International scholarship recipient Ms Julia Gatsek has spent two months at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange examining the link between anxiety, depression and chronic pain. CSU School of Biomedical Science academics Dr Andrew Delaney and Dr James Crane have hosted the German undergraduate student who is visiting the University on a scholarship funded by international pharmaceutical company Roche.  “Julia has been with us since August working in our research laboratory and running behavioural experiments,” says Dr Crane. “Thanks to the support of Charles Sturt University who subsidised her accommodation, Julia is working with our team until 7 October. To have the recipient of an internationally recognised scholarship working with us on this important project increases the standing of the University in the international biomedical sciences community. We hope it will lead to more collaboration between our research group and neuroscientists in Germany.”

The US Consul General in Australia, Mr Niels Marquardt, will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Tuesday 4 October. Mr Marquardt will arrive at 1pm to be welcomed by Ms Louise Haberecht from the CSU Office of International Relations, and will meet a group of CSU students who have been on study exchange to the US. He will then meet CSU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Goulter, and the Head of Campus in Bathurst, Mr Col Sharp, to discuss developments at the University. They will tour the campus, accompanied by Ms Maree Neary, Project Manager with the CSU Division of Facilities Management, to inspect some of the new facilities, including the Dental and Oral Health Clinic, the Model Digital Learning Modules ‘Contemporary Classroom’, the Regional Inter-Professional Clinical Simulation Centre, and the Learning Commons. The Consul General will return to the campus on Wednesday 5 October to meet with CSU journalism lecturer Mr Chris McGillion and students to do interviews for the campus-based community radio station 2MCE.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is certainly a family affair for the Hogan girls. All five siblings have chosen to study at CSU. The youngest, Kieron, started her Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) yesterday at the Bathurst Campus. The family tradition began with Carlie who completed her Bachelor of Arts (Communication Journalism) in 2000. Hannah Hogan, who also graduated from the Communication degree and now works at CSU,said the University was a natural choice. “In the end it came down to which university could offer me exactly what I wanted and CSU seemed the obvious choice. It is highly regarded in my chosen area of study with many successful CSU Communication graduates scattered throughout the industry – fondly referred to as the ‘Mitchell Mafia’. On top of that it had a friendly, fun campus atmosphere which is always great.”

Dr Rob Duffield of Charles Sturt University's (CSU) School of Human Movement is helping Bathurst residents prepare for the Bathurst half marathon and 10 kilometre fun run to be held in April. He is presenting a 10-week fitness and preparation plan that will appear in the local newspaper in the ten-week run-up to the event. “The idea is to gradually and progressively build people up over the first seven or eight weeks so that they can complete the distance, and then work on being able to actually race at a good speed. It’s such a high-profile community event that you find people do want to participate. Anyone can do the training program, but people need to be realistic about their goals - if they have been sedentary for a long, long time, then the half marathon is probably out of the picture, but the fun run is achievable for everyone.”

A report was released in the UK last week which claimed that watching television harmed children much more than previously thought. The research was drawn from analysing 35 scientific studies and identified 15 negative affects including obesity, which the report claimed TV caused through a lack of exercise. That sets off alarm bells for Charles Sturt University’s Dr Michael Gard. “All 35 studies will be variable in terms of methodology, the strength of their findings, and what they measured. There is a lot of research on obesity, health and television, and none have shown any connection between TV watching, physical activity and obesity. Technology does not make you fat and stupid and sick. Yes, kids need a variety of experiences. But there is a greater evil here and that is people like this who start telling us how to live our lives rather than kids watching TV every day.”

A project that will develop models of health care that work for the specific needs of rural and remote communities will start in Molong in the Central West region next month. Dr Julaine Allan, from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Biomedical Sciences, will ask focus groups about “their experience of health care provision, what the community needs now and in the future, what models of health service provision work and do not work, and what they would suggest to improve them”. In April, Dr Allan will take her “intensive case study” to Canowindra. “We will compare the two towns and work out why some services work well in one area and not another. Even though communities may be of similar sizes, they are not necessarily the same. We are aiming to improve rural health status by being able to target those differences.” Dr Allan says this is the pilot phase of the project, “and we are seeking additional funding to work with other communities in inland Australia”.

Success keeps flowing to the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Winery, this time for its 2003 vintage Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon. The premium red, produced by CSU wine maker Andrew Drumm, has won a bronze medal at the 2007 Royal Agricultural Society of NSW four day wine show in Sydney. Fermented from grapes grown in the Hilltops region near Young in NSW, the wine offers an intense blackcurrant aroma with a hint of spice. The same wine also won bronze medals at the 2006 Royal Melbourne Wine Show and the 2006 Rutherglen Wine Show. The result further enhances the CSU Winery’s growing reputation for producing fine wines, which earned it a top ten “dark horse winery” rating from renowned Australian wine writer James Halliday. The award winning premium red and other CSU wines are available for purchase or tasting at the Cellar Door at the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus.

Almost 1 000 new students were officially welcomed yesterday to Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Bathurst Campus. The commencement ceremony included messages from Bathurst Mayor Norm Mann, representatives from various students’ organisations and Wiradjuri elder Mrs Gloria Rogers. “I’m pleased to be part of this important day and I am sure the new students will enjoy their time here,” said Mrs Rogers. Head of the Bathurst Campus Associate Professor Greg Walker said he hoped that CSU would extend the life experiences of the new students.The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Goulter said he clearly remembered leaving a small town to start university, as well as being a parent taking his own children to begin their tertiary education. “It is a moving experience and a big step,” he said. His advice to the new students? “Be open to new challenges.”

Earlier this month the Australian government announced it would set aside more than $1.7 million for projects under the Defeating the Weed Menace program, including nearly $280 000 for research on Parkinsonia, one of Australia’s worst weeds and ranked number one on the list of the 20 Weeds of National Significance. Dr Anantanarayanan Raman, senior lecturer in Ecological Agriculture at Charles Sturt University’s Orange Campus, said Parkinsonia is a problem throughout the tropical world where it spreads rapidly by seed. “Currently only integrated pest management and grazing by camels are being explored in Australia to control Parkinsonia. Biological control appears as a strong possibility to me, especially by using seed-feeding insects. One species of Asphondylia is known to infest Parkinsonia flowers and feed on them, which could lead to the total degeneration of the flowers. This species and other seed and flower-infesting insects need to be surveyed for their potential,” said Dr Raman.