Archive

Rice is the world's most important cereal crop and the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, on the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus, is researching the genetics of rice and how gene variations affect its cooking. Rice contains about 90 per cent starch, comprising amylose and amylopectin. It is the amount and structure of these two starchy chemicals that dictate its properties, while a number of  genetic variations in rice starch enzymes also affect its cooking qualities. Visiting scientist at the CSU School of Wine & Food Sciences, Dr Arun Aryan, will present an overview of these genetic variations and the development of DNA markers to predict rice cooking properties at a seminar to be held on Wednesday 12 September at the Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute conference room.

Graduates of Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) theatre/media course have returned to Bathurst with Circus Monoxide for the Catapult Festival in Bathurst on Thursday 13 to Sunday 16 September. CSU lecturer Jerry Boland, coordinator of the theatre/media course and chair of the Catapult Festival Steering Committee, said “Circus Monoxide is a performance company which prides itself on providing exciting entertainment and education for up and coming circus performers and quality live performances, particularly to people living in regional and rural areas.” About 30 current CSU theatre/media students will be involved in the Catapult Festival, which received $26,900 from Festivals Australia. The Catapult Festival will see over 300 young people from NSW and ACT attend 23 workshops over four days as a part of the program.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Professor Shahbaz Khan, Director of the International Centre for Water, Senior Principal Scientist and Research Leader with CSIRO Land and Water and Regional Coordinator of the Asia Pacific office of UNESCO IHP-HELP, continues to attract accolades for his world leading water research. Professor Khan has been awarded the Modelling Society of Australia and New Zealand (MSSANZ) Biennial Medal for Natural Systems, after also recently winning a prestigious Eureka Award. Based at the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus, Professor Khan says, “The recognition is great news for CSU and CSIRO research”. CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Vice-President (Research) Professor Paul C Burnett says, “It is fantastic to see that Professor Khan’s work and contribution to new knowledge in this area is being so widely recognised. He and his team should be proud of what they have achieved.” The Biennial Medal will be presented in December at the MSSANZ 2007 conference in New Zealand.

Interested in acquiring the skill of wine and food matching? Want to know how to design a dinner party menu with wines that match, or just be able to order a wine to compliment your meal at a restaurant? Dr Anthony Saliba, a Sensory Scientist with the NWGIC, located on Charles Sturt University (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus, will pass on his knowledge and understanding of why certain wine and foods compliment each other and the key mistakes consumers often make when selecting wine for this purpose. The wine and food matching workshop will be held at one of Wagga's top restaurants, The Three Chefs, on Tuesday 25 September and will include a seven course dinner and CSU wines to match each course.

Getting the best out of bush blocks is the focus of a one day conference at Charles Sturt University (CSU) tomorrow, Wednesday 19 September. Co-hosted by CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society and CSIRO, the one-day Better Bush on Farms Conference will gather researchers and practitioners to discuss the key questions and challenges around developing better “bush blocks” on farms. Problems such as looking after remnant vegetation and paddock trees on farms, the effects of fencing and controlled grazing and the ecological effects of efforts to conserve remnant vegetation will be addressed by speakers from CSU, CSIRO, other universities and government organisations. The meeting will be of particular use for catchment planners and implementation staff, public land managers, vegetation growers, landholders and researchers. The event will be held in the CD Blake Theatre on CSU’s Albury-Wodonga Campus, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona.

Improve returns from cattle bound for the Asian market will be the focus of a forum hosted by the Asian Agribusiness Research Centre at the Orange Campus of Charles Sturt University (CSU) on Wednesday 26 September. The meeting, titled Asia Today 2007 - Building Beef Returns, will be held at Borenore near Orange. Dr Claus Deblitz, Director of the Asian Agribusiness Research Centre, said Asia Today 2007 will focus on the opportunities available for beef producers who wish to take advantage of this growing regional market. “The practical morning session will provide industry experts demonstrating muscle density testing, low stress stock handling and related activities,” Dr Deblitz said. “In the afternoon, the forum will provide information for the beef industry and review opportunities in international markets. It will address major beef market trends world-wide and in Asia, improving  beef tenderness and marbling to meet customer needs, prospects of beef production in China and the Australian live cattle export business.” Keynote speaker Rob Sinnamon, the 2007 NSW Farmer of the Year, will outline how he significantly improved the profitability of a 5 000 head Santa Gertrudis beef operation he manages near Casino on the NSW North Coast,.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Nursing and Midwifery and Greater Western Area Health Service (GWAHS) have entered into a partnership to offer the CSU nursing degree by distance education to Enrolled Nurses to commence study in February 2008. Residential schools for the students will held be at the Dubbo campus with students able to undertake clinical placements in GWAHS, reducing personal and financial cost to the students. Heather Latham, CSU nursing course manager, says that the University and GWAHS recognise this partnership is important in addressing the critical shortage of Registered Nurses in rural hospitals. “This partnership model provides additional support for Enrolled Nurses to upgrade their knowledge and skills to Registered Nurses while continuing to live and work in their local communities,” Ms Latham said. “GWAHS has allocated a Nurse Educator to support the students during the four year course and this person will work closely with the School of Nursing and Midwifery.”

Interested in studying clinical sciences, nursing or pharmacy? Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Biomedical Sciences is holding an information session on the Orange Campus on Saturday 22 September between 2pm and 4pm for students interested in enrolling in these courses. Dr Debbie Burton, Course Coordinator for the Bachelor of Clinical Science, says people from the Orange region can see what CSU offers in health and medical science courses and to learn about the University’s commitment to alleviating the shortage of health and medical practitioners in inland Australia. “CSU is playing a crucial role in educating health professionals for inland communities. We have seen 60 to 70 per cent of CSU health graduates gaining work and staying in the country. As the range of health courses offered by CSU increases, so will the number of practicing health professionals in inland communities,” Dr Burton said. Information will also be available on the new School of Dentistry and Oral Health that will be established in 2009.

In recent years, many media have highlighted the “tree change” phenomenon, with many high-paid, highly skilled professionals moving to regional areas to leave the pressures of modern city life for a more relaxed lifestyle. So why are many large organisations in inland Australia having so many difficulties in recruiting skilled professionals such as engineers and accountants? Charles Sturt University (CSU) business researchers Kerry Grigg and Debra Da Silva will explore the problem with managers from large businesses and organisations such as Mars, CooperTools, accounting firm KPMG and Albury City Council at a roundtable discussion on Thursday 20 September on the CSU Albury-Wodonga Campus. Ms Grigg is particularly looking at how such companies are using “work life balance” policies, not just better pay, to lure workers out of the cities to meet the regional skills crisis. “We are experiencing high economic growth and low unemployment, and this makes it difficult to attract professionals to inland areas. But more workers are looking for a ‘tree-change’ to improve their lifestyles. So why are they not coming to Albury?” Ms Grigg said.