A new information technology (IT) course to be offered by Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst will be launched on Friday 7 November by the Hon. Phillip Costa, MP, NSW Minister for Water, Rural Affairs and Regional Development. The Bachelor of Information Technology (Business Services) degree has been developed by CSU and international computer firm IBM to keep pace with rapidly evolving industry needs and will provide skilled IT professionals for a range of industries. Head of the CSU School of Accounting and Computer Science, Associate Professor Ross Wilson, said, “The degree, which offers a mix of technical and business aspects that reflects what industry is looking for, will be offered from the start of 2009 and will incorporate flexible delivery to facilitate concurrent work experience. All 22 students accepted into the new course will be fully supported by scholarships funded by industry partners IBM, Country Energy and the NSW Department of Lands.”

Annual ryegrass with herbicide resistance is now common in southern NSW, according to collaborative research between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) recently completed at the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation. In studies conducted from Dubbo in the state’s central west, to the Victorian border in the south, and east-west between the Hume and Newell highways, researchers Mr John Broster and Mr Eric Koetz have found high levels of resistance in ryegrass to widely used herbicides. Director of the EH Graham Centre, Professor Deirdre Lemerle, said these findings show a large increase since the last thorough survey was conducted in 1991. “Around 80 per cent of paddocks surveyed in 2007 had significant levels of resistance to Group A ‘fops’ herbicides, while resistance to Group B ‘SU’ herbicides are in 65 to 70 per cent of paddocks.” Professor Lemerle said 17 years ago, only 10 to 15 per cent of paddocks had ryegrass with resistance to these herbicides. “These high levels of resistance reinforce the importance of developing and introducing new non-chemical weed control techniques into our weed management strategies,” she said. The research is part of a larger survey across the wheat-belt, funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

About 80 prospective Canadian students attended a recent information session for the 2009 intake of the Bachelor of Primary Education Studies at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Ontario. The session was addressed by the Head of School, Associate Professor Will Letts, course coordinator Ms Mary Marshall, Provost and Special Adviser CSU Ontario, Professor Bob Meyenn, and alumni who shared their experiences. Professor Toni Downes, Dean of the Faculty of Education, said the course is now in its fourth year, and is undoubtedly a cutting-edge, world-class teacher education program. “Staff in the program were hand-picked and are of the highest calibre. We have deliberately maintained a balance between Australian and Canadian staff, as well as academic and professional expertise,” she said. Applications for the Autumn (Fall) 2009 student intake, which starts in August, close on Friday 24 April 2009.

Up to half of rural properties are expected to change hands in the next 10 years, according to a Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher studying the increasing levels of rural property turnover. “Over the past 10 years a quarter of rural properties have been sold, and this will increase up to 50 per cent in the next 10 years,” says CSU PhD student Ms Emily Mendham. “This change is being driven by the age of farmers who are approaching retirement and the demand for rural properties.” Ms Mendham’s findings are based on case studies in the traditional farming region of the Wimmera in western Victoria, and closer to Melbourne in the Corangamite region. Both regions have different influences on their changing demographics, and both present different opportunities and challenges. Ms Mendham will speak at ‘The changing nature of our rural neighbourhoods’ forum at the CD Blake Theatre on CSU’s Thurgoona site on Wednesday 26 November, from 9am to 3pm. The free forum will be hosted by the University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society.

Dubbo residents interested in studying at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in 2009 are encouraged to investigate an opportunity to receive one of 20 new scholarships that encourage joint studies between the University and TAFE colleges. The CSU Rural Learning Partnership Scholarships, each worth $2 000 for one year, are aimed at full-time students in need of financial assistance who are completing courses such as the Bachelor of Social Work in Dubbo. Students with disabilities, from non-English speaking backgrounds, or who are Indigenous are especially encouraged to apply for the competitive grants which can pay for accommodation, tuition fees, books and computers. CSU’s Access and Work Student Services Division manager, Ms Vicki Pitcher, said the Rural Learning Partnership Scholarships aim to redress some of the current financial inequities of tertiary study in regional Australia by helping students with genuine financial difficulties. For more information about these scholarships can be found here. 

Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst is giving staff, prospective students and their parents the opportunity to inspect the new 200-bed student residences on Thursday 27 November. The on campus residences will be completed in early 2009. On completion, 10 modular concrete and corrugated iron buildings will each house 20 students in self-catered accommodation. The development will include ‘open plan’ kitchens and living areas in each block, with two buildings enclosing an open courtyard. The corrugated iron, which is light, strong, adaptable and durable, shields the internal concrete walls from the summer heat, enabling the buildings to maintain a more constant temperature without the use of expensive air conditioning.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) expert in the management and restoration of aquatic ecosystems has been appointed to advise the Rudd government on the use of water purchased to restore the rivers and wetlands of the Murray Darling Basin. Associate Professor Robyn Watts is one of a panel of scientific experts appointed to the Environmental Water Scientific Advisory Committee by the federal Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong. The committee will provide advice on setting environmental watering priorities, monitoring the benefits of environmental flows, and identifying knowledge gaps. Associate Professor Watts is a Principal Researcher in the University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society where she researches biodiversity and connectivity in aquatic ecosystems and the ecological responses to flow regimes in regulated rivers. She also teaches river ecology and restoration at CSU at Albury-Wodonga.

Landholders in the Greater Hume Shire of southern NSW can state the land management incentives that they prefer - such as fixed grants, rate relief, stewardship payments for existing practices or tenders - in a study being conducted by Charles Sturt University (CSU). Social researcher with CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society, Mr Jonathon Howard, said the study was the first attempt in Australia to map landholder preferences for different types of land management incentives across the landscape. “Government agencies are looking for more effective ways to achieve environmental outcomes,” Mr Howard said. “Catchment management authorities usually provide incentives through fixed grants or tenders but rarely ask people on the land what they actually need. This survey allows landholders to have their say on what sorts of programs should be available to them.” The study will help catchment authorities select the best incentive programs to address particular environmental issues. Landholders in the Greater Hume Shire are encouraged to complete a survey they will receive in the post during December. The study is in association with the Murray Catchment Management Authority, CSIRO and the Council.

The summer perennial weed Silverleaf Nightshade is estimated to cost agriculture millions of dollars every year in reduced crop and pasture production. 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. At a field day to be held on Thursday 4 December, Dr Rex Stanton will speak at a Leeton trial site about the effective chemical control of Silverleaf Nightshade. At a second site at Narrandera, he will discuss the use of mulch crops in suppressing the weed. The trial sites were established to investigate the role that competitive crops and herbicides can play in challenging the weed’s dominance.