The role science plays in helping agriculture meet the global challenge of feeding almost nine billion people by 2050 will be the key topic of discussion among school teachers at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga next week. The Primary Industries Centre for Science Education (PICSE) will host 10 teachers from the Riverina, Victoria and South Australia for two days of professional development from Monday 21 November. Centre Education Officer, Ms Emma Wordsworth said the aim is to showcase some of the science careers within food and fibre production. “We also want to give teachers some practical ideas about how to incorporate primary industries into their science lessons,” she said. Teachers will hear from researchers, participate in practical sessions and sample CSU cheese and wine. PICSE encourages school students to study science and go on to careers in primary industries.

A nationwide quest to locate relatives of Australian miners who travelled to the Klondike goldfields in remote north-west Canada at the end of the 1800s will see a Charles Sturt University (CSU) history researcher deliver a free public lecture in Bright, Victoria, on Saturday 26 November. Dr Rob McLachlan, an adjunct senior lecturer in history at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at CSU in Bathurst, said “North-east Victoria provided a fascinating contingent of miners for the Klondike gold rush. Some were highly experienced miners, like Charlie Lloyd, while others, such as Alfred Abraham and his three mates, were young lads off on the great adventure of a lifetime. These are just a few of the men from this area who went to the Klondike.  My talk will tell the story of the Klondike through their experiences and, where I can, in their own words. It is a story of both great achievement and heart breaking tragedy. I am hoping the talk will reveal some relatives of Australian Klondikers, who may be able to assist my research. I have now identified several hundred Australians who made it to the Klondike, but I am sure there are more to be found.”

The Booranga Writers’ Centre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will launch its annual anthology of poetry and short-stories, fourW in the city on Saturday 19 November.  This is the 22nd edition and makes the anthology one of the longest running journals of its kind. Editor Mr David Gilbey said fourW twenty-two links regional voices to more established and international writers. “New works by recent writers-in-residence at Booranga Writers’ Centre Ms Ali Cobby Eckermann and Mr Jim Haynes are included alongside regional-based writers Mr Derek Motion, Ms Jane Downing and Ms Louise D’Arcy.”  FourW twenty-two will be launched by local newspaper columnist Mr Graham Gorrell in the library, Civic Centre, Baylis Street, Wagga Wagga from 2.30pm  The winner of the annual $250 Booranga Prize for poetry and prose will be announced at the launch.

December hails the arrival of the graduation season at Charles Sturt University (CSU). In response to the needs of students, CSU is holding its graduations in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Canberra, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga from Saturday 10 December to Saturday 17 December. The change from a graduation season in the first half of the year will allow students at CSU to attend their ceremony and receive their awards much closer to the completion of their course. Graduations will be held at CSU in Albury-Wodonga on Friday 16 December and Saturday 17 December; in Bathurst on Thursday 15, Friday 16 and Saturday 17 December; in Canberra on Saturday 10 December; in Dubbo on Monday 12 December; in Orange on Tuesday 13 December; and in Wagga Wagga on Monday 12, Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 December. Read more here.

High school history teachers from across southern NSW will gather in Albury on Friday 11 November to discuss aspects of good history teaching, particularly in the early years of high school. Lecturer with the Murray School of Education at CSU in Albury-Wodonga Mr Paul Grover said events such as this one are vital for the professional development of teachers. “The history syllabus is changing with the introduction of the national Australian Curriculum, new history teaching technologies are being introduced and teachers change. In such a world, professional development days are vital to keep history teachers up to date with new resources and innovative teaching strategies,” he said. In the evening during a dinner for the Border History Teachers’ Network in Albury, historian and CSU Adjunct Associate Professor Bruce Pennay OAM will explore the role of the former Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre near the NSW-Victorian border in post-war immigration in Australia, and why these experiences might provide important lessons to modern immigration policies.  

High school students from throughout southern NSW with a talent for logical arguments will gather at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga for a debating festival on Wednesday 9 November. Hosted by the NSW Department of Education and Communities and CSU’s Murray School of Education, teams of Year 9 students from public high schools in Albury, Corowa and Wagga Wagga will compete in debating throughout the day, and also take part in workshops to further develop their debating skills. Program co-coordinator and CSU education academic Mr Paul Grover said the event offers talented students an exciting and stimulating day of academic enrichment. “There are currently no NSW-wide debating events held for Year 9 students, and the festival challenges students by encouraging competition and providing valuable debating experience,” he said. The day, which includes a tour of CSU’s award winning, environmentally sensitive campus runs from 9.30am to 2.45pm.

A rural education expert from Canada will deliver a public lecture in the new high-technology Connected Learning Space at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst from 5pm Wednesday 9 November. Professor Linda Farr Darling, from the University of British Columbia, Canada, will deliver the lecture, Rural School Landscapes in British Columbia: Mapping the terrain for teachers and teacher educators. Associate Professor Jane Mitchell, lecturer at the School of Teacher Education at CSU in Bathurst said, “Professor Farr Darling’s talk will describe research findings about strengths and challenges faced by rural schools across British Columbia, whether recommendations from a 2003 report had been implemented, and what affect these have had. Given the geographic and demographic similarities between Canada and Australia, there may well be lessons that can be applied here”. The public lecture will be viewed simultaneously and interactively by an audience at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga. Read more about the new Connected Learning Space at CSU here.

Elephant’s toothpaste, screaming jelly babies and exploding hydrogen balloons are just some of the hands-on experiments planned for science teachers at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 2 November.  The professional learning day will give 37 junior science teachers from schools across the Riverina the opportunity to learn about activities that address the syllabus while also entertaining students in years 7-10. Senior lecturer in chemistry with CSU’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, Dr Paul Prenzler said, “This is a very exciting opportunity to work together with local high school teachers to provide them with demonstrations that will engage their students in science and show that chemistry concepts can be demonstrated in fun and spectacular ways.” CSU research into wine aroma and antioxidants in food and health will also be on display. The event has been organised by the CSU Chemistry Group and the Eastern Riverina Science Teachers’ Association.

Alpine skier and Wagga Wagga resident Mr Stuart Hume dreams of representing Australia and is in the national development ski squad. But he has reached this height by regaining his mobility after becoming a paraplegic through a horrific motorcycle accident. Mr Hume will present his story of rehabilitation as the keynote speaker for the 15th Occupational Therapy Graduate Conference at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga on Wednesday 26 October. Mr Hume’s determination not only saw him complete his rehabilitation in six months, but he has returned to work at REX Airlines in Wagga Wagga. Titled ‘Occupational therapy: New Beginnings’, the conference has papers by students completing their occupational therapy degree from CSU’s School of Community Health, and will include such topics as the impact of a major injury on an athlete’s identity, should occupational therapists be working with the Victorian Police, and the effects of the proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme on drivers with spinal cord injuries.