Charles Sturt University (CSU) Communication (Theatre/Media) graduate, Brendan Cowell has won The 2005 Philip Parsons Young Playwright's Award. Announced in Sydney on Sunday 9 October, Mr Cowell, 28, received a $10,000 mentoring commission from Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre Company B. He won the award for his treatment for Ruben Guthrie, a tale of male depression, addiction and the pressures of success. In order to qualify for the award, playwrights under 35 must submit a play that has already been performed in Australia by a professional theatre company. But the award is unlike other Australian playwright awards as it is given on the basis of a treatment for a potential new work and to the playwright rather than for the play. This recent success for Mr Cowell follows other awards including the 2003 Griffin Award for Rabbit, the 2002 Patrick White Award for Bed and the Gloria Payten-Gloria Dawn Foundation Young Artist Award for his work as an individual.

Sufferers of ingrown toenails can help train future regional-based podiatrists at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Allied Health Clinic in Albury in coming weeks. The final year students, supervised by podiatric surgeon Caroline Robinson from the UK, offer a range of treatments for the painful problem, from conservative care with cutting and footwear advice to low impact surgery carried out under local anaesthetic in the clinic. The experience provided to the students is a vital part of their training for their four year course, the only podiatry degree offered outside an Australian metropolitan area. For details and to book an appointment, contact the CSU Allied Health Clinic on telephone (02) 6051 6922.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Regional Development Australia (Central West) will host the Agribusiness Today 2012 forum highlighting opportunities for grain producers at the Forbes Services Memorial Club on Thursday 2 August. Dr Karl Behrendt, director of the Australasian Agribusiness Research Centre at CSU’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, said the forum’s focus is ‘Getting the pulse on cereals and oilseeds’. “Agribusiness Today 2012 is a free day-long forum to update central west grain growers and industry leaders about crop trends in the northern hemisphere and potential demand from Asia for their crops,” Dr Behrendt said. “Participants will hear from a range of experts from the CSIRO, Rabobank, NSW Department of Primary Industries, and others, as well as two international speakers from Argentina, Dr Roberto Peiretti and Ms Cintia Castagnino. Peak Hill farmer Mr Grant Byrne, who is the Conservation Farmer of the Year 2011, will also speak about resilience and adaptive cropping systems.”

Agriculture and animal science students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) will get a head start on job hunting at a student-led career fair tomorrow, Wednesday 1 August. More than 220 students from CSU’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences and School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences  will meet with over 30 prospective employers from agribusiness, government departments, research organisations and farming groups. “It’s a chance for potential employers to promote their organisations and provide information about what it takes to pursue a career within these industries,” said member of the organising committee and Bachelor of Animal Science student Mr Isaac Allen. Students from CSU in Wagga Wagga, Orange and Albury-Wodonga will attend the fair which will include a career development workshop and a panel discussion with recent graduates.

More than 40 new veterinary students will leave university for the workforce after taking their professional oath at a ceremony at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Friday 3 August. The Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/Bachelor of Veterinary Science students will gather in front of family, friends and staff from CSU’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences  to take the Veterinarians’ Oath to practice their profession ‘ethically and conscientiously’.  The keynote address will be delivered by Vice President of the Australian Veterinary Association Dr Peter Gibbs, who will share his experience of running a successful rural practice in Yass, NSW.  The students will be eligible to register as veterinarians on Friday 10 August and will be awarded their degrees during a formal graduation ceremony at CSU at the end of 2012.

A Nobel laureate, stargazing and a Science and Health expo will headline activities at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga during National Science Week in August. Hosted by CSU and the Astronomical Society of Albury-Wodonga, the annual Science Fair will run for three days from Tuesday 14 to Thursday 16 August and will include a public lecture from the winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics, Dr Brian Schmidt, and CSIRO scientist John Sarkissian, who will show the lost footage of the Apollo missions and Australia’s part in these historic events. During each day, the Science Fair will include guest speakers, interactive workshops, exhibits, stargazing and other activities for pupils from local and surrounding schools at the CSU campus, followed by evening sessions open to the general public. CSU also will stage a Science and Health Expo on its Thurgoona site on Saturday 11 August between 11.30am and 3pm. The Expo will feature a solar telescope, tours of the Oral Health and Dental Clinic and campus tours as well as interactive information sessions showcasing health and science courses offered by CSU, jumping castles, music and the Gums Café open for visitors.

Frugal and hard working, the history of German farmers in the southern Riverina will be explored in a free public lecture by Charles Sturt University (CSU) cultural heritage expert Associate Professor Dirk Spennemann in Deniliquin on Wednesday 15 August. German settlement began in the mid 1860s and in this illustrated talk, Professor Spennemann will examine their contribution to farming and the social fabric of the region. “Driven by the proverbial Protestant work ethic, German farmers were generally well respected at the time,” he said. “A typical household contained heirlooms such as family bibles, items sourced from Germany including wedding porcelain along with books and utensils unavailable in Australia.” A member of  CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS),  Professor Spennemann’s research interests include German colonial heritage in Oceania and the conceptual understanding of contemporary and emergent heritage such as modern architecture, space exploration and robotics. He is also a photographic artist who interprets heritage issues through visual media.

A Science and Health Expo at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga will highlight courses, facilities and projects on offer on the campus on Saturday 11 August between 11.30am and 3pm. The Expo will feature solar telescopes, tours of CSU’s state-of-the-art health education facilities, and Oral Health and Dental Clinic as well as the University’s internationally renowned environmentally designed campus at Thurgoona, interactive information sessions showcasing health and science courses offered by CSU, jumping castles, music and the Gums Café open for visitors. “We welcome the community to experience the excellence in health and science education, research and facilities that underpins Charles Sturt University’s courses in these fields,” said Head of CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Professor Julia Coyle. The Expo is part of National Science Week, which is hosted on the Border by CSU and the Astronomical Society of Albury-Wodonga.

A significant funding increase from Charles Sturt University (CSU) for higher degree research places has resulted in a large intake of doctoral and Master students in the University’s School of Environmental Sciences, working with supervisors in the Institute for Land, Water and Society. Eight students from as far as Mexico, Bhutan, Zimbabwe, China and USA have joined nine students from around Australia in full-time and part-time studies on the Albury-Wodonga Campus, with topics ranging from yak herders in Bhutan to snow leopard conservation in Nepal. ILWS Director Professor Max Finlayson said the number of international students at ILWS highlighted the quality of research undertaken at the University. “Many issues we face in the Murray Darling Basin are faced around the world. We are part of a world group of scientists addressing issues on the local and global stage,” Professor Finlayson said. Most of these students will be welcomed to the Institute during an ‘Aussie’ morning tea commencing at 10.30am on Thursday 9 August.