For the second year in a row, paramedic students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) volunteered to provide valuable support as medical responders for the recent Toyota Ironman Australia event in Port Macquarie. Thirty first and second-year paramedic students and two paramedic academics from the CSU School of Biomedical Sciences worked closely with private paramedics, doctors, and nurses to care for spectators and any of the 1 700 athletes injured or requiring other medical care before, during and after the race. The paramedic students provided medical first response from motorcycles, assistance from three dedicated private ambulances, first aid to spectators and the public, and took care of athletes in the medical tent. Mr Joe Acker, senior lecturer in paramedics at CSU in Port Macquarie, said, "The students and staff contributed over 250 hours of medical volunteer time to Ironman, and I was so proud to see our students in their CSU paramedic uniforms willing to do anything and everything to make this event a success. This was an invaluable inter-professional learning experience for our paramedic students because they had the opportunity to work with experienced doctors and nurses in a complex team environment. Not only did they get to work behind the scenes at a world-class athletic event, but they were also able to see the tremendous value of volunteering in their community. They all gained hands-on experience while giving something back to their community." The paramedic students treated injuries and conditions that included oyster shell cuts, chest pains, dehydration, hypothermia, spectators who tripped and cut hands and face, bicycle crashes with abrasions and lacerations, strains and soft tissue injury, head injury, nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps, spectators who fainted, and a child with an allergic reaction.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie will host a free public lecture by Professor Clive Hamilton on Wednesday 14 May. Professor Hamilton holds the Vice-Chancellor's Chair and is Professor of Public Ethics at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE) in Canberra. He will address the question, 'A new geological epoch: can humans survive the Anthropocene?'. "According to Earth scientists, our planet has entered a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, in which human activity has become a powerful force of nature," Professor Hamilton said. "The influence of humans is so powerful that it now overwhelms the natural causes of change in the Earth system. Some earth scientists regard this astonishing event as a stage in the history of the Earth on a par with the emergence of life and the oxygenation of the atmosphere. The question we face in the 21st Century is whether planetary boundaries will be breached to such a degree that the functioning of the Earth system is irreversibly disturbed in ways hostile to life. Or will humans attempt to use technology, like geo-engineering, to take control of the planet? What would it mean for humans to mould nature as a whole, to make the Earth itself into an artefact designed to suit our needs?" The public lecture is part of CSU's 2014 Explorations Series.

New student accommodation options are being explored by Charles Sturt University (CSU) for its new campus in Port Macquarie. Earlier this month on the NSW Mid-North Coast, CSU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew Vann, unveiled the designs for the initial stage of a permanent campus due to open in Port Macquarie in February 2016. Read more in CSU News here.  As part of this process, CSU has issued what is known as a Request for Information from builders and developers to see what they can provide in terms of student accommodation. The process remains open until Thursday 17 April. Further information is available under 'Port Macquarie - Student Residences' here. Director of the University's Residence Life, Mr David Griffin, said, "Charles Sturt University recognises a need for the development of a significant volume of student accommodation within Port Macquarie to support the development of the new permanent campus. With projected student enrolment in excess of 3 000 by 2030 there will be a need for a range of accommodation options for students within Port Macquarie and surrounding areas." In 2014, CSU opened new and renovated undergraduate and postgraduate student accommodation across its footprint including in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Orange, and Wagga Wagga.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students in Port Macquarie will soon have access to two medical imaging laboratories as the University expands its facilities on the Mid North Coast. The expansion will see an existing building in Munster Street turned into a CSU campus after a development application for the work was approved this week. Port Macquarie Campus Director Dr Muyesser Durur says the new campus allows for a boost in student numbers and would expand the course profile already offered through CSU's Grant Street campus. "By 2015 CSU in Port Macquarie will welcome students into Education and Communications and Creative Industries. We will also offer extra Social Science courses," Dr Durur says. "On top of this, the Munster Street campus will have two medical imaging laboratories with advanced x-ray equipment and image viewing stations."

