The cultural diversity of Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will be celebrated with food, music and traditional dance on Friday 21 March. CSU staff and students will come together from 11am to 2pm for the annual Harmony Day event. This year Indigenous culture will be highlighted, with hip hop and traditional dance by students from Mount Austin High School in Wagga Wagga. "Harmony Day is about community participation, inclusiveness and respect," said International Student Support Officer Ms Jacqueline Blomfield. "Through international cuisine we'll celebrate the fact that we have such a wide range of young people from all walks of life and can learn from each other." The local event is organised by the Division of Student Services, Health Promotions Service and Indigenous Student Services. The International Student Club is encouraging people to share their thoughts about Australia on a poster which will be presented to Wagga Wagga City Council and the Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga.

The role of one's personal sense of direction in contributing to psychological wellbeing will be examined in a presentation by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic. Dr James Schuurmans-Stekhoven, a lecturer in the School of Psychology at CSU in Bathurst, will examine what is meant by 'having purpose'. "My talk aims to make a contribution to the ongoing debate about the degree to which wellbeing is predetermined by factors such as hereditary, and how that predisposes us to be 'temperamentally' happy and to what degree circumstances and our actions can influence wellbeing," Dr Schuurmans-Stekhoven said. "While a little more technical, the research presented in the talk shows that past claims that fixed temperaments, like personality, are important drivers of wellbeing, may have been overstated. Most past wellbeing research has overlooked the role of purpose (a non-temperamental state or mindset). When you simultaneously examine the relative contribution of personality and purpose to wellbeing, purpose seems to be the more important factor." Dr Schuurmans-Stekhoven's free public lecture will be held from 4pm to 5pm on Wednesday 19 March in building 1399 (old C7) CSU in Bathurst. The University's School of Psychology offers undergraduate and post-graduate studies in psychology, and may be studied on campus or by distance education. Read more here.

A new international appointment for Charles Sturt University (CSU) Professor Max Finlayson has highlighted the high standing of CSU in international environmental research and policy development. Through collaboration between the Ramsar Secretariat, UNESCO's Institute for Water Education (IHE) and CSU, Professor Finlayson, the Director of the University's Institute for Land, Water and Society, was recently appointed as Ramsar Chair for Wise Use of Wetlands. In the new role, he will develop initiatives to further understanding how wetlands function and develop the link between wetlands and the communities that depend on them. He will collaborate with national and international organisations and experts to contribute to UNESCO-IHE's work and the Ramsar Convention's mission of promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands, while also maintaining his ongoing research program at CSU. "The Ramsar Chair will help us conduct robust research into better understanding of the ecology and management of wetlands. This develops further the history of collaboration between the Ramsar Secretariat, the Institute for Water Education and Charles Sturt University," said Mr Ken Irvine, Professor of Aquatic Ecosystems at UNESCO-IHE.

Internationally acclaimed film director Mr Steve Pasvolsky will share tales of his diverse media career with Charles Sturt University (CSU) students in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 19 March. Mr Pasvolsky has worked in film, television and game development, and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003 for his short drama Inja. Mr Damian Candusso, senior lecturer at CSU's School of Communication and Creative Industries, said it's great that the University is able to host experts who are recognised on the world stage. "Steve Pasvolsky brings a diverse and highly successful career that all students across the communication and creative industries can benefit from here in regional NSW," he said.

A new clinic at Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Community Engagement and Wellness (CEW) centre in Albury-Wodonga will combine expertise in sports medicine and biomechanics to treat people with sports and activity-related injuries. Former NSW champion woodchopper and podiatrist Mr Brent Smith has joined forces with physiotherapist Ms Carly Johnson in a combined sports and biomechanics clinic to be held each Wednesday morning at the CEW that combines their expertise in acute muscular, skeletal and sports medicine. Sports clubs and exercise groups are encouraged to take advantage of access to this expertise in the clinic, whereby students from CSU's podiatry and physiotherapy courses supervised by Ms Johnson and Mr Smith will be available to treat patients. Call (02) 6051 9299 to book an appointment for the Wednesday morning sports clinic.

Health researchers from around the NSW Central West have been invited to join forces as part of the Western NSW Health Research Network. The network includes universities, government agencies and peak bodies with interests in rural health, and is committed to reducing the health inequalities of people living, studying and working in western NSW. A social networking event is scheduled for the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Winery Cellar Door in Orange on Wednesday 12 March. Dr Heather Robinson, Head of Campus at CSU in Orange, said anyone with an interest in the field was welcome. "The challenge in rural health research can be getting a critical mass," she said. "There are a lot of groups working in the area, but by joining forces we can more effectively compete for research funding, take on larger projects, and make better use of everyone's skills." The event will be held at the Charles Sturt University Cellar Door, Leeds Parade Orange, Wednesday 12 March, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Call Ms Kerry Madden on (02) 6365 7500 to RSVP or email kmadden@csu.edu.au .

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will host almost 50 high school students on Thursday 13 March as they get a taste of university life. The MyDay event will showcase courses in the Faculty of Business, pathways to CSU and international study opportunities. "It's an opportunity for students to experience living and learning at Charles Sturt University and to find out about the support available to make their goals achievable," said prospective student advisor Mr Andrew Connell. Students from 14 high schools across the Riverina will attend the event from 10am to 2pm.

A photographic exhibition, Traumascapes, has opened at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. The exhibition features new works by local photographers Mr Chris Orchard and Ms Shona Pratt. The works argue that at the centre of the denial of climate change is a fundamental ecological illiteracy that visual literacy might help fix. Mr Orchard said, "As an artist and photographer, I believe there's an increasing need to open up the language of climate change, particularly the language surrounding psychology, and indeed psychoanalysis, where it specifically speaks to contemporary image culture. The exhibition is the way two artists with different backgrounds perceived the same spaces and the 'emotional' or 'spiritual' content of those spaces and tried to capture an essence of the landscape itself, or subvert that spirit to generate ironic landscapes." The exhibition in the University's HR Gallop Gallery (building 21, near car park 2) runs until Friday 4 April. Mr Orchard is an associate photography lecturer in the School of Communication and Creative Industries. Ms Pratt graduated from CSU in December 2013 with a degree in photography. The HR Gallop Gallery is open to the public from 9 am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will host almost 50 high school students on Thursday 13 March as they get a taste of university life. The MyDay event will showcase courses in the Faculty of Business, pathways to CSU and international study opportunities. "It's an opportunity for students to experience living and learning at Charles Sturt University and to find out about the support available to make their goals achievable," said prospective student advisor Mr Andrew Connell. Students from 14 high schools across the Riverina will attend the event from 10am to 2pm.