Charles Sturt University (CSU) Professor of Applied Ecology Geoff Gurr will address one of the world’s most urgent challenges when he delivers the Poggendorff Lecture for 2013 as part of National Science Week. The biennial lecture is an initiative of the Royal Society of NSW in honour of Walter Hans George Poggendorff, the eminent Australian agriculturalist and member of the society, and covers agriculture in a broad sense. Professor Gurr, from CSU in Orange, will address the topic ‘Biodiversity and the future of agriculture’. “One of the greatest challenges the world is facing right now is how we plan to feed the estimated population of 9 billion by 2050,” he said. “Not only do we have to meet that challenge, we have to do it in the face of declining availability of good-quality land and water, and the need to preserve biodiversity to provide critical ecosystem services.” Professor Gurr will draw on his international research program to explain how biodiversity can be harnessed to provide effective pest suppression and illustrate how on-farm biodiversity can advantage growers and the wider community.

A filmmaker celebrated for his contribution to Australian cinema will deliver the biennial 2013 Theo Barker Memorial Public Lecture co-hosted by the Bathurst District Historical Society and Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Friday 16 August. The Head of Campus at CSU in Bathurst, Mr Col Sharp, will welcome and introduce Mr Andrew Pike, OAM, the principal of Canberra-based Ronin Films, who will discuss ‘Men and Women of the Bush in Early Australian Cinema’, including the place of bushrangers, the popularity of which led to a ban on bushranger films by the NSW Police in 1912. Dr Rob McLachlan, adjunct senior lecturer in history at the CSU School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Bathurst and coordinator of the public lecture, said, “Of the first twenty feature films made in Australia, at least twelve had a bushranger theme, with five of them featuring a Bathurst-area bushranger, including A Bushranger's Ransom, or A Ride for a Life, which was filmed locally in 1911. The main focus of the lecture, however, will be the films featuring the stories of bush women, which took the place of the banned bushranger films. The Bathurst region has a significant place in the making of such films with A Girl of the Bush, filmed locally in 1921. Mr Pike’s lecture will discuss the importance of this film today, for film and social historians.”

It might be ugliness, not beauty, that is in the eye of the beholder, according to a Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic. Associate Professor Rocco Crino will address the topic in a School of Psychology seminar at CSU in Bathurst on Wednesday 7 August, in which he will explain research which found people who scrutinised a part of their body they disliked were more likely to feel unattractive. “Preoccupation with mirror checking, gazing, and reflective surface checking are noteworthy features in conditions where body image disturbance is severely affected, such as in Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Eating Disorders,” Professor Crino said. “These mirror behaviours are believed to be significant maintaining factors in these difficult to treat conditions.”  Professor Crino’s research on the topic tested volunteers asked to stand either before a mirror and describe themselves generally, or to stand before a mirror and describe their disliked body part in detail. “Results indicated that those who scrutinised their disliked body part were significantly more concerned and dissatisfied with their appearance, felt significantly more unattractive, and bothered by their appearance related thoughts,” he said.

A forum for candidates in the Calare electorate for the 2013 federal election is being convened by a student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Tuesday 13 August. Mr Jeremy Rubel, a first-year theatre/media student at the School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst took the initiative to host the ‘Q&A’-style forum in order to help answer people’s questions about the candidates’ and their parties’ vision for Australia’s future and how they hope to attain it. Mr Rubel said, “I want to remind people, especially my peers at the University, that we do not live in a two-party democracy, and that there are other choices that we can make if we feel inclined. More importantly, our votes will not be wasted if we choose a party that isn’t ‘the big two’. The candidates at the forum will be expected to answer questions prepared by a panel of students, as well as questions asked directly by the audience. Everyone, not just students, is invited, as this is a perfect chance for people in the Calare electorate to get to know the candidates available to them.”

