Australian artist Euan Heng has made a generous gift to the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Art Collection with the donation of 20 of his prints valued at more than $10 000. A former lecturer in drawing and printmaking at one of CSU’s predecessors, the Riverina College of Advanced Education, Euan Heng has exhibited his distinctive work across Australia and internationally. His art also features in the public collections of the National Gallery of Australia and the state galleries in Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland as well as many regional galleries. “This represents a substantial and very generous gift and a donation which will further enhance the University’s Art Collection,” said CSU Art Curator Thomas Middlemost. Boasting 1 700 pieces, the CSU Art Collection has a focus on print-making. The works are hung in public spaces throughout the University.

A competition to design the Learning Commons building on Charles Sturt University’s Thurgoona campus has attracted entries from five of Australia’s major architectural firms that specialise in environmentally sensitive buildings. The winning design and concept diagrams for the proposed $10 million project will receive around $30 000 first prize. The competition, which includes entries from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Albury, is endorsed by the Royal Australia Institute of Architects. The Learning Commons will complement the existing award winning buildings already on the University’s "greenfields" site. It will combine a new library and computer facilties with group and individual learning areas as well as recreational facilities that embody the latest concepts for tertiary education in Australia. The winning entry is due to be announced in late November.

As political and economic forces continue to impact upon and shape rural Australia it’s becoming increasingly important for people to develop the capacity to influence the direction of change in local businesses and communities. Recognising this, Charles Sturt University (CSU) has designed a new course, the Bachelor of Rural Studies, to fill a demand in rural communities where understanding of rural society leads to more effectively managed businesses and organisations. The course will be launched at the Australian National Field Days, Orange, by The Hon. Ian McDonald, NSW Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries. Beginning at 10.40am, on Tuesday 18 October, the Minister will be joined by Federal Member for Calare, Mr Peter Andren at the CSU Exhibition Site (site 5), located on the corner of Central Avenue and J Streets, between the Information and Function Centres at the Australian National Field Days, Orange.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Communication (Theatre/Media) graduate, Brendan Cowell has won The 2005 Philip Parsons Young Playwright's Award. Announced in Sydney on Sunday 9 October, Mr Cowell, 28, received a $10,000 mentoring commission from Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre Company B. He won the award for his treatment for Ruben Guthrie, a tale of male depression, addiction and the pressures of success. In order to qualify for the award, playwrights under 35 must submit a play that has already been performed in Australia by a professional theatre company. But the award is unlike other Australian playwright awards as it is given on the basis of a treatment for a potential new work and to the playwright rather than for the play. This recent success for Mr Cowell follows other awards including the 2003 Griffin Award for Rabbit, the 2002 Patrick White Award for Bed and the Gloria Payten-Gloria Dawn Foundation Young Artist Award for his work as an individual.

From testing agility to monitoring heart rate and ice bath recovery, some young athletes will gain an insight into exercise and sports science during a camp at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst this week.Almost 40 students from The Canobolas Rural Technology High School will attend the high performance camp which is being held in partnership with CSU's School of Exercise Science, Sport and Health and other allied health professionals."The athletes, who all compete in their respective sports at a regional level or higher, will take part in variety of practical physical tests making use of the staff expertise and equipment at Charles Sturt University," lecturer in exercise science, Dr Melissa Skein said."There's also team building activities, education workshops for various aspects that contribute to developing the athlete as a whole, including sport psychology."The camp is part of the Canobolas High Performance Athletics Program.

For those with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background who are interested in attending university, Charles Sturt University (CSU) has launched a new program which will make the university experience more attainable. CSU’s Indigenous Student Services has introduced a new skills assessment program called Darrambal. “Darrambal means ’footmarks’ or ’roadway’ and is used here to represent the lifelong journey of learning we all travel,” explains CSU’s Indigenous Student Services manager, Mr Ray Eldridge. “The program assesses each person’s skills, abilities and potential to succeed in their preferred course of study. Students who successfully the complete Darrambal program may be offered a place at Charles Sturt University to study their chosen course.” Any person who identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander may attend. “This is the perfect program for anyone who would like to study at university but are not sure if they satisfy the usual entry requirements.”

Economic uncertainty and population decline was a common feature of life in inland NSW and inland Australia generally in the first half of the twentieth century, but it did not become a serious problem until the 1930s, according to a Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher. Dr Robert Tierney, a lecturer at the School of Business at CSU in Bathurst, will present his findings at a public seminar at the University on Wednesday 8 December. “There was a far greater fall in wheat production in the Lachlan Valley region than wheat production across NSW as a whole during the Federation drought years of 1902-03 and the harsh dry seasons of 1918-20,” Dr Tierney said. “Faced with further suffering due to the Great Depression, and from the second world drought of 1937-1945, the people of the Lachlan wheat belt began to see themselves as the third generation to experience greater hardship than others in the NSW wheat belt. As a result young people left the Lachlan catchment between 1933 and 1947 in great numbers, in contrast to the rest of non-metropolitan NSW which grew. My research highlights the climatic and regional economic factors which underpinned the specific fragilities of agriculture and population in the Lachlan Catchment area.”

As families prepare for Christmas celebrations, with festive goodies such as candy canes, gingerbread and chocolate within easy reach, Charles Sturt University (CSU) Dental Clinic dentist Dr Ying Shi Chang asks parents to remember the importance of children’s teeth. “Holidays often mean lack of routine and the festive season is a time when people eat more sugar, more frequently, than at any other time of the year,” says Dr Chang. “That can cause serious problems for teeth unless sensible and straightforward steps are taken.” Dr Chang recommends limiting the number of times a day your child eats sugary treats or snacks between meals and avoiding soft, sticky treats that get stuck between teeth. “It is best to eat sugary treats at the end of mealtime while there is still plenty of saliva in the mouth, as saliva helps to wash away the sugars and acids. Drinking a glass of water after eating a sugary treat also helps.” Finally, always have your child brush and floss before going to bed. It is also suggested that parents book their children in for an annual check-up before the start of a school year.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) student will represent the University and Australia as a member of the cross-country skiing team in competition at the World University Winter Games in Erzurum in Turkey from Thursday 27 January to Sunday 6 February 2011. Ms Esther Bottomley is an elite cross-country skier who is currently studying a postgraduate Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary) by distance education through the School of Teacher Education in Bathurst. CSU student support officer, Mr Nik Granger, said, “Esther is Australia's number one ranked cross-country sprint skier, and has competed in the 2005 and 2007 Winter University Games. She is presently training in Switzerland for the upcoming Games. Studying by distance education with Charles Sturt University has enabled her to further her studies to become a teacher while allowing her the time and flexibility to train and compete at an elite level in cross-country skiing. During her studies Esther has competed in several World Cup events, the 2009 World Championships in the Czech Republic, and qualified and competed in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.”