Students and staff from Charles Sturt University (CSU) will put their bike riding credentials on the line when they join thousands of fellow NSW commuters and ride to the University to celebrate NSW Bike Week on Tuesday 18 September. As part of the ride-to-work activities, supported by Albury City, the bicycle commuters will receive expert advice on maintaining and repairing their machines before and after their ride, which will leave at 7.45am from the old CSU Library car park in Guinea Street, Albury, and continue along the cycle path that follows the freeway to Thurgoona. Fellow riders are able to join the group along the way. The group is due to finish at the Gums Café, CSU in Albury-Wodonga, at 8.30am, where they will receive breakfast sponsored by CSU Green. Event coordinator across the University, Ms Nicola Smith, said the event, to also be held at other CSU campuses, aims to increase the knowledge of bike paths around CSU campuses, increase bike safety and get more CSU staff and students involved in local bicycle groups. “We want more Charles Sturt University people taking part in active transport and decreasing our carbon footprint,” Ms Smith said.

Orange residents with the cycling bug can get into the spirit of NSW Bike Week by joining Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff and students and the Orange Bicycle User Group (BUG) on a bicycle orienteering ride on Sunday 23 September. Starting and finishing at the CSU Cellar Door, the ride will let riders decide their own route by visiting check-points around north Orange and answering a simple question at each. All riders are welcome for the 15km event, which should take about two hours at an easy pace. The event will be one of two Bike Week rides for CSU campus staff and students, who will also embark on a ride-to-work event on Wednesday 19 September. This year’s ride is gearing up to be bigger than ever, beginning at Bill’s Beans in McLachlan Street at 8.30am before the ‘peleton’ heads down Leeds Parade to the campus for breakfast. CSU Campus Services Manager Mr Mark Chapman said while the ride-to-work event was for CSU staff and students, the orienteering ride on 23 September was open to the public. “The public event is aimed at participation so be sure and invite your family and friends,” he said. “The start time will be between 11am and noon, so come along and enjoy an easy afternoon cycling and even taste a CSU wine while you’re on our campus.”

A senior Nepali forester will discuss his ideas on who owns the forests of Asia and the implications of this ownership when he visits Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga this week. Dr Ganga Dahal, who is the Asian facilitator for the Rights and Resources Initiative in Bangkok, Thailand, is visiting the University’s School of Environmental Sciences to meet with CSU staff and research students, as well as presenting a public seminar titled Who controls the forests? Exploring community forestry in Asia. Dr Dahal said control and ownership of local forests is at the core of community forestry as it seeks to enhance local livelihoods. “Community forestry is widely promoted throughout Asia, however local communities often have insecure tenure over their traditional forests,” said Dr Dahal, who will explore the current status and changes in forest tenure in Asia, and the implications for community forestry at this seminar. Visit coordinator at CSU, Dr Digby Race, believes international visitors are important for the research and teaching programs of institutions such as CSU. “Having visitors like Dr Dahal is vital for exchanging experiences and ideas. It helps connect our local knowledge to global issues, and for our solutions to be informed by international lessons,” Dr Race said.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) lawn bowls team travels to Adelaide next week to defend the national title it won at last year’s Australian University Games. The gold medal follows years of hard work for the team, which earned a place in the increasingly competitive competition’s top tier in 2009. The team won a first division bronze in 2010 and, finally, the long-awaited gold medal last year. CSU Student Support Team Leader Mr Nik Granger said the past 10 years had seen a sharp increase in the standards of competition at the games, which were now Australia’s largest annual multi-sport event. “You’ve got Olympians, Commonwealth Games medallists and various state and national representatives throughout the competition,” he said. “CSU will have students from our Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst and Wagga Wagga competing, as well as several distance education students.” CSU’s Ultimate Frisbee team will compete in division two this year with hopes of securing a gold or silver medal to earn elevation into division one for the 2013 games and the University team will also include individual representatives in cycling and athletics.

