There is nothing worse than ending up in the emergency room with food poisoning on Christmas day and it is just as bad being the host who provides the food. To ensure it doesn’t happen to you this Christmas Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Biomedical Sciences food microbiology lecturer, Dr Ester Mpandi Khosa has some food safety suggestions. “From a microbiological point of view, food poisoning is a very serious illness,” Dr Khosa says. “Micro-organisms growing on food can cause food-borne illness, which in some reported cases, has resulted in death of the victim.” This is the time of year when a large quantity of food is processed, purchased and consumed, creating a huge potential for food poisoning, if the food is not handled properly. “Every food handler, from farm to table, has a responsibility to make sure food is kept safe from contamination that can lead to food poisoning. The food that one handles is going to be consumed by someone else so it is important to make sure that hands are washed thoroughly, surfaces and utensils are clean and foods are stored at the correct temperature.”

Society has been transformed by computing and data transfer technology in the last two decades. The success of Charles Sturt University (CSU), which was established in 1989, owes much to the innovation and capacity of its Division of Information Technology (DIT) which celebrates its 20th anniversary with a staff barbeque on Friday 26 November. DIT Executive Director, Mr Garry Taylor, said, “Charles Sturt University was created as part of the Dawkins-era reform of the Australian higher education sector, and the University’s success is partly due to the early and deliberate priority to develop technology to ensure success. We were one of the first universities in Australia to adopt video conferencing technology, and we now have more than 100 terminals, which is important for teaching, learning and collaboration, as well as reducing the need to travel which is important for the environment. In 1990 Charles Sturt University was one of the first regional universities to connect to the Internet, and at one stage our website had the most ‘hits’ of any website in Australia in 1995-96. We also had a world-first enterprise-wide Online Learning Environment in 1997. We now have the fastest single and direct internal network link in regional Australia and the largest wireless network in the Southern Hemisphere.”

Racehorse injuries and performance are the subject of new research led by Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Dr Brian Spurrell from the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga. While the equine industry contributes up to $6.3 billion annually to the Australian economy, of which racing contributes around $3.9 billion and equestrian events $0.87 billion, the management of equine athletes and detection of injuries remains a significant problem. The relationship between a horse’s gait and the performance surface may contribute to the incidence of lower limb injuries. “As many as 70 per cent of two year-old thoroughbreds suffer stress related injuries in their lower limbs and up to 35 per cent of racehorses never resume racing as a consequence,” Dr Spurrell said. “The aim of the research is to develop a system which can be used in the field to measure important biomechanical parameters of a horse such as how hard the hoof hits the ground, the way the limb moves and how that relates to joint movement and muscle activity. The system will hopefully also indicate how quickly the horse is tiring, post-event recovery and a comparison to its last monitoring.” The research is expected to produce results in various stages by October 2011 and mid-2012.

If you think the leader of the Labor party is working tirelessly prior to the election this Saturday, try being her comic double, Julia Spillard. Having perfected Prime Minister Gillard’s voice, facial expressions and hand gestures, the character actor, comic and Charles Sturt University (CSU) graduate, Ms Gabby Millgate, is winning votes throughout the country as she visits various locations on her busy schedule. Ms Millgate, a graduate of CSU’s Bachelor of Communication (Theatre/Media), has been seen in movies such as Muriel’s Wedding and thriller Feed, on television, radio, theatre and has also worked as a script writer. She is thought of as one of Australia’s most versatile and resourceful actors. “Charles Sturt University’s Theatre/Media degree gives students the tools they need to succeed in any medium of the arts,” says senior lecturer in the School of Communication and Creative Industries, Dr Gerard Boland. “Gabby is a perfect example of how our graduates use their skills to construct meaningful careers in the media, events and live entertainment industries.” Ms Millgate’s character, Julia Spillard, could be seeing a lot more work, if the election is won by the Labor party this weekend, which makes you wonder how Ms Millgate will vote.

About 50 prospective Indigenous students from all over NSW and two from Queensland are participating in the three-day Darrambal Skills Assessment Program at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst this week. Mr Ray Eldridge, Manager of CSU’s Indigenous Student Services, said, “Darrambal is an innovative skills assessment program designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. The program compares participants’ existing skills and abilities with the entry requirements for their preferred courses at CSU, and assesses their potential to succeed in university study. Darrambal allows participants to attend university-style classes, learn skills needed for success at university, and meet lecturers and other staff in a supportive environment. Those who successfully complete Darrambal may be offered a place at CSU to study their preferred or an optional course. Alternatively, they may be encouraged to first undertake some other course of study.” More information can be found here, or phone Wammarra Indigenous Student Service Centre at CSU in Bathurst on mobile 0457 866 905.

The Vice-Chancellor and President of Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Ian Goulter, and CSU senior executives will meet with Mr Barry O’Farrell, MP, Leader of the NSW Opposition, and Mr Andrew Stoner, MP, Leader of the Nationals, at the University in Bathurst on Wednesday 3 November. Councillor Paul Toole, the Mayor of Bathurst, will also attend in his capacity as the National Party candidate for the seat of Bathurst at the NSW state election in March 2011. The meeting will discuss strategic priorities for rural and regional NSW in the lead up to the State election including: the rural doctor shortage and CSU’s proposal to establish a rural Medical School; future collaboration on meeting State workforce needs; regional development; and, decentralisation of government services.

A leading international community critical psychologist and Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic, Professor David Fryer, will speak as part of the CSU public lecture series in Bathurst on Wednesday 17 November. Professor Fryer, a lecturer and researcher at the CSU School of Psychology in Bathurst, says his topic, Unemployment from a Community Critical Psychology Standpoint: Misery, Mental Ill-Health and Marienthal, examines the relationship between unemployment, misery, mental health and community life. “Although the first research into this topic commenced in the 1930s, the question has seldom been more internationally relevant, nor answers more needed, than since the recent global financial crisis which has led to mass unemployment, under-employment, and insecure employment in many of the world’s major economies. Social scientists agree that unemployment leads to mental health, social and community problems, not only among those directly affected but also in the wider community. This lecture will look at these problems from a community critical standpoint and discuss their international and local relevance,” Professor Fryer said.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will hold its annual tertiary learning and teaching conference CSUEd2010, in Bathurst from 9-11 November, with six pre-conference workshops on Tuesday 9 November. The Conference Chair, Associate Professor Som Naidu, the Director of Teaching and Learning Quality Services in the CSU Division of Learning and Teaching Services, said the theme of this year’s conference is ‘Educating for 2020 and beyond’.“The two conference keynote addresses will be delivered by Professor Jeannie Herbert, Foundation Chair of Indigenous Studies at Charles Sturt University, and Professor Ron Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education at the University of London in the UK. The pre-conference workshops will allow staff from across the University to actively discuss a range of topics related to learning and teaching at the University including education for practice, blended and flexible learning, and curriculum renewal,” Professor Naidu said.

A panel of senior academics will explore the topic University Education in the 21st century: Profession, Praxis or … Purchase??? at a special seminar for university educators at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Monday 8 November. The CSU Education For Practice Institute (EFPI) will host the seminar to be chaired by its Deputy Director, Dr Stephen Loftus. “The panellists will discuss a range of important and related questions for the audience of university educators,” Dr Loftus said. “What is 21st century university education like and what is driving it? From the point of view of the educators, is it a profession or a practice/praxis? Or is it more like a business where the commodity of education is purchased? Has higher education become a matter of survival? What should universities be doing to flourish within the higher education marketplace but stop short of becoming a shop? What are the implications of these debates and trends for Charels Sturt University?” The seminar precedes the CSUED 2010 conference to be held on 10-11 November.