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.

A public seminar highlighting current research in the Australian agriculture and wine industries will be presented by three Charles Sturt University (CSU) experts in North East Victoria on Wednesday 18 September. The seminar aims to encourage conversation about these significant industries and identify future research opportunities, and is part of the University’s engagement with regional community and industry. Dr John Harper, who is also with the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, will speak on Food for Thought: Agriculture in the 21st Century; Professor David Falepau, with the Graham Centre, on Rethinking Agribusiness education; and Professor Chris Steele, with the National Wine and Grape industry Centre, will speak on Grapes and Wine in Australia: our past and our future. The seminar will start at 4 pm on 18 September in the CSU building on GOTAFE’s Rural Industries Campus, 218 Tone Road in Wangaratta.

Staff and Students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga will celebrate NSW Bike Week this week with a series of activities including a ride to work and study on Wednesday 18 September. CSU bicycle riders will assemble in QEII Square in Albury for a leisurely social ride that will leave at 7.40 am and arrive at Gums Café in Thurgoona, with a free breakfast for all riders at 8.30 am. Not only will participants reduce the number of cars around the busy roads of Thurgoona, reduce their carbon footprints and improve their health and well-being, but they will also enter a draw to win a bike and helmet valued at $600. Participants will also be able to try a game of Bike Polo on Thurgoona football oval from 1 pm on Wednesday 18 September for 15 minute games played with teams of three riders. The CSU community will also be able to view a compilation of bike movies on Thursday 19 September between noon and 3 pm at the Gums Café, CSU in Albury-Wodonga, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.

A Japanese university is seeking to extend the success of Australia’s Landcare movement, with its history of practical on-the-ground projects that protect the environment and maintain agricultural production. Ms Tomomi Maekawa, who is a fellow with Charles Sturt University’s Institute for Land Water and Society (ILWS) and PhD student with Tokyo Institute of Technology, will be joined by her supervisor Professor Toshio Kuwako from Tokyo Institute of Technology, Professor Michael Seigel from Nanzan University and another Japanese expert, as well as the chair of Australian Landcare International Mr Rob Youl. During their stay on the Border, the visitors will meet with local Landcare groups and ILWS research professor Allan Curtis, Australia’s leading expert on the Landcare movement. The group will visit the Institute on Monday 16 September to discuss Ms Tomomi’s study of Landcare with Professor Curtis.

A passion for the meat industry and the ability to pick a high yielding, quality carcase has earned two Charles Sturt University (CSU) students a spot in the Australian national meat judging team. Ms Tamara Heir and Ms Laura Kemmis, from CSU’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences in Wagga Wagga, were selected in the five-member team to tour the USA early next year. The team was selected from ten finalists who attended a national industry training week in Brisbane which included visits to retailers, processors and a feedlot. It follows the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Competition held at CSU in July.  Originally from Walla Walla in southern NSW, Ms Heir is studying a Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/Bachelor of Veterinary Science while Ms Kemmis, from Queanbeyan near Canberra, is studying a Bachelor of Animal Science. “I’m passionate about building a career in the meat industry and this tour of the United States is an opportunity to develop contacts and gain a better understanding of how Australia compares in the global market,” said Ms Kemmis.  As part of the four week tour of the USA meat industry, the national team will compete in three American meat judging competitions.

Three Charles Sturt University (CSU) students with the School of Animal Science and Veterinary Science are making last minute preparations as they head off to the United States for international meat judging competitions and a meat industry study tour. In 2012, Mr Isaac Allen from Forbes, Ms Vanessa Campbell from Rutherglen, who is currently living and working in Wagga Wagga, and Ms Jordon Hoban from near Macksville in Northern NSW were named in the five-member Australian team to compete in two meat judging competitions in the USA. It follows their success last July at the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging (ICMJ) and at a subsequent intensive Meat & Livestock Australia training program in Brisbane. The team is due to leave Australia for a three-week industry tour of the USA on Friday 11 January and return on Thursday 7 February. Ms Campbell said the trio is all very excited about the trip. “This is a really great opportunity because, as a fourth year vet science student, it gives me a chance to make international meat industry contacts and to see the industry differences between America and the way we do things back home,” she said.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Agricultural Science students demonstrated their grain industry knowledge by placing second in the team category of the Australian Universities Crop Competition. The three-day event, held in Temora from Wednesday 18 to Friday 20 September, saw students from six universities tested on everything from grain grading and yield potential through to weed identification, business skills and farm management software. Dr Sergio Moroni, lecturer in crop agronomy from CSU’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, coached the team and said the students performed well. “It takes a great effort and independent training for this competition as students volunteered to represent the University and their preparation was done outside of their current study obligations,” he said. CSU was represented by Mr Cameron Prien, Mr Nathanael Liersch, Ms Georgia Branson, Mr Lachlan Vogan and Mr Jamie Thornberry. The annual competition is hosted by GrainGrowers.

The latest debate on climate change and bushfires is “the discussion the Australian community has to have”, a senior CSU ecologist says. Associate Professor David Watson with the University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society said the latest debate is a timely reminder of the importance of extreme weather events in Australia. “Recent reports have shown climate change is real and is linked to increasing extremes in weather such as droughts and dry periods, which will increase the chance of bushfires,” said Professor Watson. “Increasing incidences of floods and cyclones are also more likely with climate change, so we as a nation need to consider how we are going to address this. We need to plan for both short-term responses and longer term planning of our cities and settlements across Australia and the various landscapes that will be affected. This is not a political issue — in 2006, then Prime Minister John Howard linked human-induced climate change with increased bushfire risk.  Insurers, agronomists and many other industries are already planning for increases in bushfires, severe storms and other extreme events, so it seems incongruous that the federal government is not being more pro-active.  We cannot afford to sit back and just let climate change happen with doing something about it,” he said.

Stories of what happens to asylum seekers and refugees with nothing to do and preventing social exclusion of children from low income families from services are being presented at the ‘Occupational Therapy Unlimited’ conference run by final year students completing their occupational therapy course with Charles Sturt University. These join over 30 papers being presented as the students celebrate the end of their four year course. Student representative Mr Daniel Frawley said the conference explores the scope and contexts of occupational therapy practice in Australia, with diverse topics covering the interaction of the profession with the functioning brain, different cultures, mental health and working in rural Australia. Academic coordinator of the event and occupational therapy lecturer Dr Sally Denshire said “This student-led event is the jewel in the crown for the graduating student”. The conference will be held on building 667, CSU in Albury-Wodonga at Thurgoona.