Parents of children aged three and under can be part of an expo of resources this week in Lavington aimed at supporting parents and carers of babies and toddlers through their early lives. Presented by Charles Sturt University (CSU) students in the final year of their early childhood and primary education degree, the one-day event, titled the Early Years Parent Information Expo, aims to be fun and interactive for children and parents, full of information to take home. Topics on show for mothers, fathers, grandparents, carers, professional teachers, children and siblings include early literacy, learning through play, sleep issues, toilet training, feeding and separation issues. Event coordinator and education lecturer with the CSU School of Education, Dr Laura Piazza, said the event, “is a great opportunity for families to draw on the expertise of our pre-service teachers and ask questions about ways to best support children’s learning in the early years”. The expo will be held on Wednesday 23 May, from 9.30 to 11am in Mirambeena Community Centre in Lavington.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff and students are being encouraged to express on film their ideas for environmental sustainability. The Eco Literacy Film Festival aims to showcase short, three-minute films exploring how the University can reduce its environmental footprint in areas of biodiversity, energy and transport, waste water and pollution, and food and produce. Festival Co-ordinator, Ms Natasha Hard said a total of $6 000 in prizes is on offer and the films will be shown in an online and on campus film festival later in the year. “Anyone who has a phone can make a film and make a difference,” she said. “By celebrating some of the great things being done and highlighting new opportunities, we hope to support interest and action in the area of sustainability across Charles Sturt University.” The festival is funded by a grant from CSU Green. Entries close at 11.59pm on Friday 6 July. Read more about the Eco Literacy Film Festival here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst is the venue for the annual FACTS Day (Facts About Careers and Tertiary Study) for Year 12 students across the central west on Thursday 24 May. FACTS Day is organised by the Central West Careers Advisers Association to assist students explore their future career and employment opportunities. Prospective Student Adviser at CSU, Ms Fran Dwyer, said, “Approximately 120 representatives from more than 60 career and employer organisations, including universities, private providers, TAFE, Centrelink, police, and other government agencies, will provide information to about 1 000 Year 12 students from schools in Bathurst, Lithgow, Kandos, Oberon, Blayney, Cowra, Orange, Molong and Wellington. As in the past, FACTS Day provides regional final-year high school students the opportunity to speak with a range of educational providers, and hear a motivational speaker. It is also an opportunity for students to experience Charles Sturt University by attending the campus, which some schools will tour.”

Long gone is the image of an accountant poring over columns of figures in a dingy office. “Professional accountants are vital for driving the success of modern businesses and enjoy diverse and rewarding careers. A modern accountant needs skills in areas such as communication, negotiation and teamwork as well as technical accounting knowledge and an analytical mind,” said Charles Sturt University (CSU) accounting lecturer, Mr Danny Murphy, based in Albury-Wodonga. To help address the shortage of accountants in regional Australia, Mr Murphy and fellow academic Dr Dianne McGrath have developed a work experience program for budding accountants titled Reaping what we sow, which places Year 10, 11 and 12 students with Border accounting firms. “The project allows local students to get work experience to understand what the job really involves, and the variety of careers open to accounting graduates,” Mr Murphy said. The students this week completed their work experiences and will gather on Friday 25 May at CSU in Albury-Wodonga to see what life is like for a CSU accounting student. Later they will visit the Mars factory in Wodonga to examine the work done by management accountants at Mars.

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease are known to affect our daily lives in many ways, but little study has been carried out on their effects on the brain. With assistance from Border residents, Charles Sturt University (CSU) researchers led by Dr Herbert Jelinek from the School of Community Health will investigate how our thinking changes if we contract diabetes and its complications, such as cardiovascular disease. “We invite members of the Albury-Wodonga community, with and without diabetes or heart disease, to participate in our project, which will start mid-July,” Dr Jelinek said. “We will be testing all participants for eye, heart, foot and kidney function as well as undertaking a number of tests to investigate brain function.” Anyone interested in participating should contact Dr Herbert Jelinek, coordinator of the CSU Diabetes Complications Research Initiative, on mobile 0427 681 754.

Last year, environmental science students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) Mr Charlie Rothnie-Jones and his friend Mr Nathaniel Oliver started up a community garden in Thurgoona to promote sustainable living, which was recently recognised when they won the 2012 David Battersby Awards for Student Citizenship at CSU. The Kerr Sustainability Centre on CSU’s Thurgoona site allows CSU students to grow food for free and hosts workshop events aimed at sharing knowledge and skills. Members of the garden are from Thurgoona and surrounding areas, from all walks of life. The centre provides space for garden beds for community members and allows people with similar interests and gardening goals to meet and share. The students’ interests complement each other, with Mr Oliver following vegetables from sowing to eating, while Mr Rothnie-Jones communicates extensively with local community centres. “Mr Rothnie-Jones and Mr Oliver deserve their success to date and it is a pleasure to recognise their leadership in the Charles Sturt University community through these prestigious awards,” said the Head of Campus for CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Ms Sue Moloney.

Barriers to education and employment for Indigenous people will be among topics discussed at a workshop at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Bathurst Campus tomorrow, Wednesday 6 December. The workshop is the first in a series to be held across CSU as part of its Indigenous Employment Strategy promoting the employment of Indigenous Australians. Workshop presenters will include guests from the Wiradjuri Elders Group and other community members who will discuss topics such as workplace issues, cross cultural communication and protocols for community consultation. The University’s Indigenous Employment Coordinator Karen Kime said the University is a great place to work and Indigenous people contribute to an interesting and dynamic workforce, which reflects the cultural makeup of the region it serves. The workshop will be held between 9.30am and 3pm at the Human Resources Training Room, Phillips Building.

Treatment for the blood cancers multiple myeloma and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma currently require some patients living in regional and rural Australia to travel considerable distances and stay for a period of time in major regional and metropolitan centres. Charles Sturt University (CSU) Honours student Ms Kerry Wagland is investigating how mothers living in regional areas with dependent children, and who have contracted these rare cancers, cope with their disease and treatment. Ms Wagland, with the support of CSU’s School of Psychology, is interviewing rural and regional women who have these diseases to understand how they impact on the mother’s daily life and her relationships. “I am seeking to gain insights into the challenges faced by these women, especially when they have to travel to and stay at a major treatment centre. I am hoping this will lead to improved support for these women,” Ms Wagland said. The interviews, to be carried out for up to one hour face-to-face or via telephone, will be conducted until 31 August 2012.

Are you passionate about our local native animals and wonder how scientists research and monitor our wildlife? Border residents can take part in monitoring our local endangered animals in the upcoming Thurgoona Bioblitz 2012, a community wildlife event to be held on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 May in and around Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga. These free events will involve wildlife surveys to be conducted around Thurgoona, including spotlighting nest boxes for Squirrel Gliders, trapping bats and small animals, bird watching, identifying frog calls, and searching for lizards. The surveys will be led by expert ecologists from CSU and other organisations, and the collected data will be added to the Atlas of Living Australia, an online national database of Australia’s flora and fauna. Organised by the Slopes2Summit partnership, which includes CSU, and the Woolshed Thurgoona Landcare Group, the Friday event will be for school students, while events scheduled for Friday evening and Saturday will involve the wider community. Slopes2Summit facilitator Mr Sam Niedra said the Bioblitz allows schools and the general community to experience and learn about Thurgoona’s rich diversity of animal species, while collecting records “to improve our knowledge of what’s happening in the Thurgoona landscape, and be better informed about how these animals can be conserved into the future”.