A free public lecture about sexuality and spirituality will be delivered at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Friday 13 September. The public lecture, titled ‘Eros, Intimacy and the Mind of God’, will be presented by Dr Patricia Weerakoon, an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Sydney, and is co-hosted by the CSU Bathurst Christian Students club and Bathurst Presbyterian Church as part of a larger weekend-long event. One of the event organisers, Mr Jonty Perrett, said, “Dr Weerakoon will explore recent scientific research on sexual desire (eros), attraction (love) and long-term attachment (bonding), and the relationship of this research to the teaching of the Bible. Everyone is welcome, and there will be a question and answer panel following the lecture.” The ‘Eros, Intimacy and the Mind of God’ public lecture is at 7.30pm on Friday 13 September in building S15, room 2.23, CSU in Bathurst. The evening will conclude with tea, coffee and supper and the opportunity to discuss the topic with Dr Weerakoon. For more information contact Mr Jonty Perrett on mobile 0404 975 499 or send an email.

The assessment of the sustainability goals at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will be revealed at the launch of an Environmental Scorecard on Thursday 12 September. Head of Campus at CSU in Bathurst, Mr Col Sharp, said the assessment, which was conducted at all CSU campuses as part of the strategy to reduce energy consumption and waste, and enhance the University’s sustainability, is a work-in-progress. “Like all Charles Sturt University campuses, Bathurst has continued to grow, and this assessment is relative to 2006 when the University embarked on this CSU Green initiative and the baseline data was recorded,” Mr Sharp said. “Electricity consumption plateaued in 2012, with overall electricity consumption remaining fairly consistent since 2009. Overall, gas consumption on the main campus has plateaued as well. There was an increase in water consumption in 2012 compared to 2011, which is mostly attributed to the significantly hot, early summer experienced on the campus in late 2012. Bathurst proved to be the showcase in terms of waste management in 2012 when it transitioned to a new waste collection system which significantly increased the amount of commingled recyclables that are being diverted from landfill. This also freed staff for other duties that were previously diverted to collecting waste.”

A program to advance Charles Sturt University (CSU) as a leader in higher education teaching and learning will be launched in Bathurst on Tuesday 17 September. CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Garry Marchant, said, “Given the ongoing growth of student numbers and evolution of the higher education sector due to theoretical and technological developments, the launch of ‘Smart Learning’ will enable a stronger professionalised teaching focus to improve student engagement and maintain high-quality teaching standards at the University. With the implementation of Smart Learning, Charles Sturt University will lead the way in higher education learning and teaching innovation.” Information about Smart Learning and the next steps in establishing this program will be presented at the launch at The Grange, CSU in Bathurst at 3pm on Tuesday 17 September.

Seven PhD students will verbally present years of complex research in the most engaging manner in three minutes to an eminent judging panel during the Three-Minute Thesis grand final at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Tuesday 24 September. Ms Cassily Charles, co-organiser of the competition said, “In the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT), research students have to share the big picture of their research in just three minutes, using only one slide, and using language which allows a non-specialist audience to understand. Our participants have all given very engaging presentations in heats at different CSU campuses and online, and we now have seven finalists. These finalists will compete at the CSU 3MT grand final in Bathurst, in front of an audience and expert judges. The winner will represent Charles Sturt University at the 3MT Trans-Tasman competition in Sydney on Friday 18 October.” The CSU Three-Minute Thesis grand final presentations will start at 4pm on Tuesday 24 September at the James Hardie Room, Centre for Professional Development (building S17) at CSU in Bathurst.

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.

Representatives of the Australian Rugby Union and Samoa Rugby Union will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst this week to advise and prepare 13 female CSU students for their visit to schools in Samoa in mid-November to coach female school students who play rugby. Dr Matthew Winslade, lecturer at the School of Human Movement Studies said the trip is part of the University’s participation in the Pacific in Union: Mass Participation Program – Rugby4Schools. The Pacific in Union representatives are Mr Warren Robilliard and Ms Jocelyn Elliott from Australian Rugby Union, and Mr Luke Fonoti Gates with Samoa Rugby Union. “Our pre-service teachers will work with and gain firsthand experience from three of the most experienced sports outreach educators in the Pacific region,” Dr Winslade said. “Warren and Jocelyn have spent extensive time teaching, coaching and creating sports-based health programs for the South Pacific. Luke will travel from the Samoan capital, Apia, to Bathurst to provide our students with invaluable practical and cultural knowledge on Samoan culture prior to their departure. Our pre-service teachers can contribute to a worthwhile and successful international program aligned with the United Nations Millennium Goals and supported by the Australian Rugby Union to improve health outcomes for Samoan children. This training will help prepare our students for the cultural differences they will experience while in Samoa, and assist them to in working with school children and community groups.”

The first Australian to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympics, Mr Steven Bradbury, will be the special guest at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) annual Blues Ball in Bathurst on Tuesday 8 October. Ms Jean Ryan, CSU student support officer and event organiser, said, “The Blues Ball is the end of year presentation dinner to honour Charles Sturt University students’ and clubs’ achievements in 2013. Mr Bradbury won the gold medal in the short track speed skating Men’s 1 000 metres event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt lake City, Utah, USA, in February 2002. He is now an international motivational speaker, and we look forward to his presentation ‘Last Man Standing’ about his ‘road to gold’.” The sports soccer, rugby, fencing, netball, ultimate frisbee, rugby league, basketball, touch football, gymnastics, lawn bowls, and hockey will all be represented and in the running for the award of CSU Club of the Year to be announced at the celebration. The 2013 CSU Blues Ball will be held at the Rafters Bar (building C4) at CSU in Bathurst on Tuesday 8 October. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased from Ms Jean Ryan in building C4 (the auditorium and bar) or from the cashier at building S18 (mini mart).

Veteran Australian TV news and current affairs director Mr Peter Meakin will share decades of professional insight when he speaks to journalism students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Tuesday 8 October. Ms Kay Nankervis, lecturer in journalism at the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst, said, “We are very fortunate to have such an experienced news executive as Mr Meakin willing to visit the University to speak to our journalism students. During an ‘In Conversation’ session I will host between 1pm to 2pm on Tuesday, he will speak about his career in the media and contemporary media issues, and will answer students’ questions. Later, he will meet journalism students to hear and provide feedback on their story ‘pitches’ and view the TV news stories they are editing as part of their courses.” Mr Meakin was a TV news and current affairs executive at Channel Nine for three decades, and at Chanel Seven since 2003. He has recently accepted the role of executive director of news and current affairs at Chanel Ten, starting in February 2014.

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.