What do young school children, computers and the environment have in common? This Thursday 29 October, over 80 kindergarten and Year 2 pupils from Thurgoona Public School (TPS) will team up with education students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) at the wetlands on the University’s environmentally sensitive Thurgoona location to take photos of their adventures in the wetlands and write a digital story together. The students are taking part in an educational experience developed by CSU early childhood lecturer Dr Noella Mackenzie from the CSU Murray School of Education in collaboration with TPS teacher Ms Alison Maguire. Dr Mackenzie said the exercise aimed to combine reading and writing with the environment and using computers in a fun atmosphere. “For some CSU students this is also their first teaching experience, so it will be a very important experience for them, too,” Dr Mackenzie said.

The Tremendous, a band made up of students from Charles Sturt University (CSU), took out the Rock Up 2007 Battle of the Bands final in Dubbo earlier this month. Laurie Mahon, a first year Bachelor of Communication / Bachelor of Business Studies student, describes his band's music as "folk mixed with psychedelic, funk, jazz and roots". Other CSU students in The Tremendous are Lily Leahy, Liam Robertson and Julian Pavey. Mr Mahon says the two vocalists, Grace Turner and Zana Kobayashi, are hoping to enrol at CSU next year. Part of the prize includes two days recording time and after that, The Tremendous will tour the east coast of New South Wales. “It’s very much a dream – to be able to tour and record. If we work hard then hopefully it will become a reality. I’ve been in a lot of bands, and this is the first that people come up after the show and tell us how much they enjoy the music, and that is exhilarating,” said Mr Mahon.

Aboriginal students considering a tertiary degree are encouraged to apply for Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Koori Admissions Program (KAP) within the next week to ensure they are considered for study in 2010. The annual KAP is an alternative entry program designed specifically for Indigenous students. The KAP provides potential students with a supportive and caring environment to assess whether or not they are likely to be suited to university life. It is free of charge to eligible participants, with travel, meal and accommodation costs funded by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training. Students who successfully complete the KAP will be offered a place in their chosen course at any CSU campus or via distance education. Koori students interested in being part of the program should register their interest with the University’s Indigenous Student Services (ph 6338 4236) in the coming weeks or visit here.

Do you stutter or know someone who does? Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff and students are running intensive stutter treatment sessions for adults in Albury-Wodonga and surrounding areas between Monday 16 November and Friday 20 November. Final-year CSU speech pathology students will be supervised by Albury speech pathologist Ms Lisa Brown, who has conducted similar intensive stutter treatments over recent years and is completing her PhD research on stuttering with CSU’s School of Community Health. “Around one per cent of all Australian adults stutter and it can make communication quite difficult. We will provide strategies and techniques to reduce the impact of stuttering, as well as provide invaluable training for the students,” Ms Brown said. The program starts with an assessment then intensive treatment for the remainder of the week. The program is also open to adults who have been in previous treatment and want to ‘brush up’ on their skills to deal with their stuttering. To take part in the treatment sessions, contact Speech Pathology Clinical Coordinator Ms Marion Vile on (02) 6051 6735 or send an email by Monday 2 November.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host the 2009 Education for Sustainability Conference at the Bathurst Campus on Friday 30 October, with a second optional day on Saturday 31 October. Conference co-organiser, Ms Jan Page, from the CSU School of Teacher Education at Bathurst, said the event will focus on how individuals and families can live more sustainably by growing food in kitchen gardens at schools and in the wider community, and is intended for educators from pre-school to tertiary level and members of the Bathurst regional community. “Food is the largest component of many individuals’ ecological footprints, so growing your own food not only helps to address health issues but also develops knowledge and skills to reduce our environmental footprint and foster sustainable living,” Ms Page said. The conference is being staged in conjunction with the Bathurst Community Climate Action Network (BCCAN), and will include a keynote address by Ms Ange Barry, CEO of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation. There will be a number of presentations, including one by Ms Rachel Conolan, a parent with children at South Bathurst Public School, speaking about the school’s community garden.

Sports science lecturers at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Human Movement Studies will return to Indonesia on Wednesday 28 October to continue providing intensive assistance to that nation’s elite athletes in the lead-up to the South-East Asian Games in Vientiane, Laos, in December 2009. Lecturers Dr Stephen Bird, Dr Rob Duffield and Mr Benjamin Barrington-Higgs have three tasks to manage on this visit as part of the Sports Science Division for the Indonesian Elite Athlete High Performance Program (Program Atlet Andalan – PAL). “Firstly, we will be very involved in the final preparation training for Indonesian elite athletes, the performance optimisation phase, before the start of the South-East Asian Games,” Dr Bird said. “We will also deliver an intensive four-day elite sports coaching short course for Indonesian coaches and academics. Our third task is to conduct the first applied sports research with elite boxers in Indonesia.”

A representative from the accounting profession will address Charles Sturt University (CSU) accountancy students tomorrow, Tuesday 3 November, on the outstanding job opportunities in the profession to be found locally and internationally for new graduates. Business Development Executive from NSW division of CPA Australia, Mr Josh Price, will address students on CSU’s Albury-Wodonga Campus on the strong local opportunities for employment plus the importance of international recognition for their accounting qualifications in gaining employment overseas. The presentation, starting at 9am on the University’s Thurgoona site, is hosted by the University’s Faculty of Business.

The new Clinical Director of Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Allied Health Clinic has landed in Albury-Wodonga with a wealth of professional and academic experience from Canada. Prior to taking up this position with CSU School of Community Health, podiatrist Mr Steven Cassel taught for 10 years in the podiatry program at the Michener Institute in Toronto, Canada, where he developed and managed the on-campus student clinic, which is similar to the CSU clinic in Albury. Mr Cassel said the Michener clinic had chiropractic and naturopathic medicine working together in it, which made students more open to and inclusive of how other allied health professions worked. “I am excited to be working in a similar environment, working with physiotherapists and occupational therapists in the CSU clinic.” Mr Cassel specialises in biomechanics and is looking forward to passing on his expertise to students in treating sports injuries and musculoskeletal problems as well as in wound care and care of the high risk foot, particularly with complications due to diabetes and ulcers. Mr Cassel is also completing a Masters degree through CSU.

A Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Orange, Mr Jeremy Cummins, was awarded an Australian National Field Days (ANFD) Rugby Player Scholarship at the recent Field Days. Mr Cummins played in the 2009 ANFD Cup with the Orange Aggies and has been rewarded for his off-field efforts in agriculture. Central West Rugby Union chief executive, Mr Peter Veenstra, said Mr Cummins was an outstanding applicant and a worthy recipient of the inaugural scholarship. Mr Cummins came to CSU at Orange from Port Macquarie, and as well as playing in the ANFD Cup has been involved in cattle judging, has taken on a management role at the CSU Rugby Club, and also manages to fit in a 125 per cent student load so he can complete his degree in less than three years.