Agricultural science students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) have again excelled at the Australian University Crops Competition held in Temora in September with two students named in the competition’s top five. An initiative of Grain Gowers Limited, the third annual competition was held from Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 September. The event, covering grains, pulses and oilseeds, involved students from six Australian universities. Two members of the CSU team, Ms Ally Dingjan from Wagga Wagga and Ms Candice Robinson from Whitton finished in the top five, ensuring the pair participates in a study tour to New Zealand in 2012. In addition to the individual winners, CSU took out the University Teams Award. Crop agronomy lecturer in the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Dr Sergio Moroni said, “The Charles Sturt University team performed extremely well throughout the competition. The seriousness of the event did not deter them from enjoying themselves. They made me proud.” The students are studying the Bachelor of Agricultural Science at CSU in Wagga Wagga.

International scholarship recipient Ms Julia Gatsek has spent two months at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange examining the link between anxiety, depression and chronic pain. CSU School of Biomedical Science academics Dr Andrew Delaney and Dr James Crane have hosted the German undergraduate student who is visiting the University on a scholarship funded by international pharmaceutical company Roche.  “Julia has been with us since August working in our research laboratory and running behavioural experiments,” says Dr Crane. “Thanks to the support of Charles Sturt University who subsidised her accommodation, Julia is working with our team until 7 October. To have the recipient of an internationally recognised scholarship working with us on this important project increases the standing of the University in the international biomedical sciences community. We hope it will lead to more collaboration between our research group and neuroscientists in Germany.”

Resources collated in a national education project, to be launched in Canberra on Wednesday 26 October, will provide a major boost for early childhood education students says Professor Sue Dockett, project team leader from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Murray School of Education. “Funding for the Early Childhood Education Workforce Project was available for only a limited time, so it has been really important that the outcomes of this project are sustainable. Although funding for the collaboration will finish, the resources will have a life of their own. They will have an influence far beyond the life of the project and will be freely available across the country. Regional and remote communities, in particular, will benefit in lots of ways. The studying teachers are working in communities where there aren’t many educators and they should feel valued and important. This project recognises the value quality educators give to a community. They can upgrade their qualifications and stay within their chosen community It’s a chance to look at career options without necessarily having to change location, so quality education is accessible and the profession is gaining and retaining the best qualified educators.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) researchers representing the areas of emergency management, community psychology, and economics, will host a meeting in Molong on Wednesday 8 February to discuss community preparedness for flooding, and their expectations relating to warnings, response, and recovery. Mr Ian Manock, lecturer in emergency management at the CSU Australian Graduate School of Policing said the meeting follows a postal survey distributed to residents in early January which sought responses to questions about community preparedness and expectations related to flooding in the Molong area. “This is part of a broader research project being conducted by the University which aims to analyse how a number of rural communities in both Australia and Bangladesh prepare for and react to flooding,” Mr Manock said. “Although different in terms of culture, economy, and size, the communities share similarities in that they are all exposed to flooding on a regular basis, and are all located outside major urban areas. We aim to use the experiences of the communities to identify strategies that can improve community preparedness, enable government agencies to better understand community expectations, and hopefully reduce the impact of future flooding on these rural and semi-isolated communities.” The community meeting is at 7pm Wednesday 8 February in the Molong Community Hall.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will welcome approximately 150 new students on Sunday 19 February when they arrive to register for on campus accommodation before the start of Orientation Week (‘O Week’) on Monday. They will join about 300 continuing students for the start of session one of the new academic year a week later on Monday 27 February. Dr Heather Robinson, the Head of Campus at CSU in Orange, said, “Orientation Week is always an exciting time, and we look forward to welcoming new students and the many parents who will visit on registration day. It is important to make the students’ tranistion to university life as smooth as possible, and all our staff are focused on this goal.” The students will register for their on campus accommodation between 12noon to 4pm on Sunday 19 at the Templers Mill Bar on campus. An accommodation information session for students and parents is scheduled at 4.30pm, to be followed by a barbeque. The University expects about 3 000 new domestic students and 260 new international students on its NSW campuses for its first intake this year, and a further 5 000 new domestic distance education students.

A leading advocate for the establishment of a new rural medical school at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will meet local councillors in Orange on Tuesday 28 February to update them on the University’s bid. Professor John Dwyer, founder of the Australian Health Care Reform Alliance and medical consultant to CSU, has been invited to address Orange City Council about the University’s proposal to establish a medical school. Professor Dwyer has been studying the reasons for the rural doctor shortage with colleagues from CSU for the last two years. He has argued recently that projected health budget savings from the federal government’s proposed introduction of means testing for health insurance rebates should be redirected to establishing a new rural medical school at CSU. If the bid proves successful, the School will be located at CSU in Orange. Professor Dwyer will address Council at 5.30pm Tuesday 28 February at the Council Chamber, corner of Byng Street and Lords Place, Orange.

Having raised more than $16 000 in the past two years, Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange hope to donate another large sum to the NSW Cancer Council on Saturday 10 March. This follows staff involvement in Relay for Life, an annual community event where teams participate in an overnight relay-style walk or run to raise funds for the NSW Cancer Council. Team coordinator and lecturer in anatomy and physiology in the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU, Dr James Wickham, believes the commitment of University staff to the community plays a big part in their fundraising success. “We have a smaller number of staff taking part this year, but they’re just as enthusiastic as ever,” Dr Wickham says. “Charles Sturt University staff enjoy participating in community events and this is for a good cause, so we can always rely on our family and friends to help us donate money for cancer research.” To support the CSU team in Relay for Life click here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo and Orange will come alive with science when the Science@CSU comes to town next week. The Faculty of Science at CSU is among the largest and most diverse science faculties in Australasia, with approximately 9 000 students and hundreds of staff in seven schools across six campuses. The Faculty teaches and conducts research in a variety of science and health disciplines including veterinary science, dentistry, nursing, environmental studies, forensic biotechnology, wine science, agriculture, and allied health. Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Nick Klomp, will present a summary of some of the exciting initiatives currently planned or being implemented in the various science disciplines at CSU, including new courses, current and future collaborations in research, and professional training made possible because of new international staff appointments and multi-million dollar investments in research and training facilities across CSU campuses. Science@CSU will visit the Dubbo Campus from 4pm to 5pm on Monday 19 March and the Orange Campus on Tuesday 20 March. Read more about Science@CSU here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will celebrate its cultural diversity on Wednesday 21 March which is national Harmony Day. “The past 10 years has seen an encouraging change in dynamics and cultures on the campus,” said Head of Campus, Dr Heather Robinson. “I think this comes with the increased diversity in courses offered on the campus. The undergraduate student body is a wonderful mixture of young people of all cultural backgrounds and we continue to host postgraduate students from Asia, Africa and Europe. It makes for a rich and diverse campus experience.” With the theme for Harmony Day 2012 Sport - play, engage, inspire, CSU will host a game of frisbee and a barbecue from midday at the CSU sports oval, with all staff, students and visitors welcome to attend.