If you are over 65 and you have had a fall in that past 12 months, or are a relative or friend of someone who has, you can take part in research at Charles Sturt University (CSU) that looks at your experiences related to the fall. Ms Kristy Robson, a podiatry academic with the CSU’s School of Community Health  and Centre for Inland Health is looking for participants specifically from Albury, Corowa, Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Coleambally, Boorowa, Young and Moama as part of her PhD research project. Ms Robson, who is based in Albury, said it is estimated that between 30 and 60 per cent of older people living in the community will experience a fall each year. “It is therefore important we try and understand why this is occurring, particularly for people living in inland communities of Australia. Most current research is based on the opinions of health experts. We want to collect stories from diverse inland communities which have widely spread people and health services. Programs developed for metropolitan situations might not be appropriate for our regional communities.” To participate in the CSU research project, contact Ms Wendy Rose Davison on telephone (02) 6051 9232.

New students and supportive family members have flooded onto the Bathurst Campus of Charles Sturt University (CSU) to get their bearings at the start of Orientation Week 2009. During his welcome to new students on 16 February, Head of Bathurst Campus, Mr Col Sharp, said he was delighted by the energy the new students brought to the campus “It’s important that new students are welcomed and assisted with their transition to university life, and we are confident that CSU will be a positive and constructive experience for students as they build their careers.” On Tuesday, students formally enrol, are given information about their courses and subjects and meet teaching staff. On Wednesday 18 February, students attend information sessions about CSU’s online services, electronic communications, learning in an e-environment and how to access support and facilities in information technology, library and student services. Male and female students will also participate in separate compulsory seminars on personal well-being and safety. Thursday is ‘Market Day’ on the library lawn, which provides a feast of information for new students about local businesses and services that they might chose or need to use during their time in Bathurst. There are no formal sessions scheduled for Friday.

On a well-stocked property, heifer management drives profitability. This will be a key message during the Annual Graham Centre Beef Field Day in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 4 August from Dr Colin Scrivener from the Fred Morley Unit in the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Charles Sturt University (CSU). “There are three basic rules producers need to follow when looking at the management of their cow herd: high heifer retention rates, adequate nutrition prior to puberty and management of dystocia,” said Dr Scrivener. “These ‘rules’ can be optimised through management. Other important things to consider include short joining periods, bull health, spring versus autumn calving, weaning systems and age at sale.” Dr Scrivener is one of many industry experts addressing the field day, which is organised by the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation – an alliance of CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries. The theme for this year’s event is reproduction.  Read more about the field day here.

An animal science student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga has been named as a finalist in a national meat judging competition. Seven agricultural, animal and veterinary science students represented CSU at the annual Intercollegiate Meat Judging (ICMJ) competition in Armidale from Tuesday 5 to Saturday 9 July. During the grading of beef, lamb and pork carcases and retail cuts, the CSU side competed with teams from other Australian universities as well as top teams from USA and Japan. “This provided an excellent opportunity for Charles Sturt University students to network with students from other universities interested in the production of high quality meat to the domestic and export markets,” said lecturer in animal production with the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Dr Belinda King. Two of the seven CSU students made it into the final round. “However, after an excellent oral presentation, Ms Naomi Hobson was one of the 10 students named as finalists and selected for further training with Meat Standards Australia. She now can win a place in the Australian team to complete in the ICMJ competition in USA in January 2012.”

The environment will be under the microscope at a free public lecture to be held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo on Wednesday 10 August. CSU Adjunct Professor David Mitchell from the School of Environmental Sciences will tackle growing concerns about possibly profound changes in climatic conditions and their potential to undermine many strategies already developed to sustain agriculture for domestic consumption and export. “Australia is not alone in these concerns,” Professor Mitchell says, “but we have the benefits of a relatively low population density, which will help us adjust to changes in a climate that is already highly variable.” Professor Mitchell’s lecture will also discuss water resource management and agricultural sustainability.

University teaching in the 21st century is changing dramatically, and on Wednesday 27 July the Flexible Learning Institute (FLI) at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will launch initiatives to inspire best practice in blended and flexible learning (BFL) at the University. Professor of Higher Education and FLI director, Professor Mike Keppell, said, “Learning and teaching opportunities of the digital age are almost limitless, and these initiatives will help CSU course teams develop an integrated strategy to ensure best practice in blended and flexible learning across their whole course to ensure our students are well prepared for professional life. Charles Sturt University students now interact with national and international experts in ‘Second Life’, a free, 3D virtual world. They practice skills in simulations, diagnosing diseases using virtual microscopes, reflecting deeply about climate change in their blogs, and developing rich and engaging records of their progress from novice to emerging professional in their ePortfolios. We aim to create a comprehensive, integrated strategy to ensure that students gain a seamless experience across their courses, and are gradually immersed into these new professional worlds.”

University students from around Australia will gather for five days at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga next month to discuss the future of food, water and climate for a sustainable world. The 2011 Students of Sustainability (SoS) conference will be held from Wednesday 6 to Sunday 10 July. The annual event includes forums and workshops on various sustainability topics which will demonstrate how theory and practice can be used to make positive social and environmental changes. Other topics to be covered include anti-nuclear developments, and the Australian Student Environment Network. Conference activities also include hands-on workshops, updates on current campaigns, Do-It-Yourself sustainability skill sharing, music performances, lectures and local excursions. This year is the twentieth anniversary of the SoS conference, and the first time it has been held in a regional city since 1997.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will join with 42 other higher education providers to showcase its education opportunities to local high school students at the Albury-Wodonga Tertiary Day on Wednesday 22 June in Albury. CSU Prospective Student Adviser, Ms Emily Hill, said the expo provides an important opportunity for students to compare what higher education providers around Victoria, NSW and ACT can offer. “Over 1 200 high school students are due to attend the event, which presents a great oportunity for regional students to access course information from a variety of institutions. The knowledge shared at these events will help students to make informed decisions about their options for life beyond Year 12,” Ms Hill said. The Albury event will run from 9am to 2.15pm in the Albury Entertainment Centre, Swift Street, Albury.

The place of manners and etiquette in colonial Australia is the topic of the next Theo Barker Memorial Lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Friday 12 August. An organiser of the free public lecture, CSU adjunct lecturer Dr Rob McLachlan, said, “This is the fourth biennial Theo Barker Memorial Lecture co-sponsored by Charles Sturt University and the Bathurst District Historical Society. This lecture, titled Tea, Talk and Town Life: The Manners of Colonial Australia, will be delivered by Associate Professor Penny Russell from The University of Sydney. Her latest book, Savage or Civilised?, provides the insights she will share with her audience. The lecture will be both entertaining and educational – with some delicious morsels of gossip and scandal.” Professor Russell has found many examples of colonists for whom good manners mattered very much. She said, “In this lecture I will examine the tensions between rural and urban manners, the social ramifications of the tea table, and the significant social meaning of different modes of speech, such as slang, swearing and gossip. I will show that manners mattered then to how individuals understood themselves, and to how we should understand our history now.”