Identifying animals destined for the abattoir and cloning smelly plants are just some of the activities on offer to high school students in the Riverina at the Agricultural Enrichment Day on Monday 6 July at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Wagga Wagga. Hosted by the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation,  an alliance between CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI), the event will give the students access to some of the leading agricultural and veterinary scientists in NSW. “The event has been a success in previous years and I hope the day will inspire students to consider a career in one of the many jobs agriculture can offer,” said Director of the EH Graham Centre, Professor Deirdre Lemerle. Year 10 and 11 students will attend from Barham Central School, Billabong Central School, Riverina Anglican College, Kooringal High School, Griffith High School, Finley High School, Murrumburrah High School, St Paul’s at Walla Walla and Wagga Wagga High School.

To say the odds are long when it comes to the chance of winning the largest lottery draw in Australian history on Tuesday 30 June is an understatement. Professor Nick Klomp, Dean of the Faculty of Science at Charles Sturt University (CSU), puts the chance of winning the jackpot in the $90 million Oz Lotto draw next week at one in 45 million. “If you want an even chance to win the first division just once in your life, you would have to buy a 10-game ticket every single week of your life, even when a baby,” said Professor Klomp. However the CSU academic adds “oh, and you’d have to live to be over 87 000 years old”. “You are much, much more likely to die from being struck by lightning than pick the seven winning numbers by playing a single game next week.” Professor Klomp usually advises people to keep their money in their pocket. He sees lottery tickets as voluntary taxes for people who are lousy at mathematics, but the size of this jackpot makes it worth thinking about.“In any normal week, the best way to be a winner is to put the money you were going to spend on lottery tickets into a savings plan,” said Professor Klomp. “However a $90 million lottery is not normal.  As soon as the first division prize goes over $50 million, the potential payback becomes worth the investment.  It doesn’t increase your chances of winning; it just makes it mathematically more sensible to buy a ticket.” Professor Klomp is keen to point out that all of this assumes that if you win the jackpot, you aren’t sharing it.  “You need the potential payback to be at least 45 million times every dollar you spend. So long as you don’t think it’s an investment and you get your money back in fun, then go ahead and enjoy yourself,” advises Professor Klomp.

After 35 years at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst and its predecessor institution Mitchell College of Advanced Education (MCAE), Associate Professor Leonora Ritter, Head of the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies, will retire on Wednesday 1 July. Professor Anthony Cahalan, Dean of Faculty of Arts at CSU, said following her appointment to an academic position at MCAE in 1974, Professor Ritter has gone on to make an extraordinary contribution to the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies and to CSU. “Leonora has been Head of School for the past six years and has chaired and served on numerous committees at all levels of the institution. In every role, her commitment to her students, staff and colleagues has been generous and exemplary. We wish her all the very best in her retirement, and look forward to maintaining Charles Sturt University's association with her in her role as mentor on a number of significant projects in the future,” Professor Cahalan said. Professor Ritter will be farewelled by colleagues at an afternoon tea on Thursday 25 June.

The idea that employment automatically leads to personal well-being and social inclusion is being questioned by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher. In an address to the 2009 Social Inclusion Forum in Melbourne on Thursday 25 June, Dr Helen Masterman-Smith will question what, if anything, the Federal Government’s Social Inclusion Agenda (SIA) has done to address the kinds of barriers that low paid workers encounter. “Labour market participation is a cornerstone of the whole-of-government approach that the Commonwealth is developing to improve social inclusion. However, its SIA recognises that low pay and poor job quality often derail this key objective.” A sociology lecturer and co-author of the book Living Low Paid, Dr Masterman-Smith says the difficulties of ‘making work pay’ at the bottom end of the labour market is a social inclusion challenge that has yet to receive the policy or public attention it warrants. She will also comment on whether the Australian labour market and economy can actually deliver a ‘just transition’ to a low-carbon economy, through the Emissions Trading Scheme, or whether such a transition will simply reproduce current labour market inequalities.  

