Climate change and international markets are influencing the demand and supply of conserved fodder in Australia, and this year’s Riverina Outlook Conference will focus on the strategies needed to manage these changes. Hosted by the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation at Charles Sturt University (CSU), the conference will be held in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 14 August. EH Graham Centre Director, Professor Deirdre Lemerle said, “The aim of the event will be to highlight key issues that make the difference between profit and loss from conserved fodder. The Conference continues the long-standing tradition of highlighting future challenges for agriculture while offering suggestions and solutions to deal with them. Managing risks and the challenges of maintaining livestock production levels in a variable climate make the theme for this conference highly relevant to producers, agricultural advisors, consultants, educators and agricultural industry representatives.”  

For the first time, more than 80 sheep and lamb producers will converge on the NSW town of Cowra for Charles Sturt University's (CSU) annual Asia Today forum on Thursday 14 August 2008. Director of the CSU Asian Agribusiness Research Centre, Dr Claus Deblitz, says the day will cover all aspects of marketing lamb, from trends in the Asian markets to hearing from a local marketing group on their ability to lift returns. Dr Deblitz said, “Cowra is an important town within CSU’s region, with many of its residents studying at one of its campuses, so this is why we decided to hold this major conference there. Two areas which will receive attention on the day are the threats from and opportunities offered by climate change and current developments and their consequences for grain markets.” said Dr Deblitz. “We are delighted to be able to bring such a major conference to the local area, and given the high standard of speakers we hope local lamb and sheep meat producers will take part in these discussions.“

Six students from Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Albury-Wodonga Campus will represent the University in netball in the upcoming Australian University Games to be held in September in Melbourne. Led by CSU education student Ms Chelsea Daly, the group is seeking donations from Albury-Wodonga businesses to raise money for travel and accommodation for the group. The Australian University Games are Australia's largest annual multi-sport event, the national university Olympics, and are the most exciting event on the national tertiary calendar. The 2008 event, hosted by Monash University, includes teams from all Australian universities and runs from 28 September to 3 October.

Nearly 30 delegates from the Sustainable Economic Growth for Regional Australia (SEGRA) Conference being held in Albury will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) as part of their meeting on Wednesday 20 August. Hosted by the Head of CSU’s Albury-Wodonga Campus, Professor Gail Whiteford, the delegates, who are from the business community around Australia, will receive short guided tours around the University’s award-winning Thurgoona site. “The visit will highlight the partnership between CSU and Albury City Council, especially in the economic, educational and social development of the Border region,” Professor Whiteford said.

The heads of intelligence agencies gathered in the New Zealand (NZ) capital of Wellington in August to hear from guest speaker and Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic Mr Patrick Walsh. Over 150 intelligence officers attended the inaugural conference of the New Zealand Institute of Intelligence Professionals. Mr Walsh, who addressed the intelligence officers after the conference was opened by NZ Prime Minister The Hon. Helen Clark, is a senior lecturer in criminal intelligence at CSU’s Australian Graduate School of Policing (AGSP) based in Manly, Sydney. He is also the course co-ordinator for the University’s intelligence program and  a vice-president of the Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers (AIPIO). “It was an honour to address this inaugural event,” Mr Walsh said on his return to Australia. “I talked about the history of AIPIO as a professional body for the Australian intelligence community and the role tertiary education can play in collaboration with intelligence agencies in delivering industry-relevant intelligence education programs”

The Beijing Olympics represents the biggest ‘catwalk’ on the Earth for sport shoemakers who are ardently promoting their wears, according to podiatrist and Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic Mr Cameron Kippen. “The real glittering prize is market dominance, with China the ultimate goal,” said Mr Kippen, who in investigating the latest releases from major shoe manufacturers such as the Lone Star Spike and Zoom Victory Spike. “In preparation for the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, technicians in the multinational companies have prepared hi-tech footwear, but they have refused to promote new products which claim records will fall because of their products.” The ‘academic footman’ has researched the latest sport shoe designs and believes, however, athletic records will fall with the help of this equipment. Mr Kippen provides up-to-date commentary on sport shoes at the Olympics though his online blog, feetandtheolympics.

A team of seven Charles Sturt University (CSU) students are looking to go ‘one better’ after completing the 2008 City-to-Surf Fun Run last month in Sydney. The team – including Brad White, Andrew Burns and Dominique Ferguson who were the fastest runners in the Brooks Podiatry Team – came second by 35 seconds to the eventual winners. “I am sure we can make that up next year and go one better,” said Mr White, the team leader. “Not a bad showing for a group of ‘no name’ university students!” The students, who are all enrolled in CSU’s podiatry course, based on its Albury-Wodonga Campus, are already talking about improving their performances in next year’s event.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students are making the battle against obesity and eating disorders personal with a cooking competition to show healthy eating can be cheap as well as nutritious, quick, tasty and good looking. Three student groups – the Nutrition and Dietetics (or Nut) Club, the Social Workers Club and the Health Action Team – are gathering favourite student recipes for a recipe book, with the top 12 recipes entered into a cook-off competition to be held in October on the University’s Wagga Wagga Campus. A panel of local judges will name the winner of a $150 voucher for groceries. President of the Nut Club, Mr Kingsley Vance, hopes that initiatives like this will help the communities within CSU campuses – Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga – to improve their food choices. “University students are often at risk of not eating a nutritious diet, so our competition is all about raising awareness of good nutrition in all our communities,” he said.

Promoting a positive transition for children into school is the goal of teachers from New Zealand (NZ) who will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Border region next week. CSU’s Murray School of Education will host the visit by preschool and early school teachers from Taumarunui to schools around Albury-Wodonga. Supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Education, the visit is part of a larger project that involves five primary schools, one secondary school and three early childhood centres. The project seeks to improve the experiences and achievements of Maori students. The changes already achieved by the project members will be shared with Australian teachers at a Transition Forum involving Wodonga schools on Wednesday 22 October. On Thursday 23 October, the NZ teachers will visit schools and early childhood settings in Wodonga and Albury to hear about transition programs and practices. The visit is coordinated by Professor Sue Dockett, who is also collaborating with NZ’s University of Waikato on the project.