It has been a busy few months for Ms Amanda Davies, a lecturer with the School of Policing Studies  at CSU in Goulburn. The award-winning lecturer recently published a book and conducted research in the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada. The CSU academic visited the UK to research the use of simulation in policing training. “I am interviewing police in the field who have undertaken training through simulation and reflecting on how this has impacted on their professional practice. The research seeks to inform the design, implementation and educational benefits of using simulation in the future training of police.” Ms Davies then moved onto Canada for the implementation of Problem Based Learning in policing. “In Canada, I travelled between the Durham Regional Police Service and Sudbury Regional Police, meeting training officers, field offices and recruits to understand how they have implemented the Problem Based Learning concepts into their recruit training.” Ms Davies’ new book evaluates the impact of delivering fire investigation studies using a CD-ROM with virtual fire scene scenarios.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has invested over $1 million in the research and development of commercial bio-pesticides at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. Heading the research team is Associate Professor Gavin Ash from the School of Agriculture and Wine Sciences  at CSU in Wagga Wagga and acting Director of the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation  – an alliance between CSU and Industry & Investment NSW. “Integrated pest management programs that reduce the reliance on chemical pesticides are likely to provide better management strategies to ensure a sustainable future for the Australian grain industry,” said Professor Ash. The current project, which focuses on the management of aphids, has been funded for three years until middle 2013.

A unique educational program for young people will be revealed during a public lecture hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 8 July. The ‘Putting Youth in the Picture’ (PYP) program was created by Queensland lawyer, Mr Adair Donaldson, to help local communities deal with issues confronting youth. “Our program uses a series of authentic but confronting movie scenarios to show how young people can become involved in life altering incidents as a result of poor decision making,” said Mr Donaldson. “The issues presented and discussed include sexual assault, a bar-room fight, illegal recreational drugs, binge and underage drinking.” Mr Peter Bell, Manager, Residential Operations with the Division of Student Services at CSU in Wagga Wagga said, “Charles Sturt University is extremely fortunate to be one of only two universities outside Queensland to deliver this impressive program.”

The generosity of an Australian non-profit organisation has guaranteed four Charles Sturt University (CSU) Dentistry students receive more than $50,000 each towards their studies. At a recent scholarship and award function at CSU in Orange, the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation (VFFF) awarded four first-year students annual scholarships of $10,000 during their five years of study. Since 1962 the VFFF has distributed in excess of $70 million to non-profit organisations in Australia. The future of young people is of particular interest to the VFFF, as are the special needs of Australians living beyond the major metropolitan centres, particularly in rural and outback Australia. “With graduates from the School Dentistry and Health Sciences encouraged to practice in regional Australia, these scholarships are not only helping four students each year, they stand to benefit regional Australia as a whole,” said Head of School, Professor David Wilson.

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) students who formed 18 teams to compete in 10 sports at the recent 2010 Eastern University Games at Coffs Harbour in NSW came fourth overall on points and won the Ann Mitchell Cup for points scored per capita of university enrolments. The CSU team manager, Mr Nik Granger, said, “This is a very good result from a great week of competition where all our students participated in the right spirit. The Charles Sturt University team comprised 180 students from all our campuses, as well as some distance education students. The competition was extremely good, and we had a few teams heading for gold medals. After dominating the pools, our highly-fancied Mixed Touch Football team took the silver medal when, in the final game, they contested a University of Wollongong side that contained a number of national representative players. The Ten Pin Bowlers were the surprise, finishing the competition with a silver medal, as did one of the Lawn Bowls teams. We can be very proud of this effort.”

Working with rice farmers in India to save water, learning from the nomadic sheep herders on Mongolia’s endless Steppes, and travelling through the fertile Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam are the recent experiences of agricultural students at Charles Sturt University (CSU). Three student groups involving about 40 students from the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences at CSU in Orange and Wagga Wagga spent up to two weeks in June and July on separate study tours in China, India and Vietnam. “Agriculture in 2010 is a global business,” Head of the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences Associate Professor John Kent said. “Therefore it is very important that Charles Sturt University students have an international perspective when they graduate and pursue their careers in the rural sector.” Leading the study tour of 18 students to Vietnam was lecturer Dr Jason Condon. “It’s good for the students to be taken out of their comfort zones to experience and observe how different agriculture and life can be in other countries,” Dr Condon said. On the trip to Vietnam, final year agricultural science student Mr Dwayne Schubert said, “The trip really opened up my eyes to see how developing countries approach agriculture. They use agriculture to support their community’s survival whereas at home, we are more concerned about commodities and profit.”

A trial project encouraging Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff to take personal responsibility for cutting their computer and monitor energy use has concluded with results showing energy use dropped by one-third. Meters were installed in the offices of volunteers from the School of Education at CSU in Wagga Wagga for two week periods earlier this year. In the first week of the trial, participants were instructed to use their computers ‘as per usual’. In the second week they made a conscious effort to use less energy by turning computers off at the power point at the end of each day and by switching off monitors when leaving the room for more than 10 minutes. “The project found that energy use in the second week fell by an average of 32 per cent,” said team member Ms Barbara Conlan. The amount of energy saved in the second week was 62 kilowatt-hours for the 30 volunteers, equivalent to an annual saving of approximately $470. “One of the aims of this project was to promote a cultural change within Charles Sturt University as well as to provide case studies for education students on ways to be environmentally sustainable in schools, workplaces and homes.”

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) Winery is still celebrating after being named one of the winners of a 2010 Inland Tourism Award. The winery took out the Wineries, Distilleries and Boutique Breweries Award during a ceremony held at the Temora Aviation Museum on Saturday 24 July. Established in 1977 at CSU in Wagga Wagga, the commercial winery produces premium varietal table wines. The Winery is tightly integrated with the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga and the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre.   “We are thrilled to be recognised for providing a great experience for visitors to Wagga Wagga and the Riverina,” winemaker Mr Andrew Drumm said. The CSU Winery has a number of awards to its name including 25 trophies and 95 gold medals.

When you’re buying trees to plant on National Tree Day, Sunday 1 August, it’s essential to ask some questions, says senior lecturer in the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences Dr Geoffrey Burrows. “When buying native plants, it’s important that seed used in propagation comes from the local area,” Dr Burrows says. “For example, the Yellow Box eucalypt occurs naturally from Queensland to Victoria, but if you collect seed from somewhere other than your region, it means you are introducing genes that wouldn’t normally find their way to that place. You’re actually genetically polluting the local landscape.” Dr Burrows suggests shopping at a nursery that specialises in native plants where they are more likely to gather seed from the local surroundings. “You just need to ask if the seed is local before you buy the plant - that way we can naturally increase native biodiversity within the local area on National Tree Day.”