A catalogue for an art exhibition held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in 2008 has been short-listed for a national award. The catalogue for the exhibition ELEMENTS: Dianne Fogwell is up for a Museums Australia Multimedia and Publication Design Award 2009. The catalogue was produced by the Charles Sturt University Art Collection to coincide with the exhibition held during graduation ceremonies at CSU at Wagga Wagga in April 2008. A total of 406 entries were received for the awards from over 100 Australian and international organisations. The CSU Art Collection is one of 17 collections short-listed in its category.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst will host the first national Mensheds Australia conference on 16, 17 and 18 June. CSU is the major sponsor of the conference which has the theme ‘Sustaining your Menshed’. Dr Pat Bradbery, Director of the Professional Development Unit in the CSU Faculty of Business, said this is the first-ever national conference for Mensheds Australia participants, with about 70 indigenous and non-indigenous men attending from all over Australia. “The Mensheds movement is relatively new, has grown rapidly to about 300 individual Menshed groups/locations, and has a strong focus on educational development. The conference will include a half-day workshop to consider the CSU-TAFE education initiative developed for Mensheds, and CSU looks forward to building a relationship with Mensheds Australia into the future,” Dr Bradbery said. Conference participants will be welcomed to Bathurst by Mr Greg Westman, a Bathurst Regional Councillor, and to CSU by the Head of Campus, Mr Col Sharp.

When three days of intense competition concluded in Bathurst yesterday, Charles Sturt University (CSU) was named the Australian University Sport 2009 Eastern University Games Overall Champions, for highest overall points scored by all its teams. CSU also placed third in the points-per-capita category. The Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU, Professor Ian Goulter, congratulated the students and praised the organisers for the smooth management of the Games. “I am delighted that the Games have been staged here so successfully and thank everyone involved for a job well done,” Professor Goulter said. “I am particularly proud that Charles Sturt University won in the University’s 20th anniversary year, as well as winning gold medals in several individual sports. My thanks also go to Bathurst Regional Council and local businesses for their support for the Games.” CSU teams Manager, Mr Nik Granger, said “This is a great way to top off what has been a fantastic week of competition for our nearly 300 competing students who come from a number of CSU campuses. They have represented their University and participated in the right spirit, and should all be proud of their efforts. We would also like to thank the University for supporting this event, as it has been a great way to celebrate our 20th anniversary year by hosting – and winning - the games here in Bathurst.” The 2009 Australian University Games will be held on the Gold Coast from Monday 28 September.

The Vice-Chancellor and President of Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Ian Goulter, has announced the University’s new Head of Campus at Dubbo. Dr Beverley Moriarty, who is Associate Head of the School of Teacher Education at Dubbo, will take on the Head of Campus role for three years, effective from Wednesday 15 July. Professor Goulter welcomed Dr Moriarty’s appointment and looks forward to working closely with her to develop further the campus at Dubbo. Dr Moriarty said she was honoured to accept the new role. “These are exciting times for the higher education sector and I am delighted that I can contribute to realising the opportunities for Charles Sturt University as it moves ahead as the University of Inland Australia,” Dr Moriarty said. “I also want to acknowledge the contribution of my predecessor, Mr Gary Shipp who has taken on an important new role in the University as Special Adviser, Indigenous Affairs.”

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Human Movement Studies is hosting a three-day symposium in the NSW Blue Mountains for national and international experts in exercise and exercise rehabilitation. Professor Frank Marino, Head of the CSU School of Human Movement Studies at Bathurst, said The Future of Fatigue in Exercise: An International Symposium on the Limits to Exercise Performance, which runs from Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 July, is the first symposium of its kind in Australia. “The symposium provides an opportunity for leaders in the field from around Australia and the world to come together to discuss a range of issues related to exercise, rehabilitation, health and wellbeing. We expect it will advance our research and the way in which we work together to solve problems that affect many of us, particularly athletes, at some stage in our lives.” Presentations at the symposium include Anticipating fatigue during exercise by Professor Marino and Cancer-fatigue in exercise by CSU’s Dr Jack Canon.

As part of his visit to Australia hosted by Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) International Centre of Water for Food Security (IC WATER), a renowned Dutch hydrologist will present his ambitious plan to develop a model that displays the status of water on or under every hectare of the earth’s surface. Professor Nick van de Giesen, Chair of Water Resources Management at the Technical University of Delft (TUD) in the Netherlands, will discuss his ideas at a seminar at CSU at Wagga Wagga on Friday 24 July. Professor van de Giesen said the computational power needed to present the data at 15 minute intervals is relatively modest and although much scientific research is needed to make such a model a reality, prototypes already exist. IC WATER director Associate Professor Mohsin Hafeez said the long-term partnership between CSU and TUD will focus on establishing joint projects and building expertise in irrigation water management, water accounting and saving, climate change impact on water availability, land use and land cover change.

There will be a meeting of creative minds from across Australia in Wagga Wagga when Charles Sturt University (CSU) hosts the Symposia09 conference on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 August. The two day creative arts conference brings together 14 speakers from across Australia including specialists in animation, lighting design, illustration, sound, web design, exhibition design, video, photography, multimedia, music, visual art and graphic design. “This is an intensive two day gathering of some of the leading creative practitioners in Australia,” said Associate Professor Margaret Woodward, Head of School of Visual and Performing Arts at CSU at Wagga Wagga. It will include a combination of visual presentations, music, discussion and an opportunity to meet informally with speakers. “Collectively the speakers have vast experience and knowledge to inspire the audience,” said Professor Woodward.

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) Winery Cellar Door at Wagga Wagga has received an Award of Distinction at the 2009 Inland NSW Tourism Awards held in Narrabri, NSW on Saturday 25 July. The Cellar Door sells wine and offers tastings from the University’s own range of premium table, fortified and sparkling wines. “It’s a fantastic achievement to receive this award – one of only five businesses (in addition to the 18 category winners) out of 58 entrants in the state to be commended,” said Cellar Door Manager Mr Richard Lawson. “The award recognises the Winery’s contribution to local and regional tourism, as well as the extensive range of CSU wine, cheese and olive oil products available for tasting and sales. It also recognises the hard work of our dedicated Cellar Door team.”  Since its inception in 1977, the CSU Winery has won numerous trophies and medals in national wine shows.

Once a safe region for mixed farming, the southern NSW district around Wagga Wagga is now enduring an unprecedented period of low rainfall affecting both dryland and irrigated farmers. A public seminar and forum entitled A Dry Argument will be held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) on Wednesday 29 July to examine some of the consequences of drought and the difficulties farmers face in adjusting to dry periods. “Agricultural scientists, agribusiness and policy makers are often swept up in the technology of coping with drought and maintaining production, rather than considering their response to the ‘big picture' travails of farmers. The future of farming is a topic worthy of careful consideration,” said CSU organiser Emeritus Professor Ted Wolfe. “We’re bringing together experts from Victoria and across the Riverina to share their experience and insight.” The EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation (an alliance between CSU and NSW Department of Primary Industries) is hosting the event in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology and Wagga Wagga City Council.