Charles Sturt University (CSU) students will put local food on show at a Sustainable Food Day to be held on Wednesday 5 September at its Thurgoona site. The event has resulted from their participation in the national 2007 Students of Sustainability Conference held recently in Perth, where as their coordinator Peter Barrett says, “We ate vegan food all week and it was pretty good!”.  The Sustainable Food Day will run from 12noon at the Gums Café on the University’s Thurgoona site and is part of the activities that the students have held since they returned from the Perth conference. “As much of the food as possible comes from local sources, making every dish as sustainable as possible. We will also have recipes and information for CSU students and staff and the public to take with them and make delicious sustainable food at home,” Mr Barrett said.

Happiness is desired by all, yet achieved by only a few. But according to Dr Timothy Sharp, it does not always have to be like this. Dr Sharp will show participants how to get more out of life using principles from positive psychology during a seminar hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) on Friday morning 7 September on its Albury-Wodonga Campus. “My colleagues and I are achieving some wonderful results with individuals and organisations all over Australia, and I look forward to sharing the knowledge and experience we’ve gained over the last few years to Albury,” said Dr Sharp, who has three degrees in psychology and has worked as a clinical and academic psychologist. Australia's leading expert in positive psychology, in 2003 Dr Sharp founded The Happiness Institute in Sydney, NSW. The seminar will start at 9.30am at the boardroom, CSU’s Gordon Bevan building, off Old Sydney Road, Thurgoona.

Members of the Riverina equine community at a Charles Sturt University (CSU) Equine Influenza (EI) forum have been urged to work together so that NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) quarantine restrictions, imposed in response to Australia’s first EI outbreak, are upheld by everyone in the community. Participants emphasised that the disease poses a threat to all horses, ponies and donkeys. Around 130 people attended the forum which was organised in Wagga Wagga by the CSU School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences. A panel of CSU equine health experts, led by Director of Veterinary Science Professor Kym Abbott, outlined the status of the EI outbreak, how the highly contagious virus is transmitted and ways to prevent its spread through the nation’s equine population. CSU veterinary science lecturer Dr Sharanne Raidal stressed the importance of community vigilance and compliance to halt the advance of equine flu, which can be transmitted by humans, vehicles and equipment.

Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) football teams, the Wagga Agricultural College – the Aggies – and the Rivcoll Reddies will go head to head in the Riverina Southern Inland Rugby first grade grand final this Saturday 1 September at Conelly Rugby Park, Wagga Wagga. This is the first time that the teams will play against each other in the grand final. Both CSU sides have played strongly throughout the season, with the Aggies knocking out Temora in the last few minutes of their semi final and the Reddies cleaning up Griffith in their battle for a spot in the grand final. The Rivcoll Reddies will be captained by Mick Smith and Joel Harris, while the Aggies will be lead on by captain Peter Armstrong. The Rivcoll Reddies will also star in the second grade final against Waratahs and are in the under 16’s grand final against Young.

The 48 members of the staff/student choir on Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Bathurst Campus of  were in fine voice on Friday 24 August when they won first place in the Chief Choral Section of the 62nd annual Bathurst Eisteddfod. The choir is under the direction of Dr Christopher Klopper, music lecturer at the CSU School of Teacher Education. “This is the second year in a row that we have won this section, and we are all delighted,” Dr Klopper said. “We scored 97 out of a possible 100 and the adjudicator noted ‘A fresh and vital choral blend, with exemplary diction … for a large group the precision was wholly noteworthy. Best of all, the music made one feel uplifted. ‘Brilliant’ is a marketplace cliché, but it must be applied here’.” Participation in the CSU choir is open to all students and staff on the Bathurst Campus.

Following the outbreak of equine flu that has threatened the Australian horse industry, experts from Charles Sturt University (CSU) will provide information and advice at a public forum in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 29 August. Dr Sharanne Raidal, senior lecturer in Veterinary Science at the School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences on Wagga Wagga Campus, says, “This is a very important issue for the Australian equine industry. Halting the spread of disease can only be achieved through strict compliance with DPI instructions regarding movement of horses, personnel and equipment. This means keeping horses at their current locations, and restricting movement of people and vehicles. CSU equine facilities at Orange and Wagga Wagga are providing a good example of doing the right thing by suspending classes and imposing industry-standard precautions to contain the outbreak of equine flu in NSW.”

The International Centre of WATER for Food Security based at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus will host a seminar by Dr Shuqing Zang, Professor of Remote Sensing (RS) and GIS, Vice-Director of Remote Sensing and GIS Department, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agricultural Ecology, Changchun City, China. Dr Zang will detail studies on wetland landscape pattern dynamics under heavy human and natural influences. The report will examine two case studies to demonstrate the wetland landscape dynamics under the impacts of human activities and natural factors. One is about the Sanjiang Plain marsh, the biggest freshwater wetland in China, the other is about the Qian’an Group lakes. With the help of RS and GIS techniques, the pattern formation and dynamics of these wetlands with different driving forces can be analysed, helping to protect China’s wetlands.

The enthusiasm and contribution of three Bachelor of Education students on Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Dubbo Campus have been acknowledged by the Head of Campus, Mr Gary Shipp, at a ceremony today. “These students all came to study at CSU Dubbo Campus from the coast, and their enthusiasm and contribution to the campus deserves commendation,” Mr Shipp said. “They are spending their last week on the Dubbo Campus prior to leaving for their final internship before graduating from CSU later this year, and we will certainly miss them.” Chloe Macpherson (Early Childhood) was a Resident Advisor at student residences, a committed student representative on the Dubbo OHS committee for three years, and the inaugural student from the Dubbo Campus to study overseas for a semester at the University of Regina, Canada. She committed a great amount of time to promote the exchange program among Dubbo students after her return. Cemone Torrance (Early Childhood) demonstrated leadership and professionalism as the President of the Dubbo Students’ Association, especially during the transition to Voluntary Student Unionism. Todd Mackie (Primary) was actively involved in the organisation of Orientation Weeks for first year students, and assisted staff and students in a range of activities as a volunteer.

Building Bridges is the theme of this year’s annual early childhood conference to be hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU), together with the City of Wodonga. The aim of the conference is to build many bridges: between Victoria and NSW, between early childhood educators and primary school teachers, between student teachers and teachers, and between educators and the public. The two day conference, to be held this Friday 17 and Saturday 18 August for the first time in Wodonga, features guest speakers with national and international experience, including the motivational Cathy McGowan, leading educator and Principal of Benalla Primary School Heather Leary and CSU’s Professor Sue Dockett and Associate Professor Bob Perry. The program also includes research completed and presented by CSU final year education students at the University’s Albury-Wodonga Campus on such topics as autism, computer literacy and language in early childhood. Teachers and parents across southern NSW and North East Victoria have been invited to attend.