A senior medical researcher at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will outline recent research on diabetes in regional Australia in a public lecture on Tuesday 25 February. Dr Herbert Jelinek says diabetes is the fastest growing chronic condition in Australia, with 3.3 million Australians due to develop Type 2 diabetes by 2031. Dr Jelinek has coordinated diabetes and cardiovascular health screening research at CSU for over ten years, investigating the detection and treatment of diabetes and its complications with the people of Albury-Wodonga. Dr Jelinek,a biomedical science academic with CSU's School of Community Health  in Albury-Wodonga, will address the public screening for diabetes complications including conditions affecting eye, heart, kidney, blood flow, and mental function. He will present his research findings to date, detailing the risk factors for the disease and the complications of diabetes research. The public lecture will commence at 5.30 pm in the CD Blake Lecture Theatre, CSU in Albury-Wodonga, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.

Filled with excitement and apprehension, nearly 2 400 new students will be welcomed to all Charles Sturt University (CSU) campuses to commence their university studies during Orientation Week which starts on Monday 24 February. More than 450 students commence at CSU in Albury-Wodonga in 2014. Head of Campus, Professor Julia Coyle, said, "O Week blends serious and social activities to introduce the students from around Australia and overseas to their new lives of study and education. Degree courses in greatest demand in 2014 were early childhood and primary education, occupational therapy, speech pathology, nursing and physiotherapy." Money raised at this year's social activities during O Week will be donated to Cystic Fibrosis (NSW and ACT).

A senior medical researcher at CSU will outline recent research on diabetes in regional Australia in a public lecture on Tuesday 25 February.

Filled with excitement and apprehension, more than 450 students commence studies at CSU in Albury-Wodonga in 2014.

Parkinson's disease and rheumatoid arthritis patients in and around Albury-Wodonga are urgently needed to help complete a CSU research study into the role of free radical chemicals and the inflammation they cause.

If you have an old tree on your property that might bear the marks of surveyors from the past, or you know of one, researcher Dr Peter Spooner from Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Institute for Land, Water and Society wants to hear from you. Dr Spooner is creating an inventory of survey heritage trees around Culcairn and Holbrook in southern NSW. Eucalyptus, pine or casuarina trees were marked by the first surveyors and explorers in many parts of rural Australia. "These trees often marked the boundaries of the first land parcels surveyed in the late 1800s," Dr Spooner said. "Many trees would be over 200 years old and be important for cultural heritage and biodiversity, as large old eucalypt trees normally have hollows which provide important habitat for many native animals." Early surveyors cut a 'blaze' in the tree with an axe, producing a unique mark such a government arrow symbol and the adjacent lot number. However, many markings would have decayed or grown over, making them difficult to recognise. "Identifying the location and attributes of heritage trees can provide important insights to our past, record the development of Australian rural landscapes, and inform future conservation management activities," Dr Spooner said.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) researchers are inviting Deniliquin district residents with an interest in protecting the natural environment and encouraging sustainable living to a community forum on Monday 3 February. The meeting is the first of several activities within the 'Our Place' project, which is resourced by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. Project leader Dr Helen Masterman-Smith said the event aimed to share knowledge of existing activities in the district and discuss ways that the project resources can assist them. "We will use the results of the meeting to develop a community survey that will provide a clearer picture of residents' practices, such as use of water tanks and vegetable gardens, and how much they know about the special features of the district's natural environment, as well as their interests, concerns, views and ideas." The initial community meeting will be held from 5.45pm to 7.30pm in the Meeting Room at the Deniliquin RSL Club. Dr Masterman-Smith said, "It's a terrific opportunity for the district's local communities to learn more about what is happening in their area, to boost existing initiatives and generate new activities." For more information or to register for the meeting, contact Dr Helen Masterman-Smith on (02) 6051 9190 or send her an email.

Four students from Albury High School (AHS) have taken out the overall and Border prizes, worth $2 500, in the 2013 Game On competition for Years 10 and 11 students enrolled in commerce, economics, legal studies, and other related subjects. The AHS students built and operated their own 'virtual' business in a computer simulated market for the competition, hosted by Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Faculty of Business. Local Game On coordinator Dr Abhishek Dwivedi said, "The exercise aims to help students develop skills in finance, human resource management, marketing, and operations that are relevant to the real world. Game On complements the Stage 6 NSW Business Studies curriculum." The simulation ran from May until September 2013 with eight rounds of competition between over 550 students from 23 NSW high schools from Port Macquarie to Albury. It enables students to learn through hands-on experience and encourages students to apply these key business principles to their own 'virtual' smart phone business.

Participants can hear and discuss spirituality expressed by three religions - Bhuddhism, Islam and Christianity – in a public meeting to be held on Thursday 14 August at Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Thurgoona site. Speakers are Greg Sneddon, teacher of Lam Rim Bhuddism, The Reverend Bryn Jones, chaplain at Trinity Anglican College, and CSU postgraduate researcher and Muslim, Bugi Sumirat. The meeting, titled ‘An Interfaith Dialogue: The Road to Discovery’ and hosted by CSU Student Services and the CSU students’ Murray Campus Council, will be held at The Gums Café, Thurgoona Campus, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive. An afternoon tea will be provided to enable listeners to discuss issues further with the speakers.