The Dean of the Faculty of Science at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Nick Klomp, a notable science media personality, will present entertaining public talks about science at the University’s various campuses during August. Members of the community, government and industry representatives, and future students are invited to attend to learn about initiatives currently planned or being implemented in various science disciplines at CSU, such as: the opening of dental clinics on five CSU campuses; a recently completed, environmentally sustainable building that has already won building awards and been awarded six green stars as a world class example of building sustainability; new courses and international opportunities for CSU students; the new $44 million state-of-the-art ‘science precinct’; and current science research at CSU that will ultimately contribute to results which significantly improve industries, communities and the environment. Presentations, which will be open to the public, will be held between 4pm and 5pm, followed by refreshments.

To help celebrate the rejuvenating natural environment found on Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Thurgoona site, Dr John Rafferty, lecturer at the Murray School of Education, will conduct tours of the campus to highlight its environmentally sensitive buildings, water management and campus wetlands, as well as its native fauna and flora. “The tours are part of Biodiversity Month, which aims to promote the importance of protecting, conserving and improving biodiversity across Australia and the world,” Dr Rafferty said. Single tours starting at 10am on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 September will leave from the Thurgoona Learning Commons. A bird display from the collection of Dr David Watson, Associate Professor from the School of Environmental Sciences, will also be held in the Learning Commons. Tour bookings can be made at the loans desk at the Thurgoona Learning Commons, or call (02) 6051 9812.

As part of Charles Sturt University's (CSU) 20th Anniversary celebrations in 2009, the University Council will name several student residences in honour of pioneers of higher education for the University in Albury-Wodonga. An official ceremony will be held at CSU at Albury-Wodonga on its Thurgoona site at 2.15pm on Thursday 24 September. Student residential houses will be named after former Head of Albury-Wodonga Campus and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Professor David Battersby; former member of the University Council and CEO of the Hume Building Society, Dr William Hanrahan; and former director of the Albury Campus and noted local and national historian, Adjunct Associate Professor Bruce Pennay, OAM. CSU Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Ian Goulter, said, “The naming of these residences is one way of recognising the huge contribution and legacy of these three people.” Members of the Albury-Wodonga community have been invited to the ceremony with CSU staff and students, to be held in the Gums Café on CSU’s Thurgoona site, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.

Fourteen students enrolled in ecotourism at Charles Sturt University (CSU) had the opportunity to tour East Timor for two weeks, investigating and experiencing tourism and community development. Led by CSU senior lecturer in ecotourism, Dr Rik Thwaites, the students found an undeveloped country outside the capital Dili, with problems in providing suitable food, infrastructure and transport for tourism. “We always felt welcome and were treated with the utmost respect, even though the average villager outside of Dili was very poor being mainly subsistence farmers and fishers,” said third year student Sarah Ridgway. “On Atauro Island [off the main island], they had a different understanding of tourism to international visitors. The sense of tradition and community is very strong in these isolated areas and Western attitudes were actively discouraged among the villagers, so these cultural differences will be a major challenge for the future development of sustainable tourism in regions outside Dili.”

Enrolments in information technology (IT) courses offered at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Albury-Wodonga increased significantly in the second half of 2009, says the Head of the University’s School of Computing and Mathematics, Associate Professor Irfan Altas. According to Professor Altas, demand from local businesses has also increased, with “the School constantly receiving inquiries from Border businesses to employ CSU graduates and students, some before they have even completed their courses. Local businesses who already have CSU graduates working for them have also congratulated us for preparing them to be ready for the workplace.” Professor Altas says CSU prepares IT and computing science graduates to work in the global marketplace as well as local businesses.

Dance is the message this week at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Albury-Wodonga when Mr Philip Piggin from Canberra Dance Theatre visits Albury. Mr Piggin will present a public lecture, entitled ’Why Dance? A short taste of the learning, empowerment and joy that can be found through dance’, on Wednesday 7 October in the Cliff Blake auditorium at CSU’s Thurgoona site. “Visiting artists enhance the culture of our campus and the wider community also benefits by participating in sessions with the artist. Philip Piggin has a strong connection to the CSU community and Albury-Wodonga,” said acting Head of the Murray School of Education, Ms Jenni Munday. Mr Piggin will take dance workshops with CSU students from the Murray School of Education and the School of Community Health, the new ‘home of dance’ at CSU to be located in the new School of Community Health building at Thurgoona.

Ants in the kitchen, ants on fence posts – are these sign that rain is imminent? “No”, says Australian ant researcher and Charles Sturt University (CSU) PhD student, Mr Wayne Robinson. “I hear these stories regularly, but it has never been scientifically proven that ants can predict rain. It has been seen, however, that some ant species react to other environmental cues, such as increasing day length or higher temperatures, and build up the entrances to their nests or move fertile male and queen ants to higher ground at the start of ‘normal’ rainy seasons. Ants don’t know it is going to rain; like our farmers, they are just hoping it will be a normal season.” Mr Robinson, who lectures in environmental science in Queensland, is currently at CSU at Albury-Wodonga to further his PhD studies of ants on Fraser Island off central Queensland. But Mr Robinson says he is still keeping an open mind on the subject. “As with any scientific research, the answer can be changed with new evidence.”

New students enrolled in the Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Ontario, Canada, are using the social networking system Twitter and email to communicate with their lecturer, Ms Jenni Munday. "As educators, we are constantly looking for new ways to create a sense of community for students who study by distance education. Using Twitter is a good way to create this community," says Ms Munday, who is based in Albury-Wodonga, Australia, at the CSU Murray School of Education. Each student joins Twitter and chooses to 'follow' the lecturer and all the other students, so everyone benefits from reading the tweets from each member of the group. “Students can ask each other questions and they receive feedback when devising their research questions for an upcoming assessment presentation. It is a more immediate way to study from afar,” Ms Munday concludes.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has received a top honour for his services as a leading advocate for heritage and community history in regional NSW. Associate Professor Bruce Pennay, an adjunct academic with the University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society [link] based at Thurgoona, has been awarded the Annual History Citation by the History Council of NSW, the peak body for historians in the State. The citation particularly applauded Professor Pennay’s “research, explanation and promotion of the migrant experience in the post-war years”, especially at the Bonegilla Reception and Training Centre near Albury-Wodonga. This year, Professor Pennay also received a Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of his service to the Albury-Wodonga community.