It is highly unlikely that there will be a fresh case of Equine Influenza (EI) but NSW horse owners must continue to comply with all movement restrictions, so that if a new case did occur it could be rapidly traced and controlled, according to Charles Sturt University (CSU) veterinary epidemiologist, Dr Petra Buckley.  The CSU School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences provided emergency assistance during the EI outbreak by sending epidemiologists, Dr Buckley and Dr Jan Lievaart, to the NSW Department of Primary Industries State Disease Control Headquarters at Orange.  Dr Buckley says “Testing so far has shown that NSW is free from EI, due to movement controls and the willingness of the horse industries to restrict their movements, which has been crucial in the fight against EI. The disease eradication program would have been much more difficult, perhaps impossible, if horse movements had not been restricted and tracked”. Because of the need to protect the disease-free areas, horse movements between zones are still restricted and no easing of any of these movement requirements is likely before the Special Restricted Area or purple zone is declared a disease-free green zone.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) PhD student is examining whether parasites are more than an itchy nuisance for seabirds on two islands off the Australian east coast. Ms Margaret Watson, from the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus in inland NSW, will study Crested Terns colonies at ‘The Nobbies’ at Philip Island in Victoria and Montague Island off the NSW south coast. Her study will examine how Crested Tern numbers are being regulated by parasites such as lice and ticks. The research will also look at whether the parasites are being transmitted by Blue Penguins and Silver Gulls, which also inhabit the islands, as well as lizards and colonies of three species of Shearwater seabirds on Montague Island. Ms Watson, who received an Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS) PhD scholarship under its Environmental Assets Integration Program, says “It’s just wonderful to be working on islands in the middle of the ocean and to get to visit places you wouldn’t normally be able to.”

Researchers from the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, an alliance between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the NSW Department of Primary Industries, are investigating whether perennial plants can improve the bottom line for meat and wool producers while protecting the environment of inland Australia. EverGraze is a national project, with four trials being conducted around Wagga Wagga in southern NSW. The trials are using summer-active perennials to increase the fertility rate in ewes and phalaris hedgerows or shrub belts to improve lamb survival. The study compares four farming systems based on perennial plants, that efficiently use feed for profit, as well as using shrub belts to intercept water running downhill. Results from the first two years of research shows improved nutrition for ewes and ovulation rates are up by 22 per cent. The EverGraze research team - Dr Michael Friend, Dr Susan Robertson, Mr John Broster and Dr Iain Hume - will present the research results at the seminar, “EverGraze - More livestock from perennials”  from 3.30pm on Thursday 28 February in the Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute’s conference room, Pine Gully Road, Wagga Wagga.

There is nothing but praise for the international exchange program from a Charles Sturt University (CSU) journalism student on her recent return from the United Kingdom.  Ms Eleni Psaltis spent three months in the north of England in late 2007. The third year student said she was the first CSU student to undertake the ‘sister-University’ exchange program with Chester University, which is about 40 minutes from Manchester. “Any new professional experience is good, and this was a brilliant life experience,” Ms Psaltis said. “I’d definitely encourage CSU students to apply for the exchange program. I produced four short radio documentaries for broadcast and the experience confirmed my desire to work in radio.” Ms Psaltis has previously spent a year in Japan in 2005 on a Rotary exchange. She will complete her undergraduate degree through CSU's Bathurst Campus at the end of 2008.

The range of Charles Sturt University (CSU) wines available for staff, students and the local community to try and buy will be showcased on the University’s Bathurst and Orange campuses this week. The CSU Winery’s Mr Richard Lawson said that there are some acclaimed wines available. “I highly recommend the 2007 Chardonnay, which was rated in James Halliday’s top 100 wines in Australia, and the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, which won a gold medal at the Boutique Wine Awards in Sydney in 2007.” CSU wines are due to increase in price from Saturday 1 March. The CSU Winery Roadshow will be held at the Templer’s Mill Bar at CSU’s Orange Campus from 5pm to 6pm Thursday 28 February, and at the Rafters Bar in the Student Union Building (C4) on the Bathurst Campus from 3.30pm to 6.30pm on Friday 29 February.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students from Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst and Wagga Wagga as well as students studying by distance education are expected to attend the inaugural Career’s Fair on Wednesday 27 February. The Fair, to be held on CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus, has attracted 50 exhibitors and public and private sector employers hoping to discuss career options with students studying arts, business, education, health and science. “The Career’s Fair is not just about graduate recruitment,” said CSU careers development officer Mr Paul Worsfold. “The exhibitors are either seeking to recruit students for 2009 or assisting students in their career development well into the future,” Mr Worsfold added. Students can ask about vacation employment and cadetships. The Fair will also offer students workshops on the formalities of applying for jobs. The inaugural event will be held from 11am until 2.30pm in Joyes Hall and nearby Convention Centre. As part of the University’s commitment to provide programs that prepare students for work and citizenship, it’s hoped the Careers Fair will become an annual event across CSU.  

Students and staff from Charles Sturt University (CSU) as well as local businesses have shown they care for kids with over $5 000 collected last week for the children’s air ambulance service, Careflight. The money was collected during CSU’s Orientation 2008 activities involving students on the University’s Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga campuses. Donations to Careflight were made at the evening and daytime social activities and raffles during the students introduction to academic life at the University. Classes for the Autumn academic session started on all CSU campuses yesterday, Monday 18 February.

In a testament to his leading role in assessing future directions for irrigation in Australia and overseas, Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Professor Shahbaz Khan will take up a prestigious new role with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Professor Khan is currently Director of CSU’s International Centre for WATER (IC WATER) and Regional Coordinator of the Asia-Pacific office of UNESCO IHP-HELP. His extensive work has impacted on landholders across inland Australia, the irrigation industry, national water policy in Australia and the international scientific community. In the last few years, Professor Shahbaz and his team, based at CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus, have received a number of prestigious awards, including the national 2007 Eureka Prize and CSIRO’s Medal for Research Achievement. Professor Khan will also continue to supervise post graduate students at CSU. Professor Khan will join UNESCO as chief of its section on Sustainable Water Resources Development and Management in Paris, France.  

Nursing, education and business courses offered on Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Dubbo Campus will be the focus for CSU staff next week as they travel and talk to Aboriginal people in remote communities in western NSW. Director of the University’s Centre for Indigenous Studies and Head of Dubbo Campus, Mr Gary Shipp, said “This will be the first opportunity for people in some of these communities to meet senior CSU staff and discuss the courses that are available to them. It is important to talk with the local Aboriginal people about what CSU can offer, especially the newly established Centre for Indigenous Studies at Dubbo Campus.” The group will travel to Hay, Balranald, Dareton, Broken Hill and Wilcannia to visit public and private primary and secondary schools, local councils, health organisations and TAFE facilities.