The centre of Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga will be abuzz on Wednesday 21 March when the CSU community celebrates national Harmony Day. Commencing at 12 noon, international students and staff will have stalls, displays and demonstrations highlighting the cultures, unique skills and food that they bring to Australia. Food stalls will ring the main circle near the Gums Café, while a martial arts display by students from South Korea will be staged in the same area. The event is part of Harmony Day celebrations across Australia on 21 March. Members of the Albury-Wodonga and CSU coummunities are welcome to attend the event.

Starting in Bathurst on Thursday 29 March, the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Division of Learning and Teaching Services will hold forums on a number of its campuses for academics to discuss developments in online and mobile learning and teaching at the University. Forums facilitator, Associate Professor Philip Uys, the Director of Strategic Learning and Teaching Innovation in the CSU Division of Learning and Teaching Services, said, “The continued evolution of quality in learning and teaching at Charles Sturt University, and the growing expectations of our students for appropriate technology responses, requires the University’s staff to skilfully use an ever-growing set of internal and external educational technologies. Charles Sturt University is increasing its digital, mobile and paperless learning and teaching, which pose challenges for strategists of these new technologies, and for academics using them. It will be good to share information about education technology developments at the University and have some in-depth conversations about why these changes are occurring. We will explore what the learning and teaching potential of the respective educational technologies is, and what issues we are facing.”

Can we always believe our cognitive abilities? Do we frequently see things that we have not actually seen? A research group based on anomalistic psychology, or the science of belief, will be launched at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga on Thursday 29 March to explore how beliefs are created and how they work in various situations. Director of the Science of Anomalistic Psychology (SOAP) Centre, Dr Krissy Wilson, said anomalistic psychology should not be confused with parapsychology, which tends to be more sympathetic towards claims of the ‘paranormal’. “Many sceptics remain unconvinced by the evidence put forward by parapsychologists, and I too am a sceptic,” Dr Wilson said. “Many TV programs focus on such topics as psychic powers, mediums and clairvoyants. These topics are rarely treated with a sceptical approach in the program, so many people assume these things are ‘real’. I want to explore these psychic topics, especially with the help of people around Albury-Wodonga, in our centre.” The SOAP Centre will be launched by Mr Richard Saunders from Channel Seven’s The One program at 6pm on 29 March in the CD Blake Lecture Theatre, CSU off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is encouraging schools from across NSW and Victoria to compete in a new online business simulation competition to invigorate student engagement in their business studies. The CSU Faculty of Business is introducing to schools CSU Business - Game On, a ‘virtual’ business competition where Year 11 students form teams and play for the opportunity to win regional prizes of up to $1 000 or the major prize of $2 500. “Participating student teams will engage in the GoVenture Any Business simulation game that is hosted and funded by Charles Sturt University,” explains Dr Abhishek Dwivedi, a lecturer in the School of Management and Marketing. “It allows students to build and operate their own ‘virtual’ business in a simulated market environment.”

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) graduand will represent Australian universities at the 2012 World University Games to be held this month in Lodz, Poland. Ms Ellie O’Kane, who recently completed her Bachelor of Physiotherapy at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, will compete in the 6 000 metres track event on Saturday 14 April, against some of the best runners from universities worldwide. “It's pretty exciting and it should be a lot of fun competing overseas. Being a world university games, it will hopefully be a really good atmosphere,” Ms O’Kane said. The accomplished runner, who recently returned from holiday in Nepal and the Middle East, is due to start her career as a physiotherapist in Geelong when she returns from Europe.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has joined with 13 expert English teachers and educators from across Australia to produce a textbook series for the new Australia-wide English curriculum. Mr Paul Grover, a lecturer with the CSU School of Education in Albury-Wodonga, contributed chapters on ‘The Writing Craft’, ‘Visual Texts’, ‘Writing from Asia and the Pacific’, and ‘Myths, Legends and Fantasy Writing’. Titled Pearson English, the book will be available to Years 7 to 10 students across Australia in printed and online versions. “Teacher resource books have also been written to support the introduction of the Australian curriculum in our schools,” Mr Grover said. “This innovative series allows students to explore new technologies, access new and challenging texts, and develop literacy skills for the 21st century.” Mr Grover has previously written various English and history textbooks and resource books for high school students. Pearson English will be launched in Melbourne on Saturday 14 April and will be available through Pearson Publishers.

A public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will shed light on the nature of the trade-offs involved in the proposed transfer of water to the environment in the Murray Darling Basin. Professor Kevin Parton a lecturer and researcher at the CSU School of Marketing and Management, is an expert commentator on the economic and social effects of the water transfer. His presentation is at 6pm Friday 20 April, and he believes there will need to be trade-offs between economic, social and environmental objectives when increasing the flows of water in the Murray-Darling system, which is Australia’s largest river system. “The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has proposed to transfer 2 750 gigalitres per year from irrigation to environmental flows,” he said. “Many farmers consider the costs of even the smallest transfer to be prohibitive, while many conservationists regard anything less than 4 000 gigalitres per year as insufficient to capture any significant environmental benefits.” Professor Parton will consider a number of findings from preliminary research in this controversial topic, including the costs to irrigation farmers, the amounts of environmental water needed, gains for Murray-Darling communities from the plan, and the effects on losers from the plan.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students with a passion for sustainability can help the University reduce its environmental footprint as part of a training and internship program. The 2012 CSU Green Steps program  involves a week of intensive training looking at environmental issues, auditing and communication along with project planning and management. Students will then put these skills into practice in an on-campus sustainability project in conjunction with CSU Green. They can also opt to undertake an internship with an external organisation to get valuable workplace experience. Acting Manager of CSU Green Mr Edward Maher said this has benefits for students and the host organisation. “The students are highly motivated and come armed with enthusiasm and hands on training. They are ready to make a real improvement to the sustainability of their host organisation,” he said. “Green Steps also gives students an edge when it comes to commencing their professional careers.”  Students and organisations interested in hosting an intern can contact CSU Green. Green Steps at CSU is a partnership between CSU Green and the Monash Sustainability Institute.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has been named one of four heroes of science in a new book promoting various fields of science to Australian school students. Former CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Kath Bowmer, has been recognised for her work in improving the management of water flows through inland rivers to improve water quality, particularly in the Murray Darling Basin. Her work was particularly important in addressing the blue-green algae scares in the Darling River during the 1990s, and in developing Australia’s first water sharing plan along the Murrumbidgee River in the 2000s. “The books have been written to encourage children to take an interest in science. I was amazed by being included in a book on the Heroes of Australian Science, and slightly astounded when I saw that the other three scientists featured in the book included former Australian of the Year and leading environmentalist Professor Tim Flannery.” The book was written by Ms Jane Fitzpatrick and published by Macmillan Education.