to meet with candidates for the coming NSW election and question them on their policies and plans for the state seat of Albury.

Media Officer	: Wes Ward
Telephone	: 02 6051 9906

Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Dr Whitford. The event commences at 7pm on Wednesday 23 March in the CD Blake Lecture Theatre, CSU Albury-Wodonga campus, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.
Print this story

15 Mar 2011
A key part of the graduation celebrations later this month at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga is the Town and Gown ceremonial parade through the city’s central business district. The annual parade of academics, local councillors and graduates will be held from 4pm on Tuesday 29 March. The procession will be led by the Riverina Concert Band and follow a route down Baylis Street to the Civic Theatre where a reception will be hosted by the Head of CSU in Wagga Wagga Mr Adrian Lindner and the Mayor of Wagga Wagga, Councillor Wayne Geale. More than 3 000 graduates are eligible to attend six ceremonies to be held at CSU in Wagga Wagga from Wednesday 30 March to Friday 1 April. The Town and Gown is open to members of CSU’s governing body, the CSU Council; CSU general and academic staff; Wagga Wagga City Councillors; CSU graduates. Eligible staff from the Riverina Institute of TAFE NSW, UNSW’s Rural Clinical School, and the Wagga Wagga City Council have also been invited to participate in the colourful annual event.

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note: Academic robing will take place from 3.30pm in the Townhouse International Motor Inn, 70 Morgan Street. The procession will commence at 4pm from the corner of Morgan and Baylis Streets and conclude at approximately 4.20pm for a public reception in front of the Civic Theatre. Further information about graduation at CSU in Wagga Wagga can be found here.
Print this story

14 Mar 2011
The US Consul General in Australia, Mr Niels Marquardt, will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 16 March to learn about the work of the University and to deliver a lecture to staff and students. The Head of Campus at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Mr Adrian Lindner, said, “I look forward to welcoming Mr Marquardt to the University and showing him some of the excellent facilities here. We will tour the campus, and visit the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, and the International Centre of Water for Food Security. We will also discuss the work of the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation. Mr Marquardt will then present a lecture for staff and students about his experience in the US Peace Corp.” Mr Marquardt’s lecture, The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love: Volunteering in the Developing World, will explore his experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Rwanda from1977-79. The Peace Corps is an independent US government agency established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to encourage young Americans to serve their country in the cause of peace by volunteering to live and work in developing countries that request assistance. Mr Lindner hopes meeting and listening to Mr Marquardt’s experiences will inspire current CSU students to get involved and make a positive contribution in developing countries.

Media Officer	: Mark O'Brien
Telephone	: 02 63657813

Media Note:
Print this story

09 Mar 2011

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note:
Print this story

09 Mar 2011

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note: For further information, contact CSU Media.
Print this story

08 Mar 2011
Students from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Environmental Sciences will give high school students from around Albury-Wodonga a personal experience of study at CSU on Thursday 10 March. The 11 high school students will work with CSU undergraduate students for the day, following them through lectures, laboratory study and fieldwork, as the CSU students go about a ‘normal day’ in their studies as part of the University’s MyDay program. Head of the School of Environmental Sciences, Associate Professor Ben Wilson, said open days can only show a snapshot of university life, but “you have to ‘be a student for a day’ to see what it is really like. This is particularly important for such a ‘hands-on’ degree as environmental sciences.”

Media Officer	: Wes Ward
Telephone	: 02 6051 9906

Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews with Associate Professor Ben Wilson at 11am, as well as pictures of the students sitting in lectures or learning in the campus environment.
Print this story

08 Mar 2011
Indigenous poet Ms Ali Cobby Eckermann is the first Writer-In-Residence for 2011 at the Booranga Writers’ Centre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. A Nunga writer, Ms Cobby Eckermann lives in the South Australia town of Koolunga. Her first poetry collection, published by Picaro Press in 2009, little bit longtime, charts her journey to reconnect with her Yankunytjatjara family. In 2007, Ms Cobby Eckermann was granted two poetry mentorships through the Northern Territory Writers’ Centre and Varuna, The Writers’ House. The poet will be joined in Wagga Wagga by fellow writer Mr Lionel Fogarty, a Murri man from Queensland. His internationally acclaimed work includes ten books of poetry and a children’s book. Mr Fogarty is well known for his activism for the rights of Indigenous Australians since he was a teenager. While a Writer-In-Residence until Friday 11 March, Ms Cobby Eckermann will be accompanied by her partner on visits to the Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre in Wagga Wagga, where they will be working on writing with detainees.

Media Officer	: Fiona Halloran
Telephone	: 02 6933 2207

Media Note: The poets will also give a public reading at the City Library in Baylis Street in Wagga Wagga from 5pm on Thursday 10 March and conduct a writers’ workshop at the Booranga Writers’ Centre from 2pm on Saturday 12 March.
Print this story

08 Mar 2011
One the of the oldest public institutions in Albury, the public hospital, is celebrating its 150^th anniversary. Local historian and adjunct academic with Charles Sturt University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society, Associate Professor Bruce Pennay, has gathered a collection of documents, photos, films and artefacts to commemorate the event, which will be on show at the Albury LibraryMuseum in Kiewa Street. “Many people have been involved with the Albury Hospital since it was established in 1861, either as patients, visitors, employees or fund-raisers. This is their opportunity to celebrate the hospital and its links to the Albury community,” Professor Pennay said. The Exhibition will be officially opened at 1pm on Sunday 13 March in the LibraryMuseum, and continues to Sunday 1 May.

Media Officer	: Wes Ward
Telephone	: 02 6051 9906

Media Note: For interview with Associate Professor Bruce Pennay, contact CSU Media.
Print this story

08 Mar 2011
Staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst are being encouraged to sign up for the Red Cross 2011 Inter-campus Blood Donation Challenge when the mobile donor unit visits the campus from Monday 14 to Thursday 17 March. The Head of Campus in Bathurst, Mr Col Sharp, said, “Charles Sturt University is happy to encourage such a competition. The activity is entirely consistent with the University’s desire to see CSU students contribute to the broader society and develop their sense of social responsibility.” Mr Brendan McIlveen, a final-year paramedic student at the CSU School of Biomedical Sciences, said that the competition aimed to see which CSU campus can donate the most blood to save the most lives. “Just one blood donation can help save the lives of three people, so with hundreds of potential donations from people at the University we may be able to save the lives of thousands. As well as this, blood donations assist medical research and can be used to treat patients in emergencies and disasters. It takes less than an hour to make a donation and it’s a wonderfully practical thing to do to assist others in need,” Mr McIlveen said.

Media Officer	: Bruce Andrews
Telephone	: 02 63386084

Media Note: For more information, please contact Mr David Tallentire (Manager, CSU OH&S) on 6338 4096.
Print this story

08 Mar 2011
Senior students from high schools in the region will gain information and insights about communication courses they can study when they attend the MyDay promotion at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Tuesday 15 March. CSU Prospective Student Adviser, Ms Fran Dwyer, said, “This MyDay will focus on journalism, public relations, theatre/media, advertising, and commercial radio. About 40 students from 14 schools around the central west will attend general information sessions and interactive sessions with academics from the relevant disciplines and courses.” Participating schools include All Saints College, Cowra High School, Gulgong High School, James Sheahan Catholic High School, La Salle Academy Lithgow, Lithgow High School, Mackillop College, Mudgee High School, Muswellbrook High School, Oakhill College, Portland Central School, Red Bend Catholic College, St Mary’s Senior High School, and St Stanislaus College.

Media Officer	: Bruce Andrews
Telephone	: 02 63386084

Media Note: Contact CSU Media to arrange interviews.
Print this story