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Students from around Australia and overseas will gather with families and friends at Parramatta in western Sydney on Friday 13 June to graduate from the Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Theology. Almost 100 students will receive their undergraduate and postgraduate awards from CSU, which is the largest provider of theological studies in the Asia Pacific region. Professor Tom Frame, Head of the School of Theology said that the University has become a premier venue for theological learning and research in Australia. “The collaboration between St Mark’s National Theological Centre in Canberra and the United Theological College brings a very significant ecumenical focus to bear on a range of disciplines including biblical studies, ethical reflection and pastoral care. The increasing number of students graduating with postgraduate degrees is particularly encouraging as we seek to meet the needs of Australian churches, educational institutions, welfare organisations and the health care sector,” he said. CSU Chancellor, Mr Lawrence Willett, AO, will preside over the graduation ceremony. The Occasional Address will be delivered by theologian Emeritus Professor Peter Matheson, of Knox Theological Hall, Otago, New Zealand. The Lord Mayor of Parramatta, Councillor Paul Barber, will be a special guest at the ceremony.

Microscopes have been enlisted in the fight against the summer perennial weed Silverleaf Nightshade. Researchers at the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, an alliance between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the NSW Department of Primary Industries, are half way through a project to look for innovative solutions to tackle the invasive weed. Silverleaf nightshade is estimated to cost agriculture millions of dollars every year in reduced crop and pasture production. Project leader Dr Rex Stanton says new research has shown that trichomes, or fine hairs, on the underside of the leaves may hold the key to tackling the invasive weed."Under a microscope the hair like structures are visible and they penetrate deep into the leaf, so understanding the basic anatomy of the plant may help us come up with better techniques to manage it," said Dr Stanton. The researcher is about to start planting trials with pasture species such as lucerne, phalaris, coxfoot and biserrula at sites across NSW. The project is funded by Meat and Livestock Australia.

Identifying animal bones and testing the quality of vegetable oils are just some of the activities on offer to almost 100 Riverina school students who will attend this year’s Agriculture Enrichment Day on Friday 13 June in Wagga Wagga. Hosted by the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, an alliance between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI), the day will give the high school students access to some of the state’s leading agricultural and veterinary scientists. The EH Graham Centre's Director, Professor Deirdre Lemerle, says the day has many benefits for the school students and she hopes it will encourage them to consider a career in agricultural science. Students from Years 10 and 11 can choose between various hands-on research activities, including selecting wheat for disease resistance, sheep breeding, quality assurance in vegetable oil, bone identification and detecting fungi on ryegrass seed.

Eight Charles Sturt University (CSU) teacher education students leave this week for a one month exchange program with Hannam University at Daejeon in central South Korea. This is the second annual exchange of teacher education students with Hannam University. “The exchange emphasises the University’s commitment to providing enriching experiences for its students so they are better rounded and better able to work professionally in classrooms anywhere,” said  Professor Toni Downes, Dean of the CSU Faculty of Education. “Three weeks are spent on a cultural tour and one week is spent doing a placement in a local school. The students have to apply to go and are chosen by the Faculty based on the criteria of good academic results combined with the right personalities to be representing the University,” Professor Downes said. There are six students from the CSU Bathurst Campus, one from Wagga Wagga Campus and one from Albury-Wodonga Campus. They leave Australia on Sunday 15 June and return in the middle of July.

A Wiradjuri woman from Wagga Wagga has been appointed to a key position in the four Indigenous Support Units (ISU) covering Charles Sturt University (CSU) campuses in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo and Wagga Wagga.  Based in Wagga Wagga, Ms Therese Reid, the Units’ Programs Coordinator oversees the Koori Admissions Program, an alternative admission to university program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme, as well as supporting Indigenous students who travel to CSU for study including many students studying the Bachelor of Health Science (Mental Health). Ms Reid was the first Indigenous Coordinator at the Ashmont Community Resource Centre in Wagga Wagga for three years and is the daughter of Wagga Wagga Elders’ Group member, Ms Isabel Reid. “Therese’s role in supporting Indigenous students is a critical part of the University’s mission to enhance our communities by promoting Indigenous access, participation and success in tertiary education,” said Executive Director of Student Services at CSU, Mr Andrew Callander.

