Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Bathurst Regional Council (BRC) hope to join forces on a grey water project which “will put Bathurst on the map as a leading water conservation city,” according to CSU research fellow Mr Daryl McGregor. The project will see 200 Bathurst homes fitted with a variety of grey water reuse treatment systems. “In partnership with BRC, CSU will take samples of what goes in the treatment plants and what comes out,” Mr McGregor explained. “We will measure power usage for pumps and how much cleaning and maintenance are required, while the treatment efficiency will be measured by laboratory analysis.” The subsequent recommendations could benefit people around Australia, says BRC’s manager of waste and water authority, Mr David Swan. “In the first instance, we are doing it in Bathurst but there is a wider application as well.”

“At what point did people start to talk about sporting defeats as terrible tragedies, and wins as glorious triumphs?” In his seminar The Birth of Passion, Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Dr Michael Gard asks, in modern sport, do highly paid players need to demonstrate their “passion” for sport in ever-more overt ways because, if they didn't, it would be more difficult for us “mere mortals” to overlook the huge sums of money players are paid? “Sport has become a bigger and bigger business. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. People get swept along with it; suddenly they really do think it is important whether or not Federer wins the French Open, and if he does, you have people dancing in the street. And the players, instead of just shaking their opponent’s hand, are prostrate on the ground. The displays of emotion have changed dramatically over time.”

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) research team, funded by Land and Water Australia, believe they know where the key to successful serrated tussock control in native pastures can be found - in the people most affected by this weed, farmers. “A weed of national significance, serrated tussock covers more than one million hectares in NSW alone and impacts on the ability of farmers to make a living,” researcher Dr Aaron Simmons explains. “There are no concrete figures on how much land in the greater Bathurst area is infested but there are infestations around Turondale, Hill End, Rockley and Trunkey Creek.” Some farmers have been able to control this devastating weed whilst others have struggled. Although the CSU research team have interviewed many farmers in the district they are looking for more. Dr Aaron Simmons explains, “We want to interview around 80 people, or 40 sites, for this project and we are halfway there. Any further sites that could be found would be greatly appreciated”.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) Distance Education psychology student will be awarded four separate University prizes as well as the University Medal when he graduates with first class honours at the CSU Bathurst Campus graduation ceremony on Friday 11 May. Mr Justin Harrison will receive his Bachelor of Psychology (Honours, Class 1) together with the Australian Psychological Society Prize, the Coleman's Prize in Psychology, the Social Sciences and Liberal Studies School Prize, and the W J Coote Showcase Jewellers Prize. “I did my first three years undergraduate as a distance education student in Alice Springs and completed my thesis part-time in Wagga Wagga,” Justin explained. “It is great to reap the rewards of hard work, but at the end of the day you are as good as your training, and my training has been excellent. I am now honoured to be counted as a new colleague among the CSU teaching team I hold in such high regard,” Justin said.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Human Movement Studies initiative with the Western Region Academy of Sport (WRAS) at Bathurst aims to enhance the performance and competitive edge of elite athletes from regional NSW while providing practical experience for CSU Human Movement students. Dr Stephen Bird, a lecturer in Human Movement at CSU, said the program, known as the ‘WRAS Strength and Conditioning Internship (SCI)’, offers the human resources, scientific knowledge and programming expertise that enables athletes to train systematically and safely to improve sports performance and reduce the risk of injury. “The Internships are open to senior second and third year Human Movement students and will give them the proficiency, skills and knowledge required as early-career strength and conditioning professionals. The first two CSU interns, Ryan Drew and Geoff Minett, will devise individualised programs with strength and conditioning activities specific to each athlete’s chosen sport,” he said.

Academics and other professional staff at Charles Sturt University (CSU) are being introduced to the next wave of online change. Associate Professor Marian Tulloch, the Director of the Centre for Enhanced Learning and Teaching (CELT), will introduce the new online learning and teaching environment CSU Interact at a series of seminars on CSU’s campuses between 7 May and 16 May. “In early 2008 CSU Interact the new online collaborative scholarly environment will be rolled out across the University for learning and teaching,” Professor Tulloch said. “As part of CSU’s flexible learning strategy it will provide an integrated, enhanced and evolving learning environment for on and off campus students. Because it is a complex and collaborative process, these seminars will provide an opportunity for staff to hear more about the development of CSU Interact, to ask questions, and make suggestions.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will honour the achievements of Mrs Gail Kelly, the managing director and chief executive office (CEO) of the St George Bank at the University’s Bathurst Campus graduation ceremony at 10.30am on Friday 11 May. Mrs Kelly will receive an honorary Doctor of Business for her contribution to the financial services and banking industries, and to the promotion of women in leadership. Mrs Kelly, who will also deliver the occasional address at the graduation ceremony, migrated from South Africa to Australia with her husband and four children in 1997. She was head of the Customer Service Division of the Commonwealth Bank prior to joining the St George Bank in January 2002, and was the first woman to become CEO of a major Australian bank and one of the top 15 public companies in Australia. The Australian Women’s Weekly magazine recently nominated Mrs Kelly as one of the ten most powerful women in Australia.

The Vice-Chancellor of Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Ian Goulter, will confer his Teaching Excellence Award for 2006 on Ms Deborah Clarke, lecturer at the School of Human Movement, at the University’s Bathurst Campus postgraduate students’ graduation ceremony on Thursday 10 May. Ms Clarke’s ability to engage her students and develop them into critical thinkers and life-long learners was central to her success. “In everything she does, Ms Clarke focuses on making connections between university study and the world of schools,” says Professor Toni Downes, Dean of the Faculty of Education. “Her classes are highly interactive and always at the forefront of knowledge about teaching, a point consistently acknowledged by her students. Above all, she helps her students to see how dry curriculum documents can be translated into exciting and meaningful classroom experiences for children in schools. She does this by modelling creative, challenging and innovative ways of teaching children and always looking for ways to improve her own practice.”

Canadians Marlene Mackey and Donna Leafloor collect their Master of Health Services Management at Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bathurst graduation tomorrow morning (Wednesday 9 May). Marlene and Donna studied via distance education and are travelling across the world from Canada to attend the ceremony. Marlene said it seemed the perfect opportunity to turn the graduation experience into “the trip of a lifetime. This is all part of our journey. Graduating will give us closure and make it seem real. The whole process has offered us great job opportunities”. CSU senior lecturer Jenni Brackenreg said the School of Nursing and Midwifery was “delighted” that Marlene and Donna were making such a huge effort. “Despite the distances, we make very close connections with our Canadian students and Marlene and Donna are excellent examples of that.”