Staff at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie have shifted up a gear in their approach to a greener, cleaner lifestyle. Six new bicycles were presented to staff last week for travel between the Grant Street Campus and Clarence Street offices – a distance of about 1.1 kilometres. Staff members were quick to test out the pushbikes at the official launch, which also included a workshop on bike maintenance and cycle safety, run by cycle enthusiast Lloyd Newell of Gordon Street Cycles where the bikes were purchased. Port Macquarie businesses Khodary's Pharmacy and Hastings Dental Centre also provided health and fitness showbags for staff. CSU encourages staff and students to cycle to and from campus whenever possible, however, the staff bike initiative is a first for the University. "CSU in Port Macquarie is a bit different to our other campuses. Having the two locations, with a third soon to come in Munster Street, has made us look at some different approaches. This bike system is a good one as it's something that every member of staff can access," says CSU Green manager Ed Maher. "As well as helping CSU reduce its emissions associated with travel, this project will also provide a fun and fitness element for staff.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Andrew Vann, will join CSU Alumni and community members in Port Macquarie for a cocktail reception on Monday 25 November. Director of CSU in Port Macquarie, Dr Muyesser Durur, said the NSW Mid North Coast is home to almost 700 CSU Alumni from all Faculties and campuses. "There is a strong and vibrant community of Charles Sturt University graduates in the area, and that's one of the reasons we've had such support for the new campus which we will begin building in 2014," she said. "Alumni evenings like this are a great opportunity to catch up with old friends, or meet new people with a common interest. We'd like to invite alumni, and interested community members, to join us on the night." CSU graduate Mr John Nolan will be the guest speaker at the event. Mr Nolan is an Associate Member of the Australian Psychological Society, the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, the Australian Professional Society of Alcohol and Drugs, the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy, and a Senior Fellow of the Corporate Directors Association.

One of Australia’s leading experts in estate planning and succession will host two  seminars at  Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie on Thursday 7 November for people interesting in planning and managing their family’s financial future. Hosted by Charles Sturt University’s Faculty of Business, a third-generation lawyer with more than 25 years experience, Mr Michael Perkins, will present the seminar ‘Protecting Your Children’s Inheritance and Planning for Your Later Years’. Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business Professor Lesley White said Mr Perkins would also host a seminar for professionals working in the financial services industry, ‘Planning, Administration and Succession – A Guide for Professional Advisors’, on the same day. “These are the first in a series of seminars for professional advisors and non-professional investors,” Professor White said. “It’s a great opportunity to come and meet one of the nation’s top advisors, and to ask the questions that are important to planning your financial future. Read more here.

Advances in medical imaging to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer will be discussed when two internationally acclaimed radiologists meet with medical specialists on the Mid North Coast. Hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Healthcare Imaging Services, the education session in Port Macquarie on Thursday 31 October, will provide local GPs and specialists with the opportunity to learn from two of the world’s most highly respected radiologists, Professors Barry and Marilyn Siegel. “It is the regional referrers and subsequently the patients of the Mid North Coast who will benefit most from the visit of such esteemed Professors in their diagnostic imaging field,” said Healthcare Imaging Services National Business Development Manager - Nuclear Medicine and PET, Mr Matt Ayers. The radiologists are Australia as invited guest speakers at the annual Integrative Imaging Symposium  in Sydney on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 November. In its 10th year, the conference for nuclear medicine and radiology professionals is organised in partnership between CSU, Macquarie University and the Rural Alliance in Nuclear Scintigraphy. Symposium convener and Associate Professor in Medical Radiation Science at CSU, Geoff Currie said, “Despite being located in Sydney, the conference is aimed at rural and regional communities so we ensure we engage with our local community in Port Macquarie to support the great partnerships we have with radiology and nuclear medicine departments”. From 2013, Mid North Coast students have been able to study a Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science locally, at CSU in Port Macquarie. Professors Marilyn and Barry Siegal will address an evening clinical seminar for local health in Port Macquarie on Thursday 31 October. 

The planning and design phase of the new campus for Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie has opened for student input. Last week, students, and some staff, took part in workshops run by the architects in charge of the final look and feel of the new campus, which is due for completion at the end of 2015.The workshops and feedback give students ownership of the campus and provide a sense of belonging to the CSU community, Port Macquarie Campus Director Dr Muyesser Durur said. “Student input and contribution to the development of the learning and teaching environment, and the overall campus, is an important element in the creation of Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie. We have an opportunity to further engage with our students,” Dr Durur said. The workshop highlighted several priorities for students, including, collaborative spaces, outdoor spaces, places for quiet study, sustainable construction and management, and coffee shop, bar and student facilities. There are currently more than 200 students studying eight courses at CSU in Port Macquarie. Student numbers are expected to grow to about 700 by 2015 with more courses to be added. Read more about the new campus on CSU News here.