Charles Sturt University (CSU) has enthusiastically welcomed the reformation of the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture (ACDA), which will develop strategies to raise the profile and strengthen student recruitment into agricultural science programs. CSU played a lead role in bringing about the reconvening of the ACDA. CSU Professor Jim Pratley, who was elected as interim Secretary-Treasurer, said the ACDA will increase opportunities for students. “There is a strong common view that there are exciting careers in agriculture and the job market is buoyant”. CSU Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences Head of School John Kent said, “We need Australia's best and brightest coming into agricultural studies to meet the challenges of the future, which includes feeding the rapidly increasing world population, coping with new technology as well as environmental and climate changes”.

A unique educational program for young people will be revealed during a public lecture hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 8 July. The ‘Putting Youth in the Picture’ (PYP) program was created by Queensland lawyer, Mr Adair Donaldson, to help local communities deal with issues confronting youth. “Our program uses a series of authentic but confronting movie scenarios to show how young people can become involved in life altering incidents as a result of poor decision making,” said Mr Donaldson. “The issues presented and discussed include sexual assault, a bar-room fight, illegal recreational drugs, binge and underage drinking.” Mr Peter Bell, Manager, Residential Operations with the Division of Student Services at CSU in Wagga Wagga said, “Charles Sturt University is extremely fortunate to be one of only two universities outside Queensland to deliver this impressive program.”

The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has invested over $1 million in the research and development of commercial bio-pesticides at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. Heading the research team is Associate Professor Gavin Ash from the School of Agriculture and Wine Sciences  at CSU in Wagga Wagga and acting Director of the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation  – an alliance between CSU and Industry & Investment NSW. “Integrated pest management programs that reduce the reliance on chemical pesticides are likely to provide better management strategies to ensure a sustainable future for the Australian grain industry,” said Professor Ash. The current project, which focuses on the management of aphids, has been funded for three years until middle 2013.

It has been a busy few months for Ms Amanda Davies, a lecturer with the School of Policing Studies  at CSU in Goulburn. The award-winning lecturer recently published a book and conducted research in the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada. The CSU academic visited the UK to research the use of simulation in policing training. “I am interviewing police in the field who have undertaken training through simulation and reflecting on how this has impacted on their professional practice. The research seeks to inform the design, implementation and educational benefits of using simulation in the future training of police.” Ms Davies then moved onto Canada for the implementation of Problem Based Learning in policing. “In Canada, I travelled between the Durham Regional Police Service and Sudbury Regional Police, meeting training officers, field offices and recruits to understand how they have implemented the Problem Based Learning concepts into their recruit training.” Ms Davies’ new book evaluates the impact of delivering fire investigation studies using a CD-ROM with virtual fire scene scenarios.

With entries closing this Friday 2 July, young people around NSW and the ACT are finding their creative streak as final entries to the 2010 Making a Difference (MaD) competition flow in to MaD headquarters at Charles Sturt University (CSU). This CSU School of Humanities and Social Sciences Social Justice Innovation Award offers senior high school and TAFE students the platform to write about Making a Difference and it seems there are plenty of topics to choose from. “The task is to write an engaging story/poem/script that is creative and addresses an issue of Social Justice. It could be fictional or non-fiction. The four major winners each receive a $250 cash prize. In addition, Charles Sturt University also makes a donation of $250 to the charity of choice of the winners,” explains Dr Bill Anscombe. For more information, and to see the winners from 2009, visit www.csu.edu.au/student/mad/ .

Teams from seven schools in the region gained places at the 2010 Central West RoboCup Junior Challenge robotics competition staged at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Friday 25 June. The coordinator of the event Mr Allen Benter, a PhD student and researcher at the CSU Centre for Research in Complex Systems (CRiCS) in Bathurst, said, “The event was an overwhelming success. The organisers and judges were delighted by the level of enthusiasm of students and their teachers, and with the high standard of entries. This is a growing event that will help motivate future computer scientists and robotics engineers, and we thank all the students and teachers who put in so much effort.” Overall, Dubbo Christian School was most successful, with three of its teams taking the top three places in the Senior Dance category. All schools that won a category will have the opportunity to represent the region at the NSW titles to be held in Sydney on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 August.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has joined Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS) TAFE NSW Riverina Institute and Wagga Wagga City Council to cut costs through the efficient use of energy in their buildings. CSU is overseeing the training, which is being delivered by the Australian Institute of Air-conditioning, Refrigeration and Heating (AIRAH) after securing a competitive State Government grant of $27 970 to conduct energy efficiency training of its operations and building maintenance staff. “Charles Sturt University hopes the skilling of about 25 staff from the three organisations in energy efficiencies will provide them with greater confidence to make decisions that will ultimately lead to cost savings for their employers,” CSU Energy Manager Mr Edward Maher said. “It is conservatively estimated that energy efficiency improvements of three per cent can be achieved in building services in the organisations within two years of the completion of the training. This represents total carbon savings of 2 000 tonnes a year.” The funding from the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water is part of the government’s $20 million Energy Efficiency Training Program, established in 2009 to ensure NSW has a well-trained workforce to meet the demands of a green economy. Further information on the Energy Efficiency Training Program is available here.

The 2010 Central West RoboCup Junior Challenge robotics competition will see 153 students from 11 schools across the region build and operate mini robots at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Friday 25 June. The coordinator of the competition, Mr Allen Benter, a PhD student and researcher at the CSU Centre for Research in Complex Systems (CRiCS)  in Bathurst, said, “Charles Sturt University is now the official sponsor of the RoboCup Junior Challenge in the NSW central west following its strong support for the event in recent years. Staff at the University have provided technical advice to students and their teachers, have been judges at previous RoboCup events, and in February this year we held a training workshop on campus in Bathurst for students and teachers. It’s very exciting to now see this developing field so enthusiastically embraced by schools in the region.”

An award-winning website that helps learners recognise the finer points of living plants has helped win international recognition for a Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer in botany. Dr Geoff Burrows has been awarded the 2010 CE Bessey Award from the Botanical Society of America for his contributions to teaching botany to undergraduate university students, many of whom complete his subjects by distance education. Dr Burrows, who is also a researcher with the University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society, said it was gratifying to receive this recognition from an international society of botanists. “It shows that Charles Sturt University students are receiving a world-class introduction to their education in plant science,” Dr Burrows said. Read more about the website, Supermarket Botany here.