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.

Regional engagement will be the topic for discussion when Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Mr John Nolan addresses the 2011 Australian Local Government Aboriginal Network Conference in Dubbo on Thursday 15 September. As community relations officer for CSU’s Centre for Indigenous Studies, Mr Nolan is passionate about regional engagement. “My lineage is part Wangkumarra northwest of Bourke, and Wiradjuri on my father’s side,” Mr Nolan explains. “After spending the first nine years of my life living in railway tents, I moved into one of the first homes built in Dubbo by the Aborigines Welfare Board in 1955.” After finishing his schooling in Dubbo, Mr Nolan worked in positions with the NSW Aboriginal Lands Trust and Aboriginal Development Commission and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission before following his other passion, teaching, which saw him working at primary and secondary schools in Dubbo, Alice Springs and Yuendumu in the Northern Territory. “I’ve certainly seen how beneficial regional engagement is in large communities. I hope to pass my knowledge on at the Conference.”

What do physical theatre, touring theatre for young people, and outdoor satirical hip-hop theatre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) all have in common? They are dynamic theatre forms featured in the coming SPRUNG Festival and supervised by newly-appointed lecturer in theatre/media, Mr Daniel Aubin, a former Canadian national gymnast who recently joined the School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst. “These three exciting major works by our third year students will surprise and captivate audiences,” Mr Aubin said. “All productions demonstrate a high level of technical skill and imagination, and integrate all three years in the course.” The productions include Level 101 (physical theatre), Health Havoc (touring theatre for young people), and The 7PM Projects (an outdoor satirical hip-hop theatre). Mr Aubin has been a performing artist, theatre director and educator for over 15 years in Europe, North America, and Australasia. His experience ranges from stunt-doubling for US actor Mark Wahlberg and corporate leadership programs, to theatre, film, festivals, special events and circus. He has taught physical theatre, clown and acrobatics at Flinders University, Adelaide College of the Arts, and for the Australian Dance Theatre.

The annual SPRUNG Festival of performances and multi-media productions by final-year theatre/media students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) kicks off in Bathurst on Wednesday evening 14 September. Festival spokesperson, Ms Phoebe Lane, said, “The SPRUNG Festival seeks to engage the local community by demonstrating a commitment to artistic innovation by providing high quality entertainment. This year the festival features two theatre shows, a hip-hop comedy, a flash animation film, a children’s touring show, a physical theatre piece, an arts publication, and a documentary on a community project with Kelso Community Centre. Everyone is welcome.” The SPRUNG Festival is presented by CYLE Productions and the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst. The official festival launch will be held at the Ponton Theatre at CSU at 6.45pm on Wednesday 14 September, and runs to Saturday 1 October.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo will play host to a special NAIDOC Day celebration on Wednesday 21 September. The NAIDOC Day event hosted by the Barraamielinga Indigenous Student Services Unit will see invited community groups and community members such as the Dubbo Senior College ‘Indigenous Youth Leadership’ Scholars attend a BBQ lunch with the day themed Change: The next step is ours. Entertainment will feature award winning blues artist and 2011 Deadly Award nominee Buddy Knox and the Buddy Knox Blues Band, as well as local talent and 2011 Nanga Mai award winner Mr Kodi Lane. “It’s events like these that remind us of our heritage and celebrate our achievements as a community and as a nation,” said CSU Student Services Office team leader Mr Laurie Crawford. “We invite anyone to come along and enjoy the day.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic Dr Jane Mills will challenge current education methods with her public talk on Friday 9 September. Titled “Hollywood for Homework: you must be joking! The place of popular cinema in the classroom”, Dr Mills’ lecture will argue that the opportunity to learn how to be ‘screen literate’ is as much a democratic right as is learning how to read and write. For some years now the associate professor at CSU’s School of Communication and Creative Industries has been encouraging schools to include screen literacy in the classroom and this means encouraging students to look at Hollywood films for homework.  In this lecture she explores if there’s a conflict between classroom practice and official definitions of literacy.  “The current literacy testing system promotes the denigration of the image and the idealisation of the word, which creates problems for teachers and students when the image, especially the moving image, is used for teaching,” Dr Mills said.

Hair, eyebrows and beards were bleached and coloured at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Orange and Wagga Wagga on Friday 26 August all in the name of raising money for cancer research and patient support. The activities, held at CSU in support of Daffodil Day, raised nearly $2 400 for the NSW Cancer Council. The fundraising was organised by Charles Sturt Campus Services and the Residential Support Scheme at CSU. “There is a competitive streak between staff across the University so we organised a ‘fund-off’ to raise money for the Cancer Council. A total of $510.25 was raised at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, $841.65 in Bathurst and $1 030.70 was raised in Wagga Wagga,” said Ms Vanessa Conlin, a Residential Operations Officer.  In addition to the temporary ‘hair salons’ for the bleaching and colourings, staff also sold daffodils and pins in support of the annual Daffodil Day event.

The largest-ever group of Charles Sturt University (CSU) students and staff will provide physiotherapy and first aid services during the 2011 Tour de Timor, which commences from the capital of Timor-Leste, Dili, on Sunday 11 September. Six CSU physiotherapy and three nursing students and three staff will follow the Tour ‘peloton’ for six days around the mountainous, 600 kilometre course, providing medical services for tired, sore or injured riders. The CSU coordinator, Mr Tim Retchford, said the CSU students will gain valuable professional experience “while working in challenging conditions in a beautiful, though undeveloped, country”. This is the third time CSU students have provided these services during the Tour de Timor. The students and staff leave for Dili on Sunday 4 September to prepare themselves and riders for the event, as well as visiting local medical facilities. Meanwhile, PhD student at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Ms Nicola Wunderlich will take leave during her research in East Timor to cycle in the 2011 Tour De Timor. Read more on CSU News here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students have claimed four of the 10 positions in the Australian training squad selected from a national meat judging competition held last weekend in Wagga Wagga. The competition was part of the National Intercollegiate Meat Judging (ICMJ) workshop hosted by CSU last week. CSU’s 25-member meat judging team won third place overall, narrowly beaten by teams from Melbourne and Murdoch universities. The CSU team also picked up numerous team and individual awards. The overall runner-up prize was awarded to CSU’s Mr Haydn McKay while the Tom Carr Award for coaching excellence was won by Ms Katelyn Braine. Four CSU students, Ms Gabrielle Knight, Mr Issac Allen, Ms Jordan Hoban and Ms Vanessa Campbell, have been selected to attend an intensive Meat and Livestock Australia training course and may be selected in the Australian team to compete in the USA in 2013. CSU Professor of Animal Production, Peter Wynn said the team trained long hours, often starting at the abattoir at 6am. “The success in this competition certainly shows Charles Sturt University’s target of providing more innovative young graduates to service the needs of our meat industries is well and truly on track,” he said. “The generous support and sponsorship from Teys Australia, Junee Abattoir and Knight’s Meats is appreciated.”