Detecting heart disease before the symptoms start is the subject of new research by Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher Dr Geoff Currie, a senior lecturer with the University’s School of Dentistry and Health Sciences in Wagga Wagga. Dr Currie is looking at the role that the sympathetic nervous pathways can play in that detection. An examination of the body using thermography, or digital infrared imaging, can also screen for other conditions including diabetes, breast cancer and auto-immune disease. Dr Currie, who lectures in nuclear medicine, is researching the potential for thermography as a cheap, effective and mobile instrument for the early detection of disease in rural and remote Australia. He is part of the CSU-initiated Cardiovascular Research Group, which also includes researchers from Wagga Wagga Base Hospital who work collaboratively with other Australian and international universities and hospitals on research projects, from the diagnosis to treatment for heart failure, coronary heart disease and cardiovascular risk factors.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) research student in the School of Human Movement Studies on the Bathurst Campus needs healthy, physically active males aged 18 to 35 years for her research into the central nervous system and exercise. Ms Katrina Onus said that her study will investigate fatigue and athletic performance, and how to possibly overcome or delay the onset of fatigue. “Findings from this research may be able to be applied to diseases like Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Parkinson’s disease, as well as the military and industry,” Ms Onus said. Research participants should preferably live in the Bathurst area as they will need to be available for five tests over three weeks on the CSU Bathurst Campus. They need to be physically active at least three times per week, and will be required for one session of 90 minutes and four sessions of 2.5 hours each session. People interested in participating should contact Ms Onus on 02 6338 4211. The study will start as soon as volunteers are recruited, briefed on the research and checked for medical clearance. The study will continue until August 2008.

Early results from research with Charles Sturt University (CSU) students living on the Wagga Wagga Campus show that they are more likely to reduce their electricity use as a result of ‘social marketing’ strategies than simply having a meter to tell them how much electricity they are using.  The CSU researchers used social marketing techniques that identified the barriers and benefits to encourage students to use less energy, and then developed ways to overcome the barriers, encouraging students to change the way they use energy in their residences. Students who received the social marketing strategies significantly decreased their electricity use by 15 per cent over seven weeks, while students with access to meters only decreased their use by five per cent. Students exposed to these strategies used significantly less electricity than students that received nothing. The next stage of the research is to see what happens if students receive both social marketing and meters in their residences. “We can go a long way to reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by just changing our behaviours,” said CSU’s Dr Penny Davidson. The project is supported by the Public Facilities Program under the NSW Government’s Climate Change Fund, in collaboration with NSW energy provider Country Energy and electrical display unit manufacturer Ampy.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) theatre/media graduate, Ms Shien Chee, will return to Bathurst this week in her multiple roles as a Company, Tour and Stage Manager for Gadgets, a theatre production that has toured regional areas around Australia since last February. Ms Chee, who graduated from CSU’s School of Communication in 2000, has since worked in a range of community theatre and theatre-in-education roles. She said she’s delighted that Gadgets, which combines physical theatre, music and technology, will bring her back to Bathurst where she has friends and fond memories of her student days. “My partner, Joel Salom, is the creator and driving force of Gadgets, and we are travelling with our three year old son too, so it's a real family affair.” Gadgets will be staged at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 June.

The annual Scholarships Presentation Ceremony for students at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Orange Campus will be held on Friday 6 June. Two notable scholarship recipients are Ms Claire Walker, an agricultural business management student who will receive the Ian Smith Memorial Scholarship, and Mr Joshua Adamson, a clinical sciences student who is receiving the inaugural Rotary Club of Orange Scholarship. This new scholarship is awarded to encourage local students to return to the NSW Central West to practice in the field of dentistry. Official guests at the presentation are CSU’s Deputy Chancellor, Ms Kathryn Pitkin, Chair of CSU Pharmacy Foundation, Mr Dick Marris, Head of Orange Campus, Professor Kevin Parton, and all scholarship donors. The scholars’ vote of thanks will be delivered by Mr William Hunt, a first year student enrolled in clinical sciences, who will receive one of the 2008 GP Logic Foundation Scholarships.