Charles Sturt University (CSU) is playing a key role in an international comparative study of the juvenile justice systems in NSW and India. Ms Asha Mukundan, an academic from the Centre for Criminology and Justice, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India, is a visiting fellow at CSU through the Federal Government’s prestigious 2007 Endeavour Research Fellowship program. The research is aimed at understanding the function of various agencies under NSW Juvenile Justice focusing on the roles, activities and procedures of delivery systems; institutional and non institutional rehabilitation options and the potential application of best practices in India. The research is supervised by CSU Associate Professor Manohar Pawar, who says it is a great opportunity for CSU and the Tata Institute to work together and explore further collaborative activities.

It is a case of ”first Wagga Wagga, then the world” as the fourth annual Australian International Animation Festival (AIAF) comes to inland Australia. This year’s three-day festival, starting on Friday 18 May, has gathered the largest and most impressive collection of animated films to be seen in Australia. AIAF’s Malcolm Turner says, “It is the first time that the festival will open in Wagga Wagga.” He adds, “The NSW inland city is now placed firmly on the world map”. Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer Andrew Hagan said the festival, to be held at the Forum 6 Cinema, “Will be jam-packed with 100 spectacular animated films from 30 countries, intertwined with informative workshops, plus a few surprise screenings”. One of this year’s highlights will be CSU’s Damian Candusso discussing his role in the Oscar Award-winning film Happy Feet. The catalogue of animated films will then screen at festivals around the world including Hungary and embark on an extensive tour of regional towns across Australia.

A taste of Tennessee comes to inland Australia through the Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) newest theatre production. More widely recognised for his success with The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams’s lesser known work Orpheus Descending is one of his most lyrical and beautiful plays. Williams gives a new version of the myth of Orpheus through the musician Val and his encounters with conservative sceptics who dominate a small town in America’s Deep South. Orpheus Descending is directed by CSU’s new lecturer in acting, Ashley Wain, and is performed by CSU third year acting students. The set is designed by visiting Egyptian PhD student Dahlia Farah, with other design roles and stage management being undertaken by CSU third year students of the CSU degree in theatre design.

Major developments at Charles Sturt University (CSU) continue as work begins on an expanded School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences. A $8 million Clinical Training Centre to be built on CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus will be used to train undergraduate students in clinical veterinary medicine, surgery, diagnostic imaging and reproduction. The facility will include a large animal surgery and hospital, small animal teaching surgery, diagnostic imaging for both small and large animals, a reproduction laboratory and barn, as well as offices and tutorial spaces. The cutting edge imaging facilities will include scintigraphy, computerised tomography, ultrasonography and digital radiography. Director of Veterinary Science, Professor Kym Abbott said, “In addition to providing the facility for the veterinary science program, the Clinical Training Centre will build and extend pre-existing expertise at CSU in equine science and medical imaging.”

While grain growers rejoice, a Charles Sturt University (CSU) livestock expert is warning recent widespread rainfall across New South Wales and Victoria brings risks as well as great benefits for pastoralists. Professor Kym Abbott from the CSU School of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences Wagga Wagga Campus says sheep flocks and cattle herds face the increased threat of parasitic infestation over the next four to six weeks as parasite larvae, that had lain dormant in the soil, move onto pastures. He is urging sheep and cattle producers to closely monitor parasite egg counts over the next few months to treat sheep if necessary but avoid the excessive use of drenches. Professor Abbott says sheep and calves in particular risk weight loss and scour from parasites such as Brown Stomach worm, Black Scour worm and Nematodirus which thrive after prolonged periods of drought.

Dental practitioners across regional Australia have welcomed Commonwealth Government funding of $65.1 million for the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Dentistry and Oral Health announced in last week’s Federal Budget. A dentist practising in the NSW inland city of Wagga Wagga, Dr Kathleen Matthews has congratulated the University for “deservedly winning the funding for the CSU dental school. As a local practitioner I am personally excited at the prospect … and see this as a unique opportunity for a regionally based ‘community of practice’ to be formed, not only for the benefit of local and visiting health professionals and educators, but for the oral and systemic health of our population”. CSU Vice Chancellor Ian Goulter says, “Our plan for dental education in inland NSW will rely heavily on the participation of existing dental practitioners in our regional communities in the clinical education program”.

Are frogs hypersensitive indicators of the slightest environmental change, or robust little beasts battling almost insurmountable odds? Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Wagga Wagga City Council will host a public lecture to address this question, to be given by CSU lecturer Dr Skye Wassens. In 1980 a series of reports documented a sudden, catastrophic decline among the world’s frog populations. The mystery surrounding frog disappearances has seen researchers looking desperately for answers but, 27 years on, frog populations are disappearing faster than ever. Just what is it about frogs that make them so difficult to conserve? Entitled The Search for the Smoking Gun: Unravelling the Myths and Misconceptions of Global Amphibian Declines, the lecture will provide an insight into the world of frogs, attempt to seek out the causes of frog disappearances, and discuss strategies for preserving frog populations in the Riverina.

Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) teams have been recognised for innovative workplace safety initiatives. The Wagga Mutual Credit Union Safety Awareness Award programme supports safety conscious community members to promote safety awareness. The CSU School of Biomedical Sciences team worked with the Division of Facilities Management to investigate and minimise exposure to airborne microbes causing mould in the building. CSU Facilities Management installed timers and ceiling vents to prevent moist air stagnating and causing respiratory problems. The CSU Division of Facilities Management team sought approval for a replacement truck which incorporated a hydraulic lifting platform. The number of daily manual handling lifting operations were dramatically reduced and this will also reduce the incidence of manual handling injuries and enable safer movement of materials around the Wagga Wagga Campus. Both teams won cash prizes of $150.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) are embarking on a collaborative hydrology project of global significance in Wagga Wagga. Based on CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus, the proposed Water, Agriculture, Technology and Environment Research (WATER) Centre for Food Security will develop strategies and programmes to ensure adequate, sustainable water supplies for agriculture and research while protecting the environment. CSU School of Environmental Sciences Professor Shabaz Khan says the work of the WATER Centre relates to all countries sharing concerns on managing water resources for food security and alleviating poverty while preserving the environment, through research, education and training. Two UNESCO representatives, Professor Siegfried Demuth from France and Mr Giuseppe Arduino from Indonesia, will visit CSU Wagga Wagga Campus for the launch of the WATER Centre. Professor Khan says, “The Centre will work on national and international water problems by seeking local solutions for global impacts on water quality issues”.