At first glance mistletoe might seem to be a destructive weed but Charles Sturt University (CSU) ecologist Associate Professor David Watson will explore the role the parasitic plant plays in promoting biodiversity at a seminar in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 2 May. The National Wine and Grape Industry Centre at CSU in Wagga Wagga will host the seminar titled, Parasitic plants as drivers of ecological communities: patterns, predictions, processes. In his presentation, Professor Watson will pull together a decade of research on mistletoe ecology in southern Australia. “The word parasite has nasty connotations to it but rather than being negative or even neutral, in natural systems parasitic plants may be disproportionately important to biodiversity,” he said. “This may provide land managers with a new tool to boost the value of remnant habitats for wildlife and maximise ecosystem functionality in modified landscapes.”

High school students will get to experience the world of Nursing and Paramedics at university when Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst holds a special MyDay event on Tuesday 15 May. MyDay offers high school students the unique opportunity to experience a day in the life of a university student. More than 60 students who have expressed a particular interest in studying Nursing and Paramedics will experience a session in the Simulation Clinics and other activities as well as a campus tour and key information on support available to make their goals achievable. CSU has submitted an application to the Regional Priorities Round of the Education Investment Fund (EIF) for $63.6 million to expand health programs including Nursing and Paramedics.

Four students from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Ontario in Canada have arrived in Dubbo to work at Dubbo South and Buninyong Primary schools as part of their studies. Ms Jaclyn Craig, Ms Bobbi-Sue Airdrie, Mr Andrew Petruccelli, and Ms Natalia Yarmak will work at the school as part of their Bachelor of Primary Education Studies. Two more students, Ms Amanda Waugh and Mr Marcus Johnson, have been placed at schools in Bathurst. Ms Waugh says she is enjoying her stay. “We are all loving it here and just had our first day yesterday at the schools,” she said. “It was great to meet everyone.  We have found so many similarities but also so many cool differences.” The students will be in Australia until Friday 25 May.

Two students from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) in Ontario, Canada have arrived in Bathurst to work at Bathurst West Primary School as part of their studies. Ms Amanda Waugh and Mr Marcus Johnson will work at the school as part of their Bachelor of Primary Education Studies. Ms Waugh says she is enjoying her stay. “We are all loving it here and just had our first day yesterday at the school,” she said. “It was great to meet everyone.  We have found so many similarities but also so many cool differences.” The students will be in Australia until Friday 25 May.

Addressing the on-going shortage of professional accountants in regional Australia is the goal of a collaborative project based on the Border involving Charles Sturt University (CSU), Albury Wodonga Careers Advisors Association, the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia (ICAA), the Murray Industry and Community Education Employment Partnership and the North East Local Learning and Employment Network. Dean of CSU’s Faculty of Business, Professor Lesley White will officially launch a structured high school work experience program for budding accounting students titled Reaping what we sow. The project was developed as part of ICAA-funded research by CSU academics Mr Daniel Murphy and Dr Dianne McGrath, based on the Albury-Wodonga Campus. “The project allows local Year 10 and 11 students to get work experience at accounting firms to understand what the job really involves, and the range and diversity of careers open to accounting graduates,” Mr Murphy said. Supply Finance Manager, Australia New Zealand with Mars Petcare, Mr Nathan Quinlivan, a CSU accounting graduate, will be guest speaker at the event on behalf of ICAA. The launch will start at 12.30pm on Thursday 10 May at La Maison Café, Wodonga.

Australian scholar, poet, translator and artist Dr Christopher (Kit) Kelen is the second writer-in-residence at the Booranga Writers’ Centre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. Apart from poetry, Dr Kelen publishes in a range of theoretical areas including writing pedagogy, ethics, rhetoric, cultural and literary studies. For the last 11 years, he has taught Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Macau in southern China. Dr Kelen will give a poetry reading, writers’ workshop and talk about his exhibition of paintings, as to the ladders of whichway - first rungs, which is on display at the H R Gallop Gallery at CSU in Wagga Wagga.

A celebration of the 2012 grape harvest will be held at the CSU Winery in Wagga Wagga over a Mediterranean-inspired barbecue from 6.30pm on Saturday 12 May. Hosted by CSU Winemaker Mr Andrew Drumm, guests will be introduced to a range of the University’s wines including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, sparkling and Merlot. The wines will be matched to Mediterranean food prepared by Mr Toby Perry and his team from CSU’s Food and Beverage Services. Mr Drumm said, “The 2012 harvest was one of the more unusual. Picking began at the end of February and finished just before Anzac Day. The cool growing season in spring and summer developed good flavours on vineyards at Orange and Wagga Wagga. The rain in early March punctuated the season but a long warm autumn has finished things off quite well”. The Harvest Celebration marks the end of the seasonal cycle and the hard work and late nights.

A 2 000 kilometre journey around the southern tip of New Zealand, at a time when the region was being rocked by earthquake aftershocks, has inspired Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer and photographic artist Mr Christopher Orchard. His new exhibition 15 Days is on display at the Links Gallery at the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery and will be launched on Saturday 12 May. An associate lecturer with the School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU in Wagga Wagga , Mr Orchard said using digital technologies restricted to darkroom techniques, the images in the exhibition reference the traditions of landscape photography. “The clashing of continental plates, shifting ocean currents, cold polar winds, volcanic eruptions and innumerable other physical forces reshape the soul of the land with each passing second,” he said. “The ultimate accolade for the fine-art photographer is to be able to see work displayed for public viewing, and for the general public to be able to engage with the creative process.”