The extensive research work of Charles Sturt University (CSU) ecologist, Associate Professor Gary Luck in the area of biodiversity conservation has been publicly acknowledged in the 2009 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence. The Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU Professor Ian Goulter announced on Monday 22 June the recipients of this year’s awards to academic and general staff. The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence has gone to Associate Professor Luck from the School of Environmental Sciences  at CSU at Albury-Wodonga and a member of the University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society. His internationally recognised work focuses on two key areas in ecosystem services and conservation near human settlements. Ms Kristy Robson from the School of Community Health at CSU at Albury-Wodonga has been named winner of the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Professional Excellence for her work the University’s Allied Health Clinic where podiatry and other students obtain clinical experience. There are two recipients of the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence in lecturer Ms Amanda Davies from the School of Policing Studies at CSU at Goulburn and lecturer Dr Jennifer Sappey from the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies at CSU at Bathurst. Awards for excellence in leadership, performance and programs that enhance learning have also been announced. Professor Goulter will present the awards during ceremonies at Bathurst on Tuesday 30 June and at Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 1 July.

A pharmacy student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) has been named the NSW Pharmacy Student of Year by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA). Mr Lloyd Smith was named the winner in Sydney on Saturday 13 June during a pharmacy expo hosted by the PSA. Sponsored by the company Alphapharm, the competition tests the communication and counselling skills of final year pharmacy students. Mr Smith will now compete for the national title of Pharmacy Student of the Year during the PSA’s annual Pharmacy Australia Congress in Sydney from Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 October. Mr Smith, from Broken Hill, is in his fourth year of Bachelor Pharmacy at CSU at Wagga Wagga. He is also the Head Resident of the Halls of Residence at the University’s South Campus in Wagga Wagga and involved in a number of student organisations including the Pharmers’ Society and rural health club, WARRIAHS. “Lloyd represents all that is great about pharmacy students at CSU beyond their academic achievements. Lloyd has good communication and leadership skills, a commitment to the community in which he lives and a burning desire to serve the profession well in regional NSW,” said Associate Professor Lyn Angel, Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences.

The Oscar-winning computer animation director Mr Chris Landreth will visit Wagga Wagga next week to present a seminar and film night hosted by Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Visual and Performing Arts. “Mr Landreth has been at the absolute forefront of computer animation development for a decade, with each of his previous films, The End, Bingo and Ryan, representing ground-breaking leaps and demonstrating what animation was capable of depicting,” said CSU lecturer Mr Andrew Hagan. Mr Landreth will present his newest film The Spine and a reel of highlights from his previous films at a special screening on Monday 29 June. “He will talk about these works, giving particular insights into how he melds his uniquely creative visions with his highly technical approach to produce them,” said Mr Hagan. On Tuesday 30 June, Mr Landreth will present a free public seminar at CSU and provide invaluable insights to the world of computer graphics.

A veterinary science student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) is driving the renewal of environmental activism within the student body at CSU at Wagga Wagga. While a first year student in 2008, Ms Gemma Hawkins from Wagga Wagga established the Eco Active Club with 10 inaugural student members. Support has risen to 50 members in 2009. The group is involved with environmental advocacy in areas such as recycling, promoting transport such as bus and cycling and annual events like Clean Up Australia Day, Earth Hour and World Environment Day. The club also organises student outdoor activities such as rock climbing. With the support of the CSU Division of Facilities Management, Ms Hawkins pushed ahead with a student vegetable garden on campus with the first planting taking place in early June. “I’m hoping the concept of the garden will eventually expand to a common art space for students and the wider community,” said Ms Hawkins. “I feel there is a culture of change sweeping through the University and the student body is embracing action and more practical outcomes for the environment.”

A comparison of Mary Shelley’s horror novel Frankenstein with the futuristic film Bladerunner and finding connections and contrasts between female writers Jane Austen and Fay Weldon are all on the agenda at Charles Sturt University (CSU) this week. The annual HSC English Study Day will be held at CSU at Wagga Wagga on Friday 19 June. Staff from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences have joined forces with the Wagga Wagga branch of the English Teachers Association to organise lectures and workshops for up to 1 000 students from regional high schools as well as TAFE NSW Riverina Institute. The wide range of HSC English texts, including novels, plays and poetry, will be analysed and debated throughout the day. “We are looking forward to robust and insightful discussions about the many texts available in the HSC English syllabus in 2009,” said Mr David Gilbey, Senior Lecturer in English at the School of Humanities at Social Sciences at CSU at Wagga Wagga. Presentations will be given by CSU academics, high school teachers as well as CSU students training to be English teachers. “The rich mix of English texts up for consideration will hopefully benefit and delight HSC students as well as their teachers and CSU students about to embark on their careers as teachers.”