The role of women in higher education is being celebrated at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst and at universities across the country during Bluestocking Week from Monday 13 to Friday 17 August. Dr Kristina Gottschall, a lecturer at the School of Teacher Education in Bathurst, and the newly-elected President of the Bathurst sub-branch of the National Tertiary Education Union, said two events are planned. “All ‘Bluestockings’ and their supporters are invited to attend a screening of the new Australian film The Sapphires at 6.40pm on Tuesday 14 at the Metro Cinema, Bathurst, and there will be a special lunch at Café Mitchell on the University’s Bathurst Campus from 12.30pm on Wednesday 15 August ,” Dr Gottschall said. “In addition to providing a place for women, their friends and supporters in Charles Sturt University to get together, we want to stress the importance of women’s contribution to academic life, advancing feminism and equality through education and collaboration, and subverting the social constructs that narrow social roles, and women’s creativity, expression and thought. It’s essential to reconnect through such events, particularly given the tightly regulated and compressed nature of academic work life today, especially for women who tend to have higher rates of casual employment.”

Awards for excellence in research, teaching, leadership, innovation and sustainability are just some of the honours to be presented to Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff by Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Andrew Vann during the coming week. The 2012 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards will be handed out at two ceremonies in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 15 August and in Bathurst on Monday 20 August. The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence will be presented to Dr Jade Forwood from the School of Biomedical Sciences in Wagga Wagga. Dr Stephen Bird from the School of Human Movement Studies in Bathurst will receive the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Professor Excellence. The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence will be presented to Dr Geoff Burrows from the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences in Wagga Wagga. The presentation ceremonies will be held from 1pm to 3.30pm on Wednesday 15 August, Convention Centre, CSU in Wagga Wagga and from 1pm to 3.30pm on Monday 20 August, James Hardie Room, Centre for Professional Development, CSU in Bathurst.

The Mitchell Student Guild of Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will host the annual Kids Day Out charity fundraiser on Sunday 2 September. 2012 Kids Day Out Director, Ms Alyce Woods, said, “After being postponed earlier in the year due to wet weather, the new date gives children of all ages a great way to celebrate Fathers Day with their dads. This year’s event promises to be a jam-packed day with appearances by Dora the Explorer and Diego, Toy Story’s Buzz and Woody, and  Tinkerbell. This year we’ll also have some great rides for the little kids and ‘big kids’ at heart. All proceeds will go to the Bathurst Base Hospital Paediatric Ward, and the local Riding for the Disabled.” The event will feature carnival rides, kids’ craft making stalls, an animal petting zoo, jumping castles, barbeque and food stalls, candy and show bags, a community stage with local musicians and performers, raffles, roving performers, face painting, an ambulance on display, and a special look at local emergency services.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Regional Development Australia (RDA) will co-host a beef industry forum in Bathurst on Thursday 30 August to provide cattle producers with the latest production and market trends and intelligence. Dr Karl Behrendt, Director of Agribusiness Research Group at the CSU Faculty of Science said, “Leading experts in beef production and marketing will speak at the Agribusiness Today Forum ‘Profitable Beef in a Challenging Future’, so local cattle producers can hear firsthand about markets and expected returns for this major rural enterprise. Speakers from Queensland will examine production systems, and one of the state’s largest beef processors, Teys, will give a processor’s view. We’ll see how Australian production fits on the international market, and gain ideas on how to improve the performance of herds here on the NSW central tablelands. Speakers involved with the Australian Lot Feeders Association will showcase the latest research about feedlots overseas, and experts from the NSW Department of Primary Industries will provide tips and tools for producing the right beef from herds. A local butcher will discuss consumer feedback about beef products, and there will also be a focus on bulls’ fertility, as well as about using genetics to gain the best results. Mr Tim McRae from Meat and Livestock Australia will present the latest intelligence from the domestic and international markets.”

