Taking mathematics to the real world will be the aim of a day long competition for Year 11 students from four Border high schools in Corowa on Tuesday 13 August. More than 30 Year 11 students, teachers and supporters from Corowa, Rutherglen and Denniliquin High Schools will take part in the Corowa Maths Challenge which involves two teams of four students each taking part in maths activities that include Charles Sturt University (CSU) and three local organisations: Uncle Tobys, Corowa Shire Council and Corowa Whiskey and  Chocolate. Dr Colin Carmichael from CSU’s School of Education will also attend with student teachers to help run the day. “Activities like these are valuable for the school students as it helps them see the relevance of mathematics when it is used in the workplace and the community. Similarly, the CSU education students will benefit from seeing how maths education activities can be run outside the school environment,” Dr Carmichael said. The Corowa Maths Challenge will be held in the Corowa Whiskey and Chocolate from 9.30am to 2.30pm on 13 August.

Regional Victorians will receive a boost in access to higher education with a new degree in animal care and veterinary nursing to be investigated by Charles Sturt University (CSU) in partnership with Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE (GOTAFE) at Wangaratta in north east Victoria. On 24 July 2013 the Victorian Minister for Higher Education and Skills, The Hon. Peter Hall, launched a $1.3 million project that will fund the scoping and development of a new qualification, a Bachelor of Veterinary Technology, intended to be offered from 2015. The course will be offered to Year 12 school leavers, applicants who have not completed Year 12 and undertake qualifications with Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE, and veterinary nurses looking to upgrade their qualifications. Executive Dean of CSU’s Faculty of Science, Professor Tim Wess, said the project would involve a two stage process of scoping and then development in consultation with the veterinary industry to ensure graduates are highly skilled professionals that fill industry requirements. “This proposed new course builds on our established reputation in veterinary and animal sciences, further expands our course offerings, and enhances pathways for regional students” Professor Wess said.

A key Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher has been returned to the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s (GDRC) Southern Regional Panel for the next two years. Associate Professor of Food Science Chris Blanchard from the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga is the Deputy Chair of the Panel. The CSU academic is one of 11 members appointed until 2015. The Regional Panels link the Corporation with growers, researchers, scientists, agribusiness and grower groups. Southern Regional Panel Chair, Mr Keith Pengilley, described the Panels as, “very important in ensuring grower concerns, ideas and priorities are fed into GRDC”. Associate Professor Blanchard is also a member of the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation - an alliance between CSU and NSW DPI.

Did you know if it is raining fish, then it is most likely to be the Spangled Perch, known to have astounding dispersal abilities? That you can find a nursery for fish eggs under the hood of some male fish? And do you know the age of a 30 kilogram Murray Cod? You can find answers to these and much more in the new book Ecology of Australian Freshwater Fishes being launched on Wednesday 18 September at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga. Book editor and researcher in fish biology with the Institute for Land, Water and Society, Dr Paul Humphries, and several chapter authors from CSU will be on hand at the launch of the book which outlines the biology and ecology of Australian freshwater fish as part of the Murray Darling Seminar Series, starting at 3 pm. “Australia is home to about 300 species of freshwater fishes. Despite the diversity and harshness of the Australian environment in which the species have evolved, populations of these fish have been decimated over the past 200 years, with up to one-third of these species are now threatened with extinction,” Dr Humphries said.

Staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will plant native trees to increase environmental biodiversity next week as part of a CSU Green initiative for National Tree Planting Day. The event will see CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Orange and Wagga Wagga all take part in tree planting days. CSU Green Coordinator of Partnerships Nicola Smith said the event was designed to effect the campus ecosystems. “Our goals are to increase biodiversity by providing homes and food for wildlife, which brings more wildlife to the area, more ground cover, understorey and overstorey,” Ms Smith said. “We’ll also aim to reduce topsoil loss and erosion, increase soil infiltration, influence microclimate, and increase aesthetics for each campus.” Plants will come from local nurseries that specialise in native plants. Interested staff and students will determine where to planting the native trees on each campus. Miss Smith said students drew a sense of satisfaction from taking some ownership of their own campuses and would be thanked with a barbecue lunch. The tree planting events are set for Albury-Wodonga on Friday 16 and Sunday 18 August, Wagga Wagga on Sunday 18 August and Orange on Monday 19 August.

Twenty Charles Sturt University (CSU) students from Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga will receive scholarships worth more than $100 000 from the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) Foundation during a ceremony on Thursday 18 July. The RAS Foundation awarded 49 Rural Scholarships in 2013 – a record number – with recipients coming from various educational institutions across NSW. The CSU students are studying a range of courses including agricultural science, agricultural business management, education, equine science, journalism, medical radiation science, physiotherapy and veterinary science. RAS Foundation Rural Scholarships support students who are undertaking post-high school study or training, show a passion for rural issues and who are committed to playing a part in shaping the future of rural and regional NSW. The ceremony will be held on Thursday 18 July from 6pm to 8.30pm at the National Wine and Grape Centre, building 412, McKeown Drive, CSU in Wagga Wagga.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is looking to expand its relations with the isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, particularly in research into environmental management. Director of the Council for Renewable Natural Resources Research in Bhutan, Dr Tashi Samdup, is visiting Albury and the University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society to discuss future collaboration with CSU staff. Dr Samdup will also discuss the progress of two Bhutanese PhD student researchers at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Mr Kuenga Namgay and Mr Karma Tenzing. Senior ILWS researcher Dr Joanne Millar said Dr Samdup’s visit was important as it allowed discussions to further extend CSU’s research and teaching efforts in the mountain kingdom. “Although Bhutan is considered an environmental success story, the country still faces poverty and land degradation issues so our collaborative research will investigate the impact of environmental policies on local livelihoods,” Dr Millar said.

Ms Isobel Colson, an Honours student in ecology at Charles Sturt University (CSU), has won the Terry Hillman Honours Educational Prize for 2013. Ms Colson will receive her $3 000 prize from Professor Hillman on Wednesday 26 June at the Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre (MDFRC) in Wodonga at 10.30am. The prize, named after former MDFRC director Professor Terry Hillman, was established in honour of Professor Hillman’s contribution to freshwater ecology around Albury-Wodonga. The MDFRC has given the annual award since 2006 to support and encourage students in freshwater ecology. Ms Colson, who has nearly completed her Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management with Honours at CSU and MDFRC, is investigating the impacts of temperature, ultraviolet radiation, and billabong characteristics on the termination of zooplankton hibernation. She is supervised by Dr Paul Humphries and Dr Nicole McCasker from CSU’s School of Environmental Sciences and Dr Daryl Nielsen from MDFRC.

Budding writers in Year-12 at several Albury high schools will have the support of families and friends, and some critical feedback, when they present their HSC major works to a supportive audience at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga on Thursday evening, 27 June. CSU academic and former English Head Teacher, Mr Paul Grover, will coordinate the event where audience members will assess the presentation of major works by students studying English Extension 2 for their HSC in local high schools. “The audience will hear the voice of the author as they read from the major play, poem, author study or short story they have spent twelve months planning and composing for their HSC examination. These talented student writers will receive valuable feedback to include in their final writing and revision process”, Mr Grover said. This public event will be held at 6pm on Thursday 27 June at the CD Blake Lecture Theatre, CSU in Albury-Wodonga, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona. To attend, contact Mr Grover on telephone (02) 6051 9707 or send an email.