There will be a special graduation ceremony for one Charles Sturt University (CSU) graduate due to his inability to attend the ceremonies in Wagga Wagga last month. Mr Simon Stanbouli is an inmate at the Wellington Correctional Centre in central west NSW. While in custody he completed a Bachelor of Business (Business Management) with Distinction. “A number of obstacles faced this student during his distance education studies including no access to the internet, the need to submit handwritten assignments and his inability to speak directly with his lecturer,” said Dr Padma Nathan from the School of Business at CSU in Wagga Wagga. “It is no mean task to score a High Distinction or a Distinction in any subject, and yet Simon managed these grades in virtually every subject at Charles Sturt University. Credit is also due to all the academic and administrative staff who have acknowledged the difficulties Simon faced and endeavoured to go out of their way to help him.”

Interest in the 7th annual Australian International Animation Festival has reached unprecedented levels with more than 2 200 submissions received from 40 countries for the event in regional NSW. Hosted by the Animation and Visual Effects program at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga, the Festival will be held from Friday 14 May to Sunday 16 May at the Forum 6 Cinema in Wagga Wagga. The program includes international films, digital animation, stop motion and Australian made films. Young children are catered for in the Festival line-up as well as a ‘Late Night Bizarre’ show. There will also be free talks and workshops from local and international filmmakers. The full program can be found here.

Preparing students for life in the workplace, with suitable knowledge and skills, work readiness and understanding of occupational culture, has long been recognised as vital by higher education providers. A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has raised the issue of what knowledge and skills university educators need to take workplace education forward in the current global era. Professor Joy Higgs AM has received one of nine Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Teaching Fellowships to examine what makes good workplace education and to encourage the widespread use of good practice in universities nationally. “The aim is to better prepare students for the complex workplaces of today,” said Professor Higgs, Director of CSU’s Education for Practice Institute. “Known as practice-based education, it’s a vital part of the education of university students, but there is much of this teaching and learning that is invisible, such as how teachers make decisions about teaching in classrooms. A key goal of this fellowship is to identify and disseminate good practices.”

The nursing and paramedic courses at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be the focus for approximately 45 senior high school students from the Blue Mountains to Forbes when they attend the next MyDay information sessions at the University in Bathurst on Tuesday 18 May. Ms Fran Dwyer, a Prospective Student Adviser at CSU, said, “There are high levels of interest from prospective students keen to study nursing and paramedic courses and the nursing/paramedic double degree through the Faculty of Science at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. These professions are vital for society, and increasingly young people are keen to undertake study that they see as practical, useful and satisfying, especially as these are recognised as among the most trusted professions.” Students will meet CSU teaching staff and current students to explore the nursing and paramedic teaching laboratories, and learn about the challenges and rewards of these professions.

The way teachers are ‘made’ in 2010 is the subject of a free public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst at 6pm Wednesday 12 May. The Head of the CSU School of Teacher Education in Bathurst, Associate Professor Ninetta Santoro, will take a historical perspective to understand the present in her lecture examining The Making of Teachers: Teacher Education for the Twenty-First Century. “I will consider what it means to be a student teacher in 2010 compared to past generations, and what effective teacher education might look like in the future,” Professor Santoro said. “The nature of teachers’ work and knowledge has undergone enormous change in recent years due to a wide range of factors including increasingly complex student demographics, developments in information technology, and the ways in which knowledge is produced and transmitted. Australian classrooms are more culturally diverse than ever before, students are more technologically savvy, and school curricula are increasingly complex and expansive.”

International graffiti artist Moose will leave a lasting legacy in Wagga Wagga after a visit to the city hosted by the School of Communication and Creative Industries at Charles Sturt University (CSU) this week. The artist, also known as Paul Curtis, makes his ‘legal graffiti’ by wiping away dirt and pollution from public spaces to form large type and shapes. With the approval of Wagga Wagga City Council, and the support of local businesses Advision and Knights Meats, Moose will create what is known as ‘reverse graffiti’ on a wall in Fitzmaurice Street in Wagga Wagga on Friday 14 May. Earlier, the artist will share his experiences and ideas at a public lecture at CSU in Wagga Wagga from 1pm on Thursday 13 May. He will then meet with CSU’s final year Bachelor of Arts (Graphic Design) students to workshop ideas for the ‘reverse graffiti’ piece near Knights Meats on Friday 14 May. “This is a rare opportunity to see and hear the work of Moose whose ‘reverse graffiti’ is internationally acclaimed,” said Graphic Design course coordinator at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Mr Michael Agzarian.

Eighteen high-achieving students will receive scholarships at a presentation ceremony at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange on Friday 21 May. The Head of Campus at CSU in Orange, Professor Kevin Parton, will welcome the students and their guests to the campus, and the scholarships will be presented.  The University’s Deputy Chancellor, Ms Kathryn Pitkin will also extend a welcome to guests to the University on behalf of the University Council. Bachelor of Clinical Science student and Beyond Medical Education scholar, Ms Cassane Eccleston, will give the Vote of Thanks on behalf of the students.

The Institute of Land, Water and Society (ILWS)  at Charles Sturt University (CSU) is a sponsor of the ‘Slopes to Summit’ Farm and Environmental Open Day on Sunday 23 May at Woomargama in southern NSW. Organised by the Nature Conservation Trust of NSW and Holbrook Landcare, the day will celebrate the International Day of Biodiversity with a range of free talks, tours and activities for landowners, families and people interested in their environment. ILWS member Dr Andrea Crampton from the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga will have a display and information stand on ‘Rural Drinking Water: Risks, practices and prevention’ while ILWS Associate Professor David Watson from the School of Environmental Sciences at CSU in Albury-Wodonga will talk about mistletoe and lead a tour of the restoration trials at a Woomargama property. Dean of the Faculty of Science at CSU, Professor Nick Klomp will talk on ‘Quirky science; be amused not alarmed’ and PhD student Mr Ian Cole will talk on ‘Getting to know native grasses.’

The potential health risk of rural drinking water was the topic of a talk Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher Dr Andrea Crampton gave to Rotarians in Wagga Wagga last month. Dr Crampton, who is a member of CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS)  found that more than 50 per cent of rural tank water drinkers were drinking water that exceeded the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. In one instance the level of E.coli was 230 times the acceptable limit. Interviews with participants in the study identified a need for more information on potential risks and how to reduce those risks, steps already known but not communicated effectively to the rural community. “Not surprisingly most were more than happy for the government to stay away from their water supplies, preferring to manage their own systems but in a more informed manner,” Dr Crampton said.