During International Year of Chemistry 2011, the role chemistry plays in telling us about changes in the world around us is the focus of a seminar at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Monday 18 July. The seminar, entitled Chemistry in the real world – from nanotechnology to freshwater ecology, will showcase research in chemistry in the University’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences. Senior lecturer Dr Paul Prenzler said the study of chemistry helps us to have a better understanding of what is happening in the real world. “Underlying our health as humans and the health of the environment around us are chemical processes that can take place at very small or ‘nano’ levels or large scales, such as water quality in rivers,” he said. The seminar will discuss antioxidants and human health, river and soil health, along with wine colour and quality.

A national conference for Australian pharmacy students will be held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