Three Charles Sturt University (CSU) students with the School of Animal Science and Veterinary Science are making last minute preparations as they head off to the United States for international meat judging competitions and a meat industry study tour. In 2012, Mr Isaac Allen from Forbes, Ms Vanessa Campbell from Rutherglen, who is currently living and working in Wagga Wagga, and Ms Jordon Hoban from near Macksville in Northern NSW were named in the five-member Australian team to compete in two meat judging competitions in the USA. It follows their success last July at the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging (ICMJ) and at a subsequent intensive Meat & Livestock Australia training program in Brisbane. The team is due to leave Australia for a three-week industry tour of the USA on Friday 11 January and return on Thursday 7 February. Ms Campbell said the trio is all very excited about the trip. “This is a really great opportunity because, as a fourth year vet science student, it gives me a chance to make international meat industry contacts and to see the industry differences between America and the way we do things back home,” she said.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) researchers investigating the detection, prevention and monitoring of diabetes are seeking participants at CSU in Orange in November. Biomedical Sciences lecturer with CSU’s School of Community Health, Dr Hayder Al-Aubaidy, said the research will seek new biochemical markers to screen patients for diabetes and abnormally low blood glucose levels which show prediabetes to predict the development of diabetic complications such as cardiovascular and renal disease and to monitor patients’ responses to treatment. “The earlier we can detect prediabetes, the better chance we have to prevent progression into diabetes and reduce the risk of diabetic complications,” he said. Study participants will have their blood pressure, height and weight measured, body mass index calculated, and blood and urine samples taken to test for biochemical indicators including blood sugar, glycosylated haemoglobin, and blood fats. Participants also answer questions about their overall health, medical conditions and current medication. “We will give each participant the results of their tests, including blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels,” Dr Al-Aubaidy said. Each session will take about an hour, and will be conducted at CSU in Orange in early November. To participate in the study or for more details, contact Dr Al-Aubaidy on (02) 6365 7512 or send an email.

The latest debate on climate change and bushfires is “the discussion the Australian community has to have”, a senior CSU ecologist says. Associate Professor David Watson with the University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society said the latest debate is a timely reminder of the importance of extreme weather events in Australia. “Recent reports have shown climate change is real and is linked to increasing extremes in weather such as droughts and dry periods, which will increase the chance of bushfires,” said Professor Watson. “Increasing incidences of floods and cyclones are also more likely with climate change, so we as a nation need to consider how we are going to address this. We need to plan for both short-term responses and longer term planning of our cities and settlements across Australia and the various landscapes that will be affected. This is not a political issue — in 2006, then Prime Minister John Howard linked human-induced climate change with increased bushfire risk.  Insurers, agronomists and many other industries are already planning for increases in bushfires, severe storms and other extreme events, so it seems incongruous that the federal government is not being more pro-active.  We cannot afford to sit back and just let climate change happen with doing something about it,” he said.

Staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will benefit from a wellness and wellbeing conference and expo on Wednesday 26 March. The CSU 2014 SGE Credit Union Wellness and Wellbeing Conference and Expo is an initiative to enhance staff health, productivity and happiness. Dr Heather Robinson, the Head of Campus at CSU in Orange, said the University recognised and valued the importance of staff and student wellness and wellbeing. The Wellness and Wellbeing Expo aims to make staff and students more aware of and engaged with the services available to them in our communities. The Expo will provide participants with information and the opportunity to participate in workshop activities such as yoga, and Pilates. This will help individuals to make better decisions about health behaviours which lead to better general health and wellness. "We also hope this will help students to fulfil their academic potential and enjoy their student experience, and ensure our graduates are resilient well-rounded individuals," Dr Robinson said. The CSU 2014 SGE Credit Union Wellness and Wellbeing Conference and Expo at CSU in Orange is from 9.30am to 4.30pm Wednesday 26 March. More information about it can be found here, or email healthyu@csu.edu.au

A visiting workplace learning academic from New Zealand, who was a Keynote speaker at the recent Practice-Based Education Summit in Sydney, has made a special visit to Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange. Dr Dale Sheehan, a senior lecturer and Clinical Teaching Co-ordinator at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, will visit Orange to pass on her knowledge to CSU, a university which prides itself on offering students an enriching, supportive and high quality student experience . Dr Sheehan’s presentation addressed issues such as setting up support for students undertaking workplace learning as well as assessing and engaging with workplace learning supervisors. Attending the presentation were staff from every School on the CSU campus as well as librarians and learning skills advisers. Dr Sheehan will stay in Orange until Thursday 19 April.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host a public seminar on Monday 2 February which will discuss predators and their role in controlling crop pests.University of Kentucky Associate Professor of Arthropod Ecology James Harwood will present the seminar as part of a three day visit to CSU during which he will be collaborating on research with CSU academics.Professor Harwood has been studying predators, especially spiders, and their role in controlling crop pests for over a decade. In this seminar Professor Harwood will explain the use of behavioural and molecular approaches to understand the interactions between predators and their prey, revealing aspects of their hunting strategies"Ultimately, this knowledge helps to reduce reliance on insecticides for pest control and enhance the sustainability of agriculture," Professor Geoff Gurr from the CSU School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences said."This seminar will be informative for members of the public who would like to hear about developments in this area and are interested in pest management and sustainable agriculture."The Seminar will be held in the conference room of the Orange campus, Leeds Parade, Orange at 1pm on Monday 2 January. No RSVP is necessary.

Two research projects at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange aim to assess the effectiveness of treatment options for people suffering diabetic neuropathy.Bachelor of Physiotherapy students Liam Abbey and Jack Archer are seeking participants for projects which will assess the effectiveness of therapeutic taping in the management of balance, pain and loss of sensation in lower limbs caused by diabetes."Diabetic Neuropathy is caused by damage to the nervous system which arises due to altered blood glucose levels," Mr Abbey said."My research aims to determine if kinesio tape (K-tape) can improve measures of functional balance and mobility confidence in diabetics. Diabetics have an increased risk of falls and reduced quality of life often due to impaired balance; K-tape may provide a means to improve a person's functional balance."Similarly, Mr Archer's research hopes to assess the effectiveness of therapeutic taping."Over 1.2 million Australians have diabetes, and of those, more than 30% have neuropathy," Mr Archer said."I hope to be able to show that the application of K-tape reduces pain, and improves patients' ability to sense touch through the skin of their legs. This will be an important step towards improved treatment options."Participants can be male or female, must be over 18 years of age, experience diabetic neuropathy and be able to attend the Orange campus for sessions during February.Participants can only select one study to join and are encouraged to contact the researchers for more information.Both projects have Ethics Committee approval and will be conducted under the supervision of CSU School of Community Health academics.

Hello world! - Summary

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Vann will be taking part in a panel discussion on regional and rural issues next week, at an event with the Shadow Treasurer.Hosted by Labor candidate for Calare Dr Jess Jennings, the event will be a panel presentation by the Hon. Chris Bowen, Shadow Treasurer and Federal Member for McMahon, who will be joined by Professor Vann. Analysis of this critical election budget will be followed by Q&A from the public.The event will cover a range of issues affecting CSU, its communities, and rural and regional Australia more broadly. The event is open to the public and attendance is free.Professor Vann said, "I look forward to the chance to have a public discussion with a key political figure about some of the vital issues that are affecting not only Charles Sturt University but also our regional communities."In an election context, this is a wonderful opportunity to address policy areas that often get overlooked in the rough and tumble of campaigns."In particular I will be interested to hear from the Shadow Treasurer on the issue of doctor shortages in rural NSW and whether the Labor party would be willing to support our proposal for the Murray Darling Medical School," he said.