A new book by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher aims to provide environmentally friendly solutions for invasive weeds which cause major problems for agriculture, particularly in tropical regions of developing countries. Biological control of tropical weeds using arthropods, by Dr Anantanarayanan Raman, a senior lecturer at CSU and a researcher at the E H Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, covers the origin, distribution, and ecology of 20 key invasive weed species that occur mostly in the tropics. Dr Raman says cost-efficient biological control is a self-sustaining way to reduce this problem, and produces fewer effects than chemical methods, which can cause serious damage to the environment.’s “The book contains information about the sustainable biological control of each weed using insects and mites,” he said. “It is a valuable resource for scientists and policy makers concerned with invasive tropical weeds and their spread, and will also assist in the assessment of potential risks to native and economic plants.”

Australia’s beef and live export industry will have a greater understanding of Indonesia’s beef market with the launch of a two and a half year project by the Asian Agribusiness Research Centre (AARC) at Charles Sturt University’s Orange Campus. Funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the project ‘Benchmarking the Beef Supply Chain in Eastern Indonesia’ is a collaboration with four Indonesian institutes and the world-wide network agri benchmark. Project leader Dr Claus Deblitz says, “The Indonesian beef supply chain has been identified as a crucial area in Eastern Indonesian agriculture and is one of the most complex”. Drawing a comprehensive picture of the stakeholders, product, finance and information flow, proposals will be developed investigating how the Indonesian supply chain can be more effective and competitive, and provide farmers with higher incomes.

John Glastonbury, Associate Professor in Diagnostic Pathology with Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Wagga Wagga, is available for comment on emergency management of the swine influenza in animals. Professor Glastonbury’s teaching and research interests include diseases of pigs, and he can describe how the disease behaves in pigs, a history of other outbreaks and its threat to people. A public seminar will be held on the influenza A (H1N1) at CSU at Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 6 May. Read more here.

While influenza A (H1N1), formerly known as swine flu, has not yet been found in Australia, authorities are urging the public to take precautions against infection. Charles Sturt University (CSU) is holding a public seminar on Wednesday 6 May to provide facts and dispel the myths about the pandemic which is unfolding around the global. Associate Professor in Veterinary Pathobiology at CSU, Shane Raidal, said all new influenza viruses are a threat but the mechanisms put in place by the World Health Organisation provide a means for early detection and intervention. He will address the Reassortment amongst and evolution of influenza viruses at the seminar. Associate Professor in Diagnostic Pathology John Glastonbury, will discuss The pathogenesis and pathology of the disease in pigs and humans. Professor Glastonbury’s teaching and research interests include the diseases of pigs. The third speaker, Dr Ross Cutler, holds an adjunct appointment at CSU and is a veterinarian who specialises in pigs. He will speak about Epidemiology, biosecurity and international issues relating to the influenza.

A new book examining the mixed reactions to the influence of Hollywood on national and local cinemas will be launched in Bathurst on Thursday 7 May by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Anthony Cahalan. Loving & Hating Hollywood – Reframing global and local cinema by Associate Professor Jane Mills from the CSU School of Communication, argues that cinema, an art form for more than 100 years, is in a state of constant reinvention due to the interactions between cinemas, films, filmmakers and audiences. Professor Mills asserts that the influence of Hollywood, home of film production in the United States, is often viewed with unnecessary antagonism around the world. “It makes more sense to look at the constant give and take between film cultures in an industry that has been globalised since the very beginnings of cinema. If we focus on a negative view of Hollywood, we ignore or fail to see how all cinemas influence each other. This often results in exciting new films and types of cinemas which push the boundaries of film art,” Professor Mills said.

The war against weeds in the NSW Central West continues and one Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher is determined to help win the battle. A dominant weed in the region is serrated tussock, one of Australia's most noxious weeds estimated to cost NSW farmers more than $40 million each year in lost production. Dr Aaron Simmons from the University’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences will be talking at regional meetings organised by the NSW/ACT Serrated Tussock Working Party about results from research conducted over the past four years by researchers at CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries. “The research has been used to improve current guidelines on best management practice for controlling serrated tussock in native pastures,“ Dr Simmons says. “'Serrated tussock has no boundaries - it is not just a 'farmer's' problem, it's an environmental problem that belongs to the whole community.“

The first Wiradjuri person from the Erambie community at Cowra, NSW, to be awarded a PhD will have his degree conferred at the graduation ceremony at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Bathurst on Thursday 7 May. Dr Lawrence Bamblett, who works part-time at Erambie and lectures part-time at the CSU School of Human Movement Studies came to CSU through the University’s Koori Admissions Program in 1999. Last year he re-wrote and delivered that program which has helped many people from Indigenous communities commence studies at CSU. “My graduation is not just a personal achievement but an achievement for my family and the Erambie community because so many people have supported and assisted me,” Dr Bamblett said. “It is important to me that the community receives the recognition and credit they deserve that one of their own has graduated.” The title of Dr Bamblett’s thesis is Mission Style: Sport and Cultural Continuity on Erambie Mission.

Effective communication can help to make the world a better place, says Associate Professor Jane Mills from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Communication. Professor Mills will speak about the importance of listening to and collaborating with others when she delivers the Occasional Address to communication graduates at the Faculty of Arts graduation ceremony at 2.30pm on Friday 8 May. “Education leads to knowledge and, importantly, to better understanding about the things that matter. This opens the way for more and better communication and the possibility of better relationships between people,” Professor Mills said. “This, in turn, leads to greater involvement and participation as citizens of the community and nation, resulting in better communication and fellowship between different nations and people all over the world. Effective communication is the linchpin in all this, and I strongly believe that our students graduating with communication degrees are poised not only to become world citizens but to make the world a better place.”

Staff from Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Central West Women’s Health Centre invite members of the public to join them for a riverside picnic to celebrate International No Diet Day at 12.30pm on Wednesday 6 May at the Peace Park in Bathurst. Event spokesperson, Ms Brona Nic Giolla Easpaig from the CSU School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies, said International No Diet Day has grown for the past decade and is now celebrated in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Australia. “The day was originally created to protest against the pressures on young women caused by the media’s vision of the ‘ideal body’, and it links closely with protests against the ‘size zero’ phenomenon,” Ms Nic Giolla Easpaig said. “This celebration is open to all and includes a talk by health psychologist Dr Stephanie Quinton on the issue of eating disorders and body image.”