Charles Sturt University (CSU) Council last week inducted four new members. Ms Geraldine Kennett is currently enrolled at CSU in the Doctorate of Business Administration course. “I am originally from the country, so an inland University appeals to me. CSU is in a position to address some of the skills shortages and population and demographic issues in regional Australia.” Ms Kennett is the Membership Strategy Manager at the Australian Industry Group and an affiliate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. The other new Council members are Dr Robert Macklin, an elected staff member from the Faculty of Commerce, Ms Heather Bell who is Acting Head of CSU’s Dubbo Campus, and primary education student Mr Mitchell Elks, who said 'as an undergraduate student living on campus, I want to have a voice, and being on the Council helps me do that. I also want to ensure that the best interests of CSU students are being considered in the University’s decisions.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) human movement graduate, Paralympian and current world wheelchair marathon champion Kurt Fearnley won the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday 4 March smashing the course record by more than a minute. Kurt is originally from Carcoar in the NSW Central West region. Yesterday he said from LA, “It was a particularly sweet victory - my fifth straight win. I have definitely hit something - whether it is my peak I don’t know. I have conditioned myself to race week in and week out, and I am not sure how long it will last, so I am trying to do as many marathons as I can and figure out which ones I enjoy most”. This weekend Kurt travels to Japan for a track meeting before the Rome Marathon on 18 March. In April he will compete in the Paris and London marathons and attend the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards in Spain as Australia’s only nominee.

Former US Vice President Al Gore was in the news last week when it was revealed his household energy bill amounted to US$30 000 a year. Jodie Kleinschafer, a Charles Sturt University PhD student currently studying ways households can become more energy efficient, said: “If he is being carbon neutral, using renewable energy sources that are 100 per cent green, then he is not being inconsistent with his environmental stance.” She says there are simple ways to reduce electricity consumption. “Turn down the temperature on your hot water, use the air conditioner less, and don’t turn your heater up quite so high.” Mrs Kleinschafer says “smart meters” are also a useful option for improving energy efficiency because they “give immediate feedback on how much electricity is being used and how much it is costing. Until our electricity is from 100 per cent renewable energy sources, it is in everybody’s best interest to become more energy efficient”.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) veterinary students will be given practical guidance on leadership, team-work, communication, emotional intelligence and conflict management tomorrow Wednesday 7 March as part of a veterinary leadership experience (VLE) workshop on CSU Wagga Wagga Campus. CSU lecturer in dairy cattle practice Natasha Lees said, “The VLE is a chance for students to further develop their skills enabling them to successfully make the transition from the lecture hall to the workplace”. Ms Lees believes the workshops will help CSU produce graduates that meet the needs of its regional, national and international communities. First year students in CSU’s School of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences will be addressed during the workshop by Professor Rick Debowes and psychologist Kathy Ruby, both from Washington State University, USA.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer in animation Damian Candusso is celebrating Oscar success for Australian director George Miller’s animated feature film Happy Feet. Damian, who is based at the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus, was already in Los Angeles for the 2007 Motion Picture Sound Editors’ (MPSE) annual Golden Reel Awards ceremony, which was held on Saturday 24 February. Happy Feet was nominated for Best Sound Editing at those awards, but lost to the animated movie Cars. However, last night Happy Feet went one better to pick up the Oscar for the Best Animated Feature Film at the 2007 Academy Awards. Speaking from Los Angeles Damian, who worked as a sound editor on the animated penguin flick said, “We’re all very excited,” adding , ”The sound award would have been awesome but the Academy Award is a higher honour”.

A report was released in the UK last week which claimed that watching television harmed children much more than previously thought. The research was drawn from analysing 35 scientific studies and identified 15 negative affects including obesity, which the report claimed TV caused through a lack of exercise. That sets off alarm bells for Charles Sturt University’s Dr Michael Gard. “All 35 studies will be variable in terms of methodology, the strength of their findings, and what they measured. There is a lot of research on obesity, health and television, and none have shown any connection between TV watching, physical activity and obesity. Technology does not make you fat and stupid and sick. Yes, kids need a variety of experiences. But there is a greater evil here and that is people like this who start telling us how to live our lives rather than kids watching TV every day.”

A project that will develop models of health care that work for the specific needs of rural and remote communities will start in Molong in the Central West region next month. Dr Julaine Allan, from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Biomedical Sciences, will ask focus groups about “their experience of health care provision, what the community needs now and in the future, what models of health service provision work and do not work, and what they would suggest to improve them”. In April, Dr Allan will take her “intensive case study” to Canowindra. “We will compare the two towns and work out why some services work well in one area and not another. Even though communities may be of similar sizes, they are not necessarily the same. We are aiming to improve rural health status by being able to target those differences.” Dr Allan says this is the pilot phase of the project, “and we are seeking additional funding to work with other communities in inland Australia”.

Earlier this month the Australian government announced it would set aside more than $1.7 million for projects under the Defeating the Weed Menace program, including nearly $280 000 for research on Parkinsonia, one of Australia’s worst weeds and ranked number one on the list of the 20 Weeds of National Significance. Dr Anantanarayanan Raman, senior lecturer in Ecological Agriculture at Charles Sturt University’s Orange Campus, said Parkinsonia is a problem throughout the tropical world where it spreads rapidly by seed. “Currently only integrated pest management and grazing by camels are being explored in Australia to control Parkinsonia. Biological control appears as a strong possibility to me, especially by using seed-feeding insects. One species of Asphondylia is known to infest Parkinsonia flowers and feed on them, which could lead to the total degeneration of the flowers. This species and other seed and flower-infesting insects need to be surveyed for their potential,” said Dr Raman.

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) Indigenous Employment Program is proving an effective vehicle for positive change and equity. Melanie Shea is one shining light to emerge from the program that offers ten traineeships a year in the University. She is now employed at the CSU Learning Materials Centre (LMC) as a full-time despatch assistant and has gained invaluable workplace experience with the full support of the CSU Indigenous Employment Coordinator, Karen Kime. Mel began a twelve month traineeship in Transport and Distribution at the LMC just one week after completing her Higher School Certificate. “I believe on-the-job training is a great door opener for people to gain confidence, knowledge and qualifications. The new skills can then be applied in any workplace. I am so pleased to have been a part of the program,” Melanie said.