A Charles Sturt University (CSU) psychology student is looking for volunteers from the Blayney-Bathurst-Orange area to participate in her research project on victims of mistreatment. Ms Belinda Harris said her research is designed to assist people aged 18 years or older who continue to experience distress, hurt or pain caused by others. “Participants will be invited to take part in a group treatment program that has been designed to assist people who believe they have been abused or significantly hurt by the actions of another individual or group,” Ms Harris said. “The treatment is for people who want to reduce the anger, hurt and discomfort they may feel as a result of interpersonal injustice.” For further information, with no obligation to participate, contact Ms Harris on 0401 276 322 or via email.

New students to Charles Sturt University (CSU) wanting to apply for scholarships for the coming year will need to get their applications in before Monday 18 February. The scholarships, which are offered through the Charles Sturt Foundation, are awarded to students who have demonstrated high levels of academic performance, leadership and motivation throughout their school careers. Some scholarships are also available for students undergoing economic hardship, are disadvantaged, are Indigenous or are undertaking distance education with CSU. In 2007, the Foundation provided 235 students with ongoing support for their University studies through the scholarship program.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host a rugby union reunion this Friday 2 to Sunday 4 May to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the victory for the Mitchell 1st XV in the 1978 NSW Central West Rugby Competition. In 1979 the reserve team won the Central West competition - the next time CSU won the competition was in 2006. All players, coaches and managers associated with the Mitchell Rugby teams of 1978 and 1979 have been invited. Sixty will attend the Reunion Dinner, including the Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU, Professor Ian Goulter, and CSU Rugby Club representatives and the winners of the 2007 and 2008 Bathurst Rugby Alumni Scholarships and 2008 Encouragement Award. Many players in the 1978 and 1979 teams also played for NSW and for carious Sydney clubs, including Ross Reynolds who went on to play for Australia in seven tests. Since July 2006, the Rugby alumni have contributed an annual scholarship worth $2 500 each year for three years for a worthy CSU student. 

Australia’s beef and live export industry will have a greater understanding of Indonesia’s beef market with the launch of a two and a half year project by the Asian Agribusiness Research Centre (AARC) at Charles Sturt University’s Orange Campus. Funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the project ‘Benchmarking the Beef Supply Chain in Eastern Indonesia’ is a collaboration with four Indonesian institutes and the world-wide network agri benchmark. Project leader Dr Claus Deblitz says, “The Indonesian beef supply chain has been identified as a crucial area in Eastern Indonesian agriculture and is one of the most complex”. Drawing a comprehensive picture of the stakeholders, product, finance and information flow, proposals will be developed investigating how the Indonesian supply chain can be more effective and competitive, and provide farmers with higher incomes.

There was loud applause for awarding-winning Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher Associate Professor Gavin Ash as he received public recognition for his work in the fields of agricultural and veterinary sciences and environmental sciences. Professor Ash was named earlier this year the recipient of the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence 2007. The CSU academic received his award from the Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter during the graduation ceremonies on the Wagga Wagga Campus in April. Professor Ash, from the CSU School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, was honoured for his outstanding contribution to innovative research in plant pathology, identifying and determining the risk posed by diseases in crops and exploring innovative approaches to the management of diseases and weeds. Since joining CSU at Wagga Wagga in 1990, Professor Ash has attracted more than $4.2 million in research funds, written for over 150 publications and supervised 38 postgraduate students. In the last five years Professor Ash has authored 27 refereed publications and gained 27 research grants.

Two journalists from the small European state of Montenegro, the world’s newest nation, have visited Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bathurst Campus to learn about how the media works in Australia and how the university promotes itself through the media. Dr Hazbo Skoko, a lecturer at the CSU School of Marketing and Management, hosted the visit and acted as interpreter for Mr Vukoman Batko Kljajevic, a radio and TV journalist for Crna Gora, the Montenegro Government Broadcast Company, and Mr Murat Corovic, chief editor of the MOZAIK magazine for culture, education and tradition. Dr Skoko said the visiting journalists were impressed with CSU students’ lifestyles and facilities. “They also were very impressed with the Australian educational system and the transparency, friendliness and easy going approach of the work of lecturers and students.”

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) research student is seeking volunteers from the Bathurst area to become involved in a physical health and wellbeing study. Mr Cheyne Donges, who is with the School of Human Movement Studies, said that while a number of women have registered for the research, he needs more Bathurst men to participate. “I need non-smoking men aged between 30 to 60 years,” Mr Donges said. “Furthermore, I am looking for people who are not currently or haven’t been exercising more than once per week in the last few months, and they should not be taking any hormone replacement therapy, blood pressure or cholesterol medication. Study participants will receive is a free comprehensive blood test with an explanation of their results, plus an image scan to analyse muscle, bone, fat and other tissues their body. We will also provide an analysis of muscle, strength and cardiorespiratory fitness.” Anyone interested to participate in the research can contact Mr Donges on 6338 4048, or send an email.

A massive 80 tonne crane will be used to lift and position prefabricated concrete 'pods' for innovative new accommodation on Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Bathurst Campus. Fifteen semi-trailers will deliver the pods on Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 June. Mr Andrew Callander, Executive Director of CSU Division of Student Services, said, “The installation of the concrete pods is a significant first step in providing new and much needed accommodation for our students. Construction is on schedule to date, and, weather permitting, the buildings should be completed in six months.” The pods are formed and cast in concrete with three walls and a roof as one. They are then lifted and locked into place onto concrete foundation pads, with plates holding the top of the pods together. The process should see two pods installed per hour, with the builders expecting to complete two houses with a central shared kitchen and bathroom in three days. The new accommodation at Bathurst will house up to 200 students and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2009 academic year.

A visiting world expert will present a seminar on 'communities of practice' for staff and students at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bathurst Campus on Monday 7 July. Dr Etienne Wenger, a pioneer and globally-recognized leader on ‘communities of practice’, or a group focussed on a common professional interest, and their application to organisations, will speak about 'Practice-based professional learning: investigating perspectives from social learning theory'. Dr Wenger describes himself as an independent thinker, researcher, consultant, author, and speaker. He is currently working as a consultant at the Open University in the United Kingdom and is author and co-author of articles and books on 'communities of practice' and is a founder of CPsquare, a cross-organizational, cross-sector community of practice on the topic. Professor Joy Higgs, Director of CSU’s Education for Practice Institute, said “Dr Wenger’s work has been adopted in many arenas due to the increasing recognition of the importance of learning and practice communities in many private and public sector workplaces”.