Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be well represented at a key international event for developers and IT professionals in June. The week-long Apple World-Wide Developers Conference 2009 (WWDC) will be held in San Francisco, California,from Monday 8 June,and third year Bachelor of Computer Science (Games Technology) student Mr David Winder, from Bathurst, has won a $3 200 Apple University Consortium (AUC) Competitive Student Scholarship to attend. “To be able to meet and communicate with some of the leading intellects in the industry is extremely exciting,” said Mr Winder. He’ll be joining CSU PhD student Mr James Bekkema who received a two year AUC Student Developer Scholarship in 2008 to attend the same event. “The conference is vital for those who work or study in the computer industry as the sessions provide incredibly valuable information on the current and future state of software technologies, such as OpenCL and ‘Grand Central’,” said Mr Bekkema, who is also based in Bathurst. “However one of the most important aspects of WWDC is the networking. I have met extremely talented developers and have made valuable contacts within the industry.”

Residents of Albury-Wodonga are urged to think about their health and take advantage of free blood pressure checks being offered by Charles Sturt University (CSU) nursing students as part of Wodonga Library’s Health Week promotion from Monday 27 April to Saturday 2 May. A group of CSU nursing students, under the supervision of lecturer Ms Sharon Laver, have volunteered their time during the University’s mid-semester break to take blood pressure of residents, while allied health students including speech therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists will talk about promoting good health. The students and academics will also provide course information to people interested in a career in health through the CSU Faculty of Science.

The advertising course at Charles Sturt University (CSU) is now fully accredited by the national industry body, the Media Federation of Australia (MFA). Associate Professor Rod McCulloch, Head of the CSU School of Communication and advertising course coordinator, said “This is great news for the University and our students, and is a tribute to the hard work of Mr David Maxwell, lecturer in advertising at CSU, who made it happen. It means that the overarching national body of advertising media professionals in Australia recognises and endorses the course, and this ensures that CSU is a leading provider of job-ready professionals who can work anywhere in Australia or the world. In line with the speed of change media is experiencing, our advertising course is going from strength to strength, and our students are prepared for exciting roles in a dynamic and challenging economic climate where advertisers increasingly seek more bang for their bucks. The accreditation of the course adds a level of certainty to our students’ and graduates’ prospects.”

Veterinary science facilities at Charles Sturt University (CSU) and collaborative research in animal production and health have recently been given a vote of confidence during a key visit to Wagga Wagga. The support for facilities, research and diagnostic scientists came from the Board of Animal Health Australia, a not-for-profit public company established by government and major national livestock industry organisations. The visit in early April included meetings with the Director of the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Professor Deirdre Lemerle, Head of the CSU School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Professor Kym Abbott, as well as Professor of Veterinary Parasitology, Professor Terry Spithill, and Professor of Veterinary Pathobiology, Professor Nicholas Sangster, who organised the visit. “The Board was particularly interested in the construction of the University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory,” said Professor Abbott. “The laboratory will make a critical contribution to the Australian Animal Health Laboratory Network, by virtue of its location, facilities, staff and the opportunities it will offer to educate the next generation of veterinary pathobiologists.” Ongoing discussions are planned between Animal Health Australia and CSU during the $8.2 million construction of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory during 2009.

Professor of Agriculture at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Jim Pratley, has been appointed to a key Australian Government advisory body on rural research and development. The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Hon. Tony Burke, MP, this year announced the establishment of the Rural Research & Development (R&D) Council. The Council is the government’s key advisory body on rural R&D and aims to provide high level advice and coordination to better target and improve the effectiveness of the government’s investment in rural R&D. Professor Pratley, who is also Secretary of the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture, is one of 10 members on the new Council. Professor Pratley is a staff member at the E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation in Wagga Wagga, a collaborative alliance between CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries. The Rural R & D Council is due to meet again in May.

A new book by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher aims to provide environmentally friendly solutions for invasive weeds which cause major problems for agriculture, particularly in tropical regions of developing countries. Biological control of tropical weeds using arthropods, by Dr Anantanarayanan Raman, a senior lecturer at CSU and a researcher at the E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, covers the origin, distribution, and ecology of 20 key invasive weed species that occur mostly in the tropics. Dr Raman says cost-efficient biological control is a self-sustaining way to reduce this problem, and produces fewer effects than chemical methods, which can cause serious damage to the environment.’s “The book contains information about the sustainable biological control of each weed using insects and mites,” he said. “It is a valuable resource for scientists and policy makers concerned with invasive tropical weeds and their spread, and will also assist in the assessment of potential risks to native and economic plants.”

While 2009 provides Charles Sturt University (CSU) with an opportunity to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the year is also a time to honour the 114-year tradition of excellence and innovation in teaching, learning and research. The University was established when the Charles Sturt University Act was passed by the NSW Parliament in July 1989, however the institution’s history can be traced back to the Bathurst Experimental Farm, established in 1895.The official opening ceremony for the University’s 20th anniversary will be held from 11am, Thursday 12 March, in Joyes Hall at CSU at Wagga Wagga. Read more here.

Governments across Australia have spent billions of dollars on programs to encourage rural landholders to implement sustainable farming and biodiversity conservation practices, but has this money been well spent? Drawing on his research in south eastern Australia, Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic Professor Allan Curtis will address this question when he speaks at the Fenner Conference on the Environment in Canberra on Wednesday 11 March. Professor Curtis will highlight the reality that most conservation work undertaken by private landholders is not funded by governments and that government investment in conservation programs, particularly those that invest in building and engaging human and social capital in rural communities, makes a difference. “The ‘business as usual’ approaches to engaging rural landholders are unlikely to work in the future given the remarkable change occurring as a large proportion of longer-term owners leave the land,” he said.

While influenza A (H1N1), formerly known as swine flu, has not yet been found in Australia, authorities are urging the public to take precautions against infection. Charles Sturt University (CSU) is holding a public seminar on Wednesday 6 May to provide facts and dispel the myths about the pandemic which is unfolding around the global. Associate Professor in Veterinary Pathobiology at CSU, Shane Raidal, said all new influenza viruses are a threat but the mechanisms put in place by the World Health Organisation provide a means for early detection and intervention. He will address the Reassortment amongst and evolution of influenza viruses at the seminar. Associate Professor in Diagnostic Pathology John Glastonbury, will discuss The pathogenesis and pathology of the disease in pigs and humans. Professor Glastonbury’s teaching and research interests include the diseases of pigs. The third speaker, Dr Ross Cutler, holds an adjunct appointment at CSU and is a veterinarian who specialises in pigs. He will speak about Epidemiology, biosecurity and international issues relating to the influenza.