Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Arts (Visual and Performing Arts) (Honours) student, Mr Philip Henderson, has won an international animation competition. The Animate Chapman competition was part of the global promotion for the film A Liars Autobiography, a 3D animated film about the life of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman. “The competition had a web page that contained about a dozen sound bytes of Chapman's career, and it was our job to create visuals to accompany them,” said Mr Henderson. “I had always been a fan of Python's work, and the chance to contribute something to the project was like my 'Holy Grail', if you’ll pardon the pun.” Mr Henderson’s animation skills will also be on show at the Australian International Animation Festival in Wagga Wagga this weekend with his short film Reds Under the Beds selected as part of the Australian showcase. Read more about the Festival on CSU News here.

More than 100 dental health professionals from across the state will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange as the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences hosts its first professional development day. Associate Head of School, Dr Sabrina Manickam, said the event was an important step in the maturation of CSU’s dentistry program. “This is an important year for the school as our first graduates will complete their studies and go out into the community as working dentists,” she said. “And as our undergraduate program nears completion, it allows us to increase our involvement in research, postgraduate education and continuing professional development.” The event will be co-hosted by the Australian Dental Association NSW Western Division (ADA NSW) and the Australian Dental Prosthestists Association (ADPA), and is sponsored by Henry Schein Halas. Head of the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences, Professor David Wilson, and senior lecturer, Dr Ram Prabhu, will deliver a session on oral pathology and signs of oral cancer, and other sessions will be delivered by ADPA, ADA NSW and Henry Shein Halas delegates.  

Paramedic students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie will include fitness training in their professional preparation, starting with fitness testing on Thursday 9 May. Mr Joe Acker, senior lecturer in the paramedic program at CSU’s School of Biomedical Sciences in Port Macquarie, said, “We are running a baseline fitness test for our paramedic students with the goal to make them more fit and more employable by the end of their three-year course. Paramedic wellness, fitness awareness and physical training will also help reduce on-job injuries, reduce occupational stress and enable longer careers. The students will be in uniform and will be doing a weighted stretcher carry, an endurance step-test, and an obstacle course. The obstacle course will include job specific tasks including the carrying of paramedic equipment, strength tasks, and doing cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).” The testing will take place outside CSU’s Port Macquarie Campus, on the council sports field, from 12.30pm to 3.30pm Thursday 9 May.

Several hundred Charles Sturt University (CSU) undergraduate and postgraduate students will receive their testamurs at a Faculty of Arts graduation ceremony for policing and related disciplines on Wednesday 8 May. More than 600 graduates from the CSU School of Policing in Goulburn, and 33 postgraduate students from the CSU Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security in Manly and Canberra will attend the ceremony. Head of the CSU Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security, Associate Professor Nick O’Brien, said, “In an era of continued threats to society and increasing capacity among criminals, we need a sophisticated policing, security and emergency management workforce to combat crime and protect our communities. Charles Sturt University is proud to make a significant contribution to the education and training of personnel who will serve with dedication and courage, and this graduation ceremony is an occasion for pride and celebration.”

Railway experts and community representatives will discuss the potential for redevelopment of freight lines in regional NSW at the Regional Rail Revival seminar in Blayney on Friday 10 May. The seminar is hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU), Blayney Shire Coun­cil and Lachlan Regional Transport Committee, with the support of Cowra, Harden, Weddin, and Young Shire Councils. Adjunct Associate Professor Ian Gray, from the CSU Institute for Land, Water and Society in Wagga Wagga, said, “Participants will hear how interstate and overseas railways have been revived for national and local benefit. Regional areas suffer from high freight costs which constrain economic development, and councils are expected to take up the burden of increased road maintenance. The seminar will provide an update on the initiative by five local government areas that now sees the NSW government considering reviving the railway line south from Blayney to Demondrille, and how this rail model can be applied in different situations.”

The annual FACTS Day (Facts About Careers and Tertiary Study) for Year 12 high schools students across the Central West will be held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Thursday 9 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 1 000 Year 12 students from schools in Bathurst, Lithgow, Kandos, Oberon, Blayney, Cowra, Canowindra, Orange, Molong and Wellington will seek information from about 120 representatives of more than 60 career and employer organisations, including universities, private providers, TAFE, Centrelink, police, and other government agencies. 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.”

Distance is no hindrance to Charles Sturt University (CSU) agricultural business student Rebecca Huth, who will travel to Wangaratta with three other CSU students for study sessions that support their distance education learning. Employed by the National Centre for Dairy Education Australia in Western Victoria as an industry trainer, the third generation dairy farmer and former business owner based near Terang was looking for a challenging course that also recognised her 15 years involvement in dairying and her aim to improve the industry. “The Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management was a natural progression for me, as it recognised my previous studies for the Advanced Diploma of Agriculture with GOTAFE. With great support and flexibility, the course enables me to actively learn and broaden my knowledge without repeating what I already know,” said Ms Huth, who is among the first group of students to commence their studies at CSU’s Wangaratta study centre. Ms Huth won a scholarship to assist her CSU studies and said that apart from building on her knowledge and experience, “I also hope to develop personal networks and broaden my knowledge of the broader agricultural industry”. Faced with a five hour drive from Western Victoria, Ms Huth is sure to get to know her fellow students better! The students will gather on Wednesday 8 May for a session at the CSU centre in Wangaratta.

A new Charles Sturt University (CSU) 'trauma car', which has been designed and constructed to enable paramedic students to practice extrication of injured people from vehicles following road accidents, will be unveiled at the Community Careers and Recruitment Fair in Penrith on Saturday 4 May. Mr Sandy MacQuarrie, lecturer in the paramedic program at the CSU School of Biomedical Sciences in Bathurst, said, “The new trauma car will form the backdrop for showcasing the very interesting career of paramedics when five final-year paramedic students and I participate at the Community Careers and Recruitment Fair in Penrith tomorrow. We are always interested in sharing information and insights into the range of careers paramedics can pursue, and our students will be able to talk about their experiences in the program. The trauma car was specially constructed for us by apprentices at TAFE Western in Dubbo, NSW. We trialled it during a recent residential school in Bathurst for postgraduate paramedic students, and it surpassed all expectations.”

Approximately 80 third-year Charles Sturt University (CSU) paramedic students attended Macquarie Care Centre in Bathurst this week to gain practical experience assessing elderly patients. The students took baseline sets of observations for about 20 residents, and interviewed them about their life, medications, and cardiac history. Ms Sonja Maria, lecturer in the paramedic program at the CSU School of Biomedical Sciences in Bathurst, said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to spend time with elderly patients, a group which is the main client in the ambulance industry. This reciprocal exchange has been warmly received and we look forward to together building a stronger relationship in future.”