The main medical research agency in the United States, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will be a highlight of a two week trip to the USA by 15 health students from Charles Sturt University (CSU). As part of CSU’s international study experience program, the group will visit New York City and Washington DC from Sunday 3 July. The students will also visit the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, the AIDS Vaccine Design and Development Laboratory, Columbia University, the Shock and Trauma Center at the University of Maryland, and the Smithsonian Museums complex. “This trip will expose the students to a variety of universities and research facilities to see how they go about their business,” said Dr Chris Blanchard from the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga. “We encourage our students to have an international perspective during their studies and in their future careers.” The internal and distance education students from Australia and New Zealand are enrolled in a variety of allied health courses including medical science, pharmacy, forensic biotechnology, complementary medicine, and nutrition and dietetics. The students are supported by CSU Global through $500 Vice-Chancellor Travel Grants.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) researchers are asking beef producers to help them find out more information about a condition affecting up to 10 percent of calves. Researchers from the Fred Morley Unit are undertaking one of the first studies of the impact of scours (diarrhoea) in calves in Australian beef herds. It is the most common symptom of illness in young calves reducing growth rates and causing death in a small number of cases. Senior lecturer with the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Dr Jan Lievaart said,  “Most of the research into calf scours in beef cattle has been done in Northern America and this project aims to get hard data for the Australian situation to see if there are any differences”. Surveys have been sent to 1 000 beef producers in the Hume Livestock Health and Pest Authority area and researchers hope to follow up by collecting samples from affected animals to identify the types of pathogens causing the infection. Producers who return their surveys will receive free entry to the EH Graham Centre  Beef Field Day on Thursday 4 August.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) veterinarian said the Hendra virus is very unlikely to pose an immediate risk for horse owners in southern NSW. However, senior lecturer in Equine Medicine with the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences Dr Kris Hughes, said a confirmed case of the Hendra virus at Wollongbar on the north coast does serve as a warning for all horse owners, veterinarians and other individuals dealing with horses in the region to be vigilant. “The risk is very low given our geographical location, but people should be aware of any changes in their horses’ behaviour, neurological signs and respiratory signs,” he said. The Hendra virus is transmitted to horses by flying foxes and is known to emerge only in autumn and winter in Queensland and northern NSW. In rare cases it can be transmitted from horses to humans and four of the seven people ever diagnosed with the virus have died. Dr Hughes hopes a vaccine being developed by the Australian Animal Health Laboratory will be available and widely distributed next year.

Students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will put their best foot forward during the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) Conference and Exhibition at Darling Harbour in Sydney from Tuesday 19 July. The biennial event is hailed as a significant one for the film and television industries across the South East Asian region. “Staff and students from the Bachelor of Arts (Television Production) program have become increasingly involved in this event over the years,” said Mr Patrick Sproule from the School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU in Wagga Wagga. “Over 80 television production students from Charles Sturt University will attend and work at the event this year. Our Outside Broadcast (OB) vehicle will be parked in the Sydney Exhibition Hall and set up as a working exhibit. Students will use the van to cover the event, feeding into local venue audio visual services as well as generating internet content for promotion. Furthermore, students will be assisting with the overall operation of the conference and exhibition. Our involvement is significant in a very professional and public arena. One of the first things that attendees will see is video screens with content produced by our crew.”

Australian actress Ms Lyn Collingwood will be in Wagga Wagga this week to launch the 2012 season of the University Theatre Ensemble (UTE) on Wednesday 14 March. Well known for her long-running role as Colleen Smart on the television show, Home and Away, Ms Collingwood’s career in film, television and on stage spans 37 years. Lecturer with the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Communication and Creative Industries, Mr John Saunders, said, “It is indeed a great honour to have Lyn visit us as the special guest at the launch. I remember vividly her remarkable performance as Dot Cook (Mum) in the Riverina Theatre Company’s One Day of the Year back in the early nineties.” The UTE season launch will take place on Wednesday 14 March at The Riverina Playhouse, Cross Street in Wagga Wagga from 7pm to approximately 8pm.

Almost 90 high schools from across NSW and Victoria will be represented at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 July as their students consider studying animal, equine or veterinary sciences. The Years 11 and 12 students will visit CSU for two days as part of the University’s MyDay, an initiative where high school students are offered the opportunity to experience a day in the life of a university student. Focusing on animal and veterinary sciences, this is the largest MayDay event to be held at CSU in Wagga Wagga in 2011. The high school students will participate in hands-on workshops in the Veterinary Pre Clinical Centre, the Equine Centre and the sheep yards on the CSU Farm within the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The University will also host general information sessions on accommodation and financial support. Undergraduate courses under the spotlight during the two day MyDay event include the Bachelor of Animal Science, the Bachelor of Equine Science, and the Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/ Bachelor of Veterinary Science. Read more here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga has welcomed more than 60 new international students from countries including South Korea, Japan, Colombia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.  Among them is PhD student Mr Muhammad Shoaib Tufail, from Pakistan. Mr Tufail’s research through CSU’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences focuses on the development of village-based forage seed production enterprises to make small farms more sustainable. “I’ve worked with Charles Sturt University under Australian Support Linkage Program (ASLP) in Pakistan and I’m pleased to continue that association with research that has the potential to benefit millions of small, mixed farms in my country,” he said. Mr Tufail has embraced student life, taking on a role leading the International Student Club at CSU. The new international students had a chance to mingle at an informal morning tea hosted by the Learning Skills staff within the University’s Academic Support in Wagga Wagga on Friday 24 February. The International Student Club is one of a number of organisations involved in Club’s Day at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Friday 2 March. Read more here.

Questions about student career development and work opportunities are explored daily by the Careers Service at Charles Sturt University (CSU). However a free public lecture to be held in Deniliquin on Wednesday 20 July takes the question of career development further to explore a student’s sense of purpose. Hosted by CSU and Deniliquin Council, the lecture will be presented by Mr Paul Worsfold, a Career Development Officer at CSU in Wagga Wagga. “The focus of our Careers Service has shifted from a traditional role of simply preparing students for graduate employment opportunities to career development work starting soon after students enrol at university, if not sooner,” said Mr Worsfold. “Now we explore a student’s ‘sense of purpose’ and what is known as a ‘sense of agency’ or becoming one’s own agent for achieving life, learning and work aspirations. So career development, ‘sense of purpose’ and ‘sense of agency’ are all key aspects supporting student retention. The work of the Careers Service, its use of career action plans, tools for student reflection and a little research, all indicate that career development learning is more than helping students to find a job.”

The capacity of rural communities to cope with changed climate conditions will be discussed at a symposium at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga this week. Organised by the EH Graham Centre and NSW Department of Primary Industries, the symposium will feature presentations from a number of CSU staff and students. CSU PhD student, Ms Katrina Sinclair, will outline the experience of the Wakool Shire in southern NSW, where a project involving CSU researchers is helping the community reinvigorate itself in the face of reduced water allocations. She said the challenges of  a changing climate combined with economic and social pressure means some farmers will need to prepare for fundamental change. “My research is exploring the ways government and organisations can help farmers and communities respond to a future that is desirable, viable and durable.”  The symposium will be attended by more than 100 people from the NSW DPI, CSU and Bureau of Meterology.