Four Charles Sturt University (CSU) students from the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences have returned with a wealth of experience after a three week visit to Pakistan where they worked with dairy farmers to improve the nutrition and health of their animals. A highlight for the CSU students Ms Amanda-Lee Charman, Mr Rhys Duncan, Ms Emma Hand and Mr Shahid Khalfan was conducting a seminar for 40 Pakistani students on topics including calf management, animal nutrition and health and fodder production. “The visit broke through new frontiers as the CSU students introduced new concepts in learning,” said CSU’s Professor Peter Wynn, who is leading an Australian project to assist Pakistani dairy farmers. “Our host, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Veterinary and Animal Science in the city of Lahore was very interested with the students’ approach to the seminars and he hoped that his University would be able to adopt similar ‘problem solving’ teaching techniques.”

Two species of parasitic wasps, identified in southern NSW during on-going research at Charles Sturt University (CSU), could unlock new ways to fight fruit fly in Australia. PhD student Mrs Jennifer Spinner has been collecting fruit ‘stung’ by fruit fly in home gardens during the fruit fly season (October to May) in Albury, Cootamundra, Ganmain, Gundagai, Lake Cargelligo, Lockhart and Wagga Wagga. The fruit has been held in a laboratory at CSU at Wagga Wagga in a controlled temperature environment until adult fruit fly or parasitic wasps emerge. “I am examining whether the wasps are present in inland NSW and whether large releases of the wasps could be used for the biological control of fruit fly,” said Mrs Spinner. The female wasp lays her eggs inside the fruit fly larvae, which hatch and feed on the fruit fly larvae, ultimately killing the pest. In 2009, the PhD student will travel to Guatemala, Hawaii and Mexico where releases of parasitoids have improved the management of fruit fly.

As part of their engagement with their local community, over 30 third year speech pathology students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will again participate in Cooinda Family Support Services, a community organisation assisting families in the Albury-Wodonga district to support themselves. CSU clinical coordinator Ms Marion Vile says the annual Cooinda student project allocates pairs of students to individual families for up to 14 weeks. The students work closely with clients and their families to develop an individual assessment and intervention program and then implement the program. “The students also gain in-depth learning experiences and can hone their skills under the supervision of an experienced speech pathologist,” Ms Vile said.  

Celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the birth of the ‘father of evolution’, Charles Darwin, will include a seminar highlighting two prominent Charles Sturt University (CSU) scientists this weekend in Wagga Wagga. A workshop will be held on Saturday 7 March to discuss the theory of evolution and Christian faith, with keynote speakers including CSU’s Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Nick Klomp, who will speak on science and evolution. Internationally recognised water scientist and active Christian, Professor David Mitchell from CSU, will then talk on ‘The role of uncertainty in the pursuit of truth’, while seminar coordinator, Fr Roger Munson, will discuss evolution and its implications for a progressive faith in the 21st Century.  

A collaborative project is helping young parents ease into parenthood, especially after the birth of their child. With the help of young parents in the Albury-Wodonga region, three nursing students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Upper Hume Community Health Service’s (UHCHS) Young Parents Program have developed a booklet titled Young Parents Survival Guide for Pregnancy.  “Young parents helped us develop a booklet that fills a gap in information and knowledge for others in the same situation.  It is about what happens during pregnancy and what they can do to maintain a healthy pregnancy,” said Beverlie de Jong from the CSU School of Nursing and Midwifery. Ilena Young from UHCHS said the collaborative project worked closely with young parents to develop a resource to help others in the same situation.

The first postgraduate program to be offered locally in Griffith will start on Friday 20 February with the launch of the Graduate Certificate in Management (Professional Practice). Run from the Griffith campus of TAFE NSW Riverina Institute, the program is operated by the Australian Graduate Management Consortium, an initiative of Charles Sturt University (CSU) and TAFE NSW. Students in the program stem from a wide range of local businesses, including wineries, health services and rural supplies, with interest also being shown from manufacturing establishments. “We are very pleased that we can offer this program to the Griffith community, which provides the opportunity to study a Charles Sturt University postgraduate award course locally, with assignment work that can be applied directly to the workplace,” said Ms Jan Knox, Operations Manager with the University’s Professional Development Unit. The course is a 12 month part-time program. Graduates will receive a graduate certificate from CSU. The four key subject areas in the program are Management Skills and Concepts, Managing Operations and Change, Managing People, and Managing Financial Operations.  

Ahead of the official start of the academic year on Monday 23 February, students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) have raised almost $3 000 for the Victorian bushfire appeal. Ninety Residential Student Advisors from CSU at Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga collected $2 883.70 for the Australian Red Cross appeal during training at the University this week. The money was raised when a ransom was paid by the student leaders for the return of props used during the training. The Residential Student Advisors were undertaking training as part of CSU’s Residential Support Scheme. “This initiative is a credit to these students from across CSU’s campuses. It exemplifies the widespread commitment to assisting Victorians after the great loss of life and property,” said Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Lyn Gorman. Meanwhile, the Dean of the Faculty of Business, Professor John Hicks, has agreed to contribute $1 to the Red Cross appeal for every dollar donated by a Faculty of Business student up to $1 000. As other individual and group staff and student fundraising efforts get underway, the University cashiers’ offices on each campus are now donation points for the Australian Red Cross appeal. CSU is also offering its support to students affected by the Victorian bushfires. See here.            

Celebrating Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) 20th anniversary is the theme of Orientation 2009, which commences at CSU on Monday 16 February. The week of academic and social activities and events aims to prepare over 500 new CSU students for university life at Albury-Wodonga. Under the direction of the University’s Division of Student Services, Orientation student leaders, led by two coordinators, have been fine tuning the program. The coordinators and leaders will be on hand to assist the new students through their transition into higher education. New students, including those living on and off campus, can participate in campus and library tours, attend compulsory academic information sessions, complete online enrolment and attend a range of social activities. The Head of the Albury-Wodonga Campus, Professor Allan Curtis, will address the new students and their families at special ceremonies to mark the start of the academic year, starting at 9.30am on Tuesday 17 February in CD Blake Lecture Theatre, CSU, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.

As part of its celebrations of the ‘father of evolution’ Charles Darwin's 200th birthday, Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host a film presentation and discussion, particularly for Years 10 to 12 high school students and their teachers, to explore the theory of evolution. Participants will view the critically acclaimed documentary film, ‘Flock of Dodos: The Evolution – Intelligent Design Circus’ and be able to discuss evolution and natural selection with CSU scientists attending the event. “Darwin’s theory of evolution is one of the most significant advancements in our understanding of the natural world. This break-through in our scientific understanding still affects many facets of modern life, despite first being published 150 years ago in his seminal book, On the Origin of Species,” says the University’s Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Nick Klomp. The event runs from 9.30 to 11.30am, Tuesday 10 February, in the Nowik Lecture Theatre, Guinea St, Albury.