Tickets have almost sold out for the biennial Tony McGrane Memorial Scholarship Dinner at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo on Monday 24 September. The late Mr Tony McGrane, OAM, was a Mayor of Dubbo from 1991 to 1999, and was then the Independent NSW Member for Dubbo. The dinner’s guest speaker is the Independent Federal Member for New England, the Hon. Tony Windsor, MP. Mr McGrane and Mr Windsor served together as Independent in the NSW Parliament. Head of CSU in Dubbo Dr Beverley Moriarty said the dinner would raise money for the Tony McGrane Scholarship, which gives students from the Orana region and Dubbo electorate an opportunity to gain a higher education. “It’s fantastic to see the level of support the community has given us and a testament to the lasting impact Tony had on the area,” she said. “Tony was very well-known in the community, he was very much loved and respected and he was instrumental in bringing Charles Sturt University to Dubbo. He passed away in 2004, but everyone you talk to in Dubbo remembers him and gives a little smile whenever they speak about him. They all have a story to tell about him.” Tickets for the Tony McGrane Memorial Scholarship Dinner are on sale for $130 per head. To purchase, contact CSU on (02) 6885 7370.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will host a public lecture next week on how computers can help solve environmental problems. The free lecture, by CSU Endeavour Research Fellow Dr Sreenath Subrahmanyam, will focus on recent examples of how computers have been used to detect environmental contaminants, assess environmental impacts and construct artificial wetlands. Dr Subrahmanyan joined CSU on an Australian government-funded Endeavour Award, and has designed an artificial wetland for the Cadia Valley mine near Orange as part of an ongoing remedial project. Dr Subrahmanyan said computers were now being used to solve a range of environmental and biological problems. “Computers are being used to find out if there are elevated sugar levels in blood and to detect creatine levels in the blood of body builders,” he said. “They are used to test if our food grains are polluted with toxins, to reduce carbon emissions in various industries and to assess and reduce the pollutants from industries that damage our health, land, water and air.” The lecture is part of a series co-hosted by CSU and the Central West Branch of the Royal Society of NSW. CSU wines and a selection of cheeses will be served following the lecture.

Students and staff from Charles Sturt University (CSU) will join thousands of fellow NSW commuters and ride to the University in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 19 September to celebrate NSW Bike Week. As part of a Ride to Campus event, cyclists will meet at 7.30am at Premium Coffee Roasters in Trail St in Wagga Wagga. The group will leave the café at 8am for a social ride through North Wagga Wagga to work and study. Breakfast will be provided by CSU Green at the University’s Eat@20 from 8:30 am. Event coordinator, Ms Nicola Smith from CSU Green, said the ride is being held at other CSU campuses.  She said the events aim to increase the knowledge of bike paths around CSU campuses, increase bike safety and get more CSU staff and students involved in local bicycle groups. “We want more Charles Sturt University people taking part in active transport and decreasing our carbon footprint,” Ms Smith said. Send your RSVP  for the Ride to Campus event for catering and to go in the prize draw for a new bike.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students are taking their interest in environmental sustainability to the next step through a training program to help them make a positive difference in the workplace. On Friday 21 September, 11 students, including two distance education students from Queensland, will take part in the Green Steps training program being held at CSU in Albury-Wodonga.  It’s part of a six day program during which students will learn how to conduct an environmental audit for waste, water, energy and carbon use.  Identifying incentives for organisational change and communication skills are also covered in the training. Ms Nicola Smith from CSU Green said, “Green Steps also offers students the opportunity to apply and develop these skills in a professional workplace through an internship program.” Green Steps at CSU is a partnership between CSU Green and the Monash Sustainability Institute.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has won the prestigious team award for the third year in a row at the Australian Universities Crops Competition. Held at Temora from Tuesday 11 to Friday 14 September, the competition saw students from five universities tested on everything from seed identification and grain grading to business management and production practices. CSU Bachelor of Agricultural Science student Ms Georgina Rees from Lara in Victoria placed second in the individual student category. She will now travel to the United States to compete in the crops competition at the Chicago Fair in November. Lecturer in crop agronomy from the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Dr Sergio Moroni said, “The standard of competition was very high and being named as the top team for a third consecutive year is an outstanding achievement. It was pleasing to see the confident performance of the Charles Sturt University students during the event."