The 2013 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence will be presented to selected staff at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst at a presentation ceremony on Wednesday 14 August. Professor Andrew Vann, the Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU, will also present the 2013 Faculty and Divisional awards to staff. The awards acknowledge the commitment, dedication and ongoing excellence demonstrated by academic and general staff across CSU. Among the many awards and recipients at the campus in Bathurst are: – an individual V-C Award for Research Supervision Excellence to Professor Sharynne McLeod from RIPPLE; – an individual V-C Award for Teaching Excellence to Dr Izumi Hiramatsu from the School of Psychology; – a team V-C Award for Excellence in Innovation to the TAFE to CSU interact Site Project Team; – a team V-C Award for Performance Excellence to the Regional and Remote Learning Support Team. Some of the Faculty and Division awards go to the Workplace Learning Team in the Faculty of Business, and the Occupational Health and Safety Team within the Division of Human Resources. The awards presentation will be at the James Hardie Room at the Centre for Professional Development (building S17) from 1pm to 3.30pm Wednesday 14 August. Another ceremony, for staff on southern campuses, will be held at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 28 August. A full list of award recipients is available upon request.

A senior Charles Sturt University (CSU) educator has been appointed as the new Chair of the Mitchell Conservatorium in Bathurst. Professor Tara Brabazon, Head of the School of Teacher Education in Bathurst, says, “I am thrilled to be a part of the future of the Mitchell Conservatorium which is a jewel in the crown of our region. Music is so important, because it is transformative and can enable both intellectual discipline and our imagination. It is important that every citizen has the chance to experience and express music in their daily lives. It is therefore very important that Charles Sturt University builds productive partnerships and collaborations with our colleagues throughout the education sector. Our goal is to build a strong link between the Mitchell Conservatorium and a new, innovative and exciting initiative at the University, the Creative Regions Lab. The goal of the Lab is to enable the creative industries and the knowledge economy in the central west because we recognize that the knowledge economy will help to future-proof the Central West’s cultural life. Music, sport, fashion, design, and media are crucial to us, so the aim is to use the capacity of digitization to support and grow the primary and manufacturing industries in our region.”

Sixty Year 5 school students from the central west will participate in a ‘Check It Out’ Day at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Thursday 27 June as part of the University’s Future Moves program to encourage aspiration for higher education. The participating schools are Bathurst South Public School, Portland Central School, and Parkes Christian School. Ms Tonya Graham, CSU Future Moves coordinator, said, “Future Moves creates opportunities for school students from regional NSW and Victoria to visit Charles Sturt University campuses and interact with students and staff. The program targets students who have the potential to succeed in tertiary education and who come from families with little or no experience of higher education. By introducing young people to the world of university study we hope to encourage them to become more engaged in school studies and more confident to consider tertiary study as a realistic option. Students often say, ‘I never considered university, but now I really want to go’. Events like ‘Check It Out’ are a great way to start a conversation with students and their families about what options are available to them after school.”

TAFE students undertaking the Tertiary Preparation Certificate (TPC) in Bathurst, Lithgow and Orange will attend a CU@CSU event at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst today to explore their prospects for further study at university. The CU@CSU event is an opportunity for prospective students to find out about CSU entry pathways, support services and scholarships. CSU marketing officer, Ms Rebecca Morgan, said, “Charles Sturt University has a formal partnership with TAFE NSW Western Institute to promote pathway options for students in the region, and offers a number of support services to assist with the transition from TAFE to university. We have a range of credit arrangements and offer guaranteed entry into many undergraduate courses for students who have completed a TAFE Diploma or Advanced Diploma. Scholarships valued at up to $2 500 are available for students who have completed a TAFE qualification with the last five years. More than 30 per cent of the University’s new commencing students are admitted on the basis of previous TAFE qualifications.”

The Australian Red Cross mobile blood donation service will be at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst next week. The Head of Campus at CSU in Bathurst, Mr Col Sharp, encourages CSU staff, students and members of the Bathurst community to make a donation if possible. “Most of us now know the stats,” said Mr Sharp. “One in three Australians will need blood at some time, but only one in 30 donates. We also know that donated blood helps a wide range of people,” he added, “but collectively many who can donate just don’t make the time – even though they want to. Many of our students and staff donate, but we simply need more blood. I therefore invite members of the Bathurst community to help out - it only takes a phone call to make an appointment and 45 minutes to donate.  We’d love to see more locals come onto campus to donate.” Anyone wishing to donate blood can make an appointment online or phone the Australian Red Cross on 13 14 95. The service will operate from Monday 16 to Thursday 19 September outside the CD Blake Auditorium, building E1 on Village Drive, CSU in Bathurst.