A visiting decision-making expert from the United Kingdom will present a seminar for psychology academics and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Wednesday 20 April. The organiser of the seminar, Dr Stephanie Quinton, a psychology lecturer at the CSU School of Psychology in Bathurst, says that guest lecturer Dr Mandeep K Dhami, who lectures at the Institute of Criminology at the University of Cambridge, will present a series of studies whose findings have implications for the psychology of decision-making as well as the criminal justice system. “Dr Dhami’s presentation, titled Simply Criminal or Legally Simple?, will argue that generally accepted perspectives on crime and justice - which assume that people use compensatory decision strategies that weight and integrate all of the available and relevant information in order to make a decision - may be wrong,” Dr Quinton said. “She will assert that the decision-making of both offenders and court judges, by contrast, can be best described as ‘non-compensatory’; that is, they rely on simple ‘fast and frugal’ personal investigative methods that ignore much of the available and relevant information, and base decisions on one piece of information alone.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is taking a closer look at garbage as part of an annual environmental scorecard tracking resource use and greenhouse gas emissions from the institution. The scorecard is produced by CSU Green , and this year’s features more information about waste at the University. The report found almost 16 000 cubic metres of waste was produced in 2010 and more than 75 per cent went into landfill. Acting Manager of CSU Green, Mr Edward Maher, says in the past waste was viewed simply as a cost for the organisation. “A lot of hard work has gone into understanding more about where the waste is coming from and what types of materials it contains,” Mr Maher said. “From here there is real scope to implement avoidance, reuse and recycling initiatives that will ultimately result in less waste to landfill.”   CSU has set a target for 2014 to recover 70 per cent of its solid waste rather than send it to landfill. The environmental scorecard also shows that despite construction of new facilities, CSU’s greenhouse gas emissions are steady and water consumption is nearly half that used in 2006.

A leading Australian theologian and academic at Charles Sturt University (CSU) has been awarded an honorary doctorate by another national university. Reverend Professor James Haire, AM, KSJ, who is Professor of Theology at CSU and executive director of the CSU Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (ACC&C) , received the Doctor of the University from the Australian Catholic University in Sydney at its recent graduation ceremony. The citation for the honorary degree noted that Reverend Professor Haire is one of the world’s leading scholars and promoters of interfaith dialogue. It concludes, ‘Australia is indebted to James for his work in encouraging understanding between not only the Christian churches, but between people of different faiths’. Reverend Professor Haire also delivered the occasional address to graduates, and spoke of the need for them to be compassionate and generous in their personal and professional lives. “My experience is that, on balance, unless there is obvious evil, it is worth taking the risk to be generous. If you are generous, you give and you expect trust, and it is trust that is both the Christian way, and in any case makes life worth living,” he said.

With children counting down the days until Easter, Charles Sturt University (CSU) Dental and Oral Health Clinic  dentist Dr Ying Shi Chang asks parents to remember the importance of children’s teeth. “Everyone loves indulging in some chocolate at Easter time,” says Dr Chang, “but it’s also a good time to book in a dental check-up for the family.” Dr Chang recommends parents make the most of the CSU Dental and Oral Health Clinic. “The Clinic is large, colourful and friendly so it’s perfect for young children. As well as professional dentists, third year Bachelor of Dental Science students are available to clean children’s teeth and teach the importance of regular brushing and flossing.” To book an appointment at the CSU Dental and Oral Health Clinic call 1300 278 642.

The 25th Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bathurst Half-Marathon and 10 kilometre Run will be staged on Sunday 1 May. Lecturer at the School of Human Movement Studies in Bathurst,  Mr Peter Micalos, said, “The half-marathon and 10 kilometre run  are staged over a flat, fast course on pathways and country lanes around the Macquarie River, and starts and finishes at the Bathurst Rugby Club in Hereford Street. All runners should ensure an adequate carbohydrate diet and be appropriately hydrated before the event.” The entry fee is $30 or $15 for students, and includes a free sausage sizzle at the presentation, and random-draw prizes.

Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) researchers and lecturers at the CSU School of Biomedical Sciences,  Dr James Crane and Dr Andrew Delaney, will explore the nature of human emotions when they present a two-part public lecture, ‘The Emotional Brain’, at CSU in Bathurst on Tuesday 3 May. Dr Crane will examine the research questions that have fascinated psychologists and neuroscientists for more than 100 years; ‘what are emotions?’ and ‘how does the brain generate an emotion?’. “I will discuss the early anatomical research that uncovered the brain regions involved, and the more recent advances made in tracing the neuronal pathways, some of which are involved in generating the emotional response to pain,” Dr Crane said. Dr Delaney will discuss how emotion is an integral aspect of pain. “I will highlight the current research Dr Crane and I are doing to address how the emotional circuits of the brain are activated during a painful experience, and how changes in these circuits might contribute to the high rate of depression and anxiety in sufferers of chronic pain,” Dr Delaney said.

A philosophical play written and directed by two Charles Sturt University (CSU) acdemics will have a second performance on Thursday 28 April due to popular demand as part of the current Greek Festival in Sydney. The play, Wise After the Fact, is by Dr Edward Spence, and is directed by Mr Ray Harding, both lecturers at the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst. “Wise After the Fact examines the origins and development of Wisdom in ancient Greece, and juxtaposes this with the dilemmas confronting individuals and society in the present Age of Information,” Dr Spence said. “I also discuss philosophy with the audience, and the first performance (on 14 April) was so successful the festival organisers invited us to return.”

Six separate ceremonies at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will see about 1 000 graduates awarded degrees and higher qualifications for their studies completed at the University by the end of 2010. As in past years, thousands of friends and family members are expected to visit Bathurst to share the graduation celebrations. The morning and afternoon ceremonies are on Wednesday 11 (Faculty of Business), Thursday 12 (Faculty of Education), and Friday 13 May (Faculties of Science and Arts). In a move to more closely align graduation ceremonies with the year of completion of studies, CSU will introduce graduations in December, starting in 2011.

A special weekend ‘camp’ for developers of applications for mobile devices such as phones and hand-held computers will be held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 May. Event organiser Mr Martin Hale is an adjunct senior lecturer in computing at CSU and the chief executive officer of The IT Masters Pty Ltd, a partner organisation with the University. “The development of games and applications for mobile phones and tablets is a booming area and we expect about 150 information technology professionals from around Australia will attend the Mobile Camp Oz event,” said Mr Hale. “Mobile Camp Oz is a free, developer community-driven event which allows people with interests in developing for mobile devices to come together in one location and interact with expert speakers who will deliver presentations on a wide range of mobile developer topics.” For more information, click here, or telephone 1300 885 685.