A passion for the meat industry and the ability to pick a high yielding, quality carcase has earned two Charles Sturt University (CSU) students a spot in the Australian national meat judging team. Ms Tamara Heir and Ms Laura Kemmis, from CSU’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences in Wagga Wagga, were selected in the five-member team to tour the USA early next year. The team was selected from ten finalists who attended a national industry training week in Brisbane which included visits to retailers, processors and a feedlot. It follows the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Competition held at CSU in July.  Originally from Walla Walla in southern NSW, Ms Heir is studying a Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/Bachelor of Veterinary Science while Ms Kemmis, from Queanbeyan near Canberra, is studying a Bachelor of Animal Science. “I’m passionate about building a career in the meat industry and this tour of the United States is an opportunity to develop contacts and gain a better understanding of how Australia compares in the global market,” said Ms Kemmis.  As part of the four week tour of the USA meat industry, the national team will compete in three American meat judging competitions.

Final year physiotherapy student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga, Ms Ellie O’Kane, has streaked away to comfortably win the 10 000 metre event on the athletics track at the Australian University Games currently underway in Perth. CSU student support officer, Mr Nick Granger, said Ms O’Kane finished nearly a lap ahead of her nearest rival, and “is really looking forward to repeating her winning performance in the 5 000 metre race on Thursday 30 September. She would love to win the long-distance double, but expects stiffer.” Over 40 CSU students are participating in the annual event, which draws competitors from 41 universities across Australia.

National and international water experts have discussed emerging issues and policies for sustainable management of water resources and food security at a seminar at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga today, Tuesday 21 September. The International Centre of Water for Food Security (IC Water) at CSU hosted the seminar which investigated the future of water resources in Australia and across the world. As part of the Centre’s monthly seminar series, Associate Professor Joachim Ribbe, the head of the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences at the University of Southern Queensland, spoke at the seminar, titled Rainfall in a Variable and Changing Climate, to encourage discussion about water management. Representatives from IC Water, CSU, and irrigation companies attended the seminar.

An international authority on the impact of water scarcity on root growth will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga from Monday 27 to Thursday 30 September. Professor Bob Sharp from the University of Missouri in the USA has been invited to the city by Strategic Research Professor at CSU, Len Wade. “Professor Sharp and I are collaborating on an international project examining drought avoidance root traits,” Professor Wade said. “This work is significant given the need for food security and the limits on arable land available for agricultural production.” While at CSU, Professor Sharp will take part in The EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation’s seminar series at 3.00pm on Wednesday 29 September. His seminar, Root growth under water deficit: physiological complexity and coordination, will appeal to a diverse audience with interests in crop or pasture improvement under drought, and implications for improved management in rain-fed systems. Read more about the free EH Graham Centre seminar here.

The Sturt Desert Pea, which is the Charles Sturt University (CSU) floral emblem, is alive and thriving. “Remarkable photos of the Sturt Desert Pea were captured recently at White Cliffs by Mr Jacob Philip, son of a fellow educator, Ms Julie Philip, from western NSW,” said Dr John Harper, senior lecturer in plant science at the CSU School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences. “The desert has not bloomed like this for many years. It is a clear sign that the drought has finally broken.” The native plant, known as Swainsona formosa, takes pride of place on the CSU Arms reflecting the University's reputation as a national institution. The Pea was named after the explorer Charles Sturt for his exploration of inland Australia. The Aboriginal name for the pea is Ngooringa. It is based on a story about a girl who fell in love with someone from another tribe and, as a consequence, she became ill and died. Her spirit came back as the beautiful desert flower.

High school students in Year 10 in the Riverina will get a taste of the range of courses available at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga in the creative industries. Known as MyDay, the two-day event on Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 August has attracted 110 students from schools in Boorowa, Griffith, Leeton, Narrandera and Wagga Wagga. From 10.15am to 2.15pm, the teenagers will participate in a range of workshops covering CSU courses such as fine arts, animation, photography, graphic design, television production, acting and design for theatre and television. They will meet with CSU academics and visit the facilities in the School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU in Wagga Wagga, including the HR Gallop Gallery, photography studio, television studio and drama studio. Further information about courses in creative industries is available here. Read more about the University’s MyDay initiative here.

Frugal and hard working, the history of German farmers in the southern Riverina will be explored in a free public lecture by Charles Sturt University (CSU) cultural heritage expert Associate Professor Dirk Spennemann in Deniliquin on Wednesday 15 August. German settlement began in the mid 1860s and in this illustrated talk, Professor Spennemann will examine their contribution to farming and the social fabric of the region. “Driven by the proverbial Protestant work ethic, German farmers were generally well respected at the time,” he said. “A typical household contained heirlooms such as family bibles, items sourced from Germany including wedding porcelain along with books and utensils unavailable in Australia.” A member of  CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS),  Professor Spennemann’s research interests include German colonial heritage in Oceania and the conceptual understanding of contemporary and emergent heritage such as modern architecture, space exploration and robotics. He is also a photographic artist who interprets heritage issues through visual media.

Resources collated in a national education project, to be launched in Canberra on Wednesday 26 October, will provide a major boost for early childhood education students says Professor Sue Dockett, project team leader from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Murray School of Education. “Funding for the Early Childhood Education Workforce Project was available for only a limited time, so it has been really important that the outcomes of this project are sustainable. Although funding for the collaboration will finish, the resources will have a life of their own. They will have an influence far beyond the life of the project and will be freely available across the country. Regional and remote communities, in particular, will benefit in lots of ways. The studying teachers are working in communities where there aren’t many educators and they should feel valued and important. This project recognises the value quality educators give to a community. They can upgrade their qualifications and stay within their chosen community It’s a chance to look at career options without necessarily having to change location, so quality education is accessible and the profession is gaining and retaining the best qualified educators.”

Author, songwriter, performer, and recording artist Mr Jim Haynes is the next writer-in-residence in 2011 at the Booranga Writers’ Centre at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. He has written and recorded many songs, including Since Cheryl Went Feral and Don’t Call Wagga Wagga Wagga. Mr Haynes’ first book, I’ll Have Chips! was a huge seller and won him the inaugural Bush Laureate ‘Book of the Year’ award in Tamworth in 1996. He has since released 12 books of Australian short stories and verse, mostly for ABC Books, including An Australian Heritage of Verse and An Australian Treasury of Popular Verse, which won him his second and third Bush Laureate ‘Book of the Year’ awards. Mr Haynes will be at the Monthly Writers’ Workshop on Saturday 23 July, from 2pm to 5pm at the Booranga Writers’ Centre at CSU in Wagga Wagga. He will also perform on Tuesday 26 July at the Wagga Wagga City Library, Baylis Street in Wagga Wagga from 5pm, alongside visiting poets Ms Jane Williams and Mr David Reiter.