A new academic at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Mrs Kelly Spuur, is passionate about mammography and is close to completing a PhD which aims to improve the quality of clinical breast images. A mammographer is a radiographer trained in breast imaging. Mrs Spuur believes her field is gaining popularity as an occupation, with mammographers in high demand around the world. After 16 years at Riverina Medical Imaging and BreastScreen in Wagga Wagga, she moved to CSU earlier this year. Mrs Spuur convenes a biennial mammographers conference in Wagga Wagga which this year attracted 130 specialists from across Australia. Her PhD examines the quality and evaluation of breast images in a clinical setting with the goal of developing a computer program to enhance the digital images. “This program will improve image quality and the ability of mammographers to screen using established quantitative imaging criteria,” she said. Mrs Spuur also teaches undergraduate students at the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences in subjects about radiological equipment and x-ray production.

In the mid-1860s many hardworking German farmers left South Australia to select cheap farming land in the fertile Southern Riverina region of NSW. Charles Sturt University (CSU) archaeologist and cultural heritage manager, Associate Professor Dirk Spennemann, has captured this link to the region’s past in his first public photographic exhibition ‘Echoes of the Past, Voices of the Future’. The exhibition traces the remaining reminders of German communities such as Jindera, Gerogery, Walla Walla and Edgehill between Albury and Wagga Wagga, and examines what role their past may play in the future. Held in partnership with Albury City to celebrate National History Week 2008 from 6 to 14 September, ‘Echoes of the Past’ opens at the Albury Library Museum, Kiewa St, on Thursday 11 September. “We have a high concentration of German settlements in the region but not much research has been done on them. More than 30 per cent of people living here would have German ancestry,” said Professor Spennemann, a key researcher with the University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society.

A visiting international water expert believes "Tossing out food is just like keeping the tap running". Dr Charlotte de Fraiture, from the International Water Management Institute in Sri Lanka, will speak on Water for Fuel and Food in a Changing World at a public seminar to be hosted next week by Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS). Dr de Fraiture, who was a keynote speaker at the 11th International Riversymposium held recently in Brisbane, Queensland, will speak at the School of Environmental Sciences on the University’s Thurgoona site. Dr de Fraiture has worked on such diverse water issues as catchment development, measuring irrigation performance, and modelling global water supply and demand. The seminar, starting at 3pm on Monday 8 September, will be followed by afternoon tea and an opportunity to speak with Dr de Fraiture.

School students from the Border region will have a science excursion with a twist next week when the ‘Science in the Bush’ event, hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU), comes to Albury-Wodonga. Dean of the Faculty of Science at CSU, Professor Nick Klomp, said the two-day expo provides primary and secondary school students with an opportunity to engage with science, engineering, technology and innovation first-hand. The event, to be held on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 October in the Albury Convention and Performing Arts Centre, will be officially opened by Assistant Director of the Australian Museum, Ms Janet Carding, followed by an address by Professor Klomp, who is also a regular science commentator on ABC radio around Australia.  Science in the Bush is part of the Science in the City Project run by the Australian Museum with Executive Partner, the University of Sydney. The program is supported by the Australian Government through the Science Connections Programme of the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

Seven sports teams comprised of 70 students from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Albury-Wodonga, Wagga Wagga and Bathurst campuses have performed well at the East Coast Challenge (ECC) - University Games staged in Sydney from Sunday 6 to Wednesday 9 July. CSU entered men’s and women’s hockey teams, two men’s and a women’s water polo teams, a women’s netball team, and a rugby league seven-a-side team. Mr Nik Granger, a CSU student support officer and the Team Manager, said all the CSU teams performed strongly in the eleven-sport one thousand-competitor Games. “The women’s netball team, made up of Bathurst and Albury-Wodonga students who had never played together before, convincingly beat all opposition to win the ECC championship. The hockey teams continued their dominance of the University Games with the CSU women’s hockey team becoming the ECC champions for the third year in a row, while the men’s team won the bronze medal. The men’s number 1 water polo team dominated the competition and was undefeated to win gold, while the men’s number 2 water polo team won the bronze medal. The rugby league ‘sevens’ team of students from Wagga Wagga and Bathurst Campuses won the silver medal. The women’s water polo team was unplaced in their first time in the competition. It is a testament to our students’ attitude to competition against much larger universities that CSU placed fifth overall, and again won the ‘Spirit Award’ as it did at the 2007 Australian University Games,” Mr Granger said.

More than 500 mourners have attended a memorial service at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus on Monday 4 February to honour former Chancellor, Dr David Asimus, AO, who died on Australia Day 2008. Moving tributes to Dr Asimus were delivered in eulogies from Ian Macintosh, Ian Sully and son-in-law James Sutherland. The congregation included the Hon. Kay Hull, federal Member for Riverina; The Hon. Daryl McGuire, NSW Member for Wagga; John Fairfax, Chairman, Fairfax Media, the Hon. Tim Fischer, Former Deputy Prime Minister; The Rev. Archbishop Francis Carroll, Catholic Bishop of Canberra; Mr Lawrie Willet AO, Chancellor CSU and Mr James Sutherland, CEO Cricket Australia. Dr Asimus was elected the foundation Chancellor of CSU in 1989 and served in this post until 2002. As Chancellor, he oversaw the integration of the Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education and Mitchell College of Advanced Education to form the new Charles Sturt University.

With a background in business planning and policy development, Mr Stephen Butt has been appointed the new Executive Director of Facilities Management at Charles Sturt University (CSU). Mr Butt, who is an experienced engineer and project manager, comes to CSU from the Greater Southern Area Health Service based in Wagga Wagga. The former fitter and turner who trained in Wollongong, has post graduate qualifications in engineering management. At CSU he will oversee the largest set of building projects ever embarked on by the University, with academic facilities and services and student residences worth $240 million being constructed over five years from 2007 on its campuses in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo and Wagga Wagga. This includes nearly $45 million to be spent by 2009 on the expansion of the Albury-Wodonga Campus.

New students to Charles Sturt University (CSU) wanting to apply for scholarships for the coming year will need to get their applications in before Monday 18 February. The scholarships, which are offered through the Charles Sturt Foundation, are awarded to students who have demonstrated high levels of academic performance, leadership and motivation throughout their school careers. Some scholarships are also available for students undergoing economic hardship, are disadvantaged, are Indigenous or are undertaking distance education with CSU. In 2007, the Foundation provided 235 students with ongoing support for their University studies through the scholarship program.

Making a wish upon a star is becoming more difficult in Australia, especially as more of us live in towns and cities. “The stars in our town night skies are disappearing in the glow of light pollution from street lights and advertising boards, and children born in Albury-Wodonga need to go to well outside the city limits to actually see many stars,” says concerned Charles Sturt University academic and stargazer, Associate Professor Dirk Spennemann. “Although light pollution is greatest in the northern hemisphere, Australia is not immune.” Scientists and decision makers met in La Palma, Canary Islands – where many of Europe's optical telescopes are located - and developed the Declaration in Defence of the Night Sky and the Right to Starlight in 2007. The first anniversary of the declaration, Sunday 20 April, has been declared World Night in Defence of the Starlight to raise awareness of this growing problem. “Local governments and private citizens need to consider how their outside lighting contributes to light pollution and what they can do about it,” Professor Spennemann said.