The public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Wednesday 5 September by leading Australian medical expert, Emeritus Professor John Dwyer, AO, has received a boost with the release of a report last week by the Senate’s Community Affairs References Committee. The University made a written submission to the Committee, and Professor Dwyer, and the Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU, Professor Andrew Vann, made submissions in person at a public hearing in Albury on Tuesday 5 June. Professor Vann has also responded to the report. Mr Col Sharp, Head of CSU in Bathurst, said, “Professor Dwyer is a leading advocate for structural reform of Australia’s health care delivery system, and he argues that current health outcomes for rural Australians are not acceptable. His public lecture will examine the rationale for and progress with CSU’s bid to establish a new rural medical school to boost the supply of ‘doctors for the bush’, and Professor Dwyer will also reflect on the broad endorsement of the University’s proposed approach to rural medical education in the Senate Committee report.” The Dental Clinic and the new Interdisciplinary Clinical Simulation Centre for nursing and paramedic students at CSU in Bathurst will be open for inspection by the public in the hour prior to the lecture.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Winery has released its first Riesling entirely produced with fruit from its Orange Campus vineyard. The 2012 “R” Riesling is the latest edition to the winery’s Letter Series, which is designed to showcase varieties not traditionally produced by CSU including Merlot, Tempranillo, Grenache and Petit Verdot. CSU Winery Marketing Manager, Mr Justin Byrne said the vintage had been much-anticipated following a couple of difficult seasons. “The Riesling vines were planted on the Orange Campus at the end of 2009, but with cooler and wetter-than-usual seasons in 2010 and 2011 this is the first vintage we have produced from them,” he said. “It is a major triumph for our viticulturist Geoff Cook who nursed the vines through those trying seasons, and it will make a welcome addition to the range”. The CSU Winery Orange Campus cellar door is open 11am-4pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The CSU Winery Wagga Wagga Campus cellar door is open Monday to Friday 11am-5pm and 11am-4pm on weekends.

Orange residents with the cycling bug can get into the spirit of NSW Bike Week by joining Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff and students and the Orange Bicycle User Group (BUG) on a bicycle orienteering ride on Sunday 23 September. Starting and finishing at the CSU Cellar Door, the ride will let riders decide their own route by visiting check-points around north Orange and answering a simple question at each. All riders are welcome for the 15km event, which should take about two hours at an easy pace. The event will be one of two Bike Week rides for CSU campus staff and students, who will also embark on a ride-to-work event on Wednesday 19 September. This year’s ride is gearing up to be bigger than ever, beginning at Bill’s Beans in McLachlan Street at 8.30am before the ‘peleton’ heads down Leeds Parade to the campus for breakfast. CSU Campus Services Manager Mr Mark Chapman said while the ride-to-work event was for CSU staff and students, the orienteering ride on 23 September was open to the public. “The public event is aimed at participation so be sure and invite your family and friends,” he said. “The start time will be between 11am and noon, so come along and enjoy an easy afternoon cycling and even taste a CSU wine while you’re on our campus.”

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) lawn bowls team travels to Adelaide next week to defend the national title it won at last year’s Australian University Games. The gold medal follows years of hard work for the team, which earned a place in the increasingly competitive competition’s top tier in 2009. The team won a first division bronze in 2010 and, finally, the long-awaited gold medal last year. CSU Student Support Team Leader Mr Nik Granger said the past 10 years had seen a sharp increase in the standards of competition at the games, which were now Australia’s largest annual multi-sport event. “You’ve got Olympians, Commonwealth Games medallists and various state and national representatives throughout the competition,” he said. “CSU will have students from our Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst and Wagga Wagga competing, as well as several distance education students.” CSU’s Ultimate Frisbee team will compete in division two this year with hopes of securing a gold or silver medal to earn elevation into division one for the 2013 games and the University team will also include individual representatives in cycling and athletics.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will host a public lecture next week on how computers can help solve environmental problems. The free lecture, by CSU Endeavour Research Fellow Dr Sreenath Subrahmanyam, will focus on recent examples of how computers have been used to detect environmental contaminants, assess environmental impacts and construct artificial wetlands. Dr Subrahmanyan joined CSU on an Australian government-funded Endeavour Award, and has designed an artificial wetland for the Cadia Valley mine near Orange as part of an ongoing remedial project. Dr Subrahmanyan said computers were now being used to solve a range of environmental and biological problems. “Computers are being used to find out if there are elevated sugar levels in blood and to detect creatine levels in the blood of body builders,” he said. “They are used to test if our food grains are polluted with toxins, to reduce carbon emissions in various industries and to assess and reduce the pollutants from industries that damage our health, land, water and air.” The lecture is part of a series co-hosted by CSU and the Central West Branch of the Royal Society of NSW. CSU wines and a selection of cheeses will be served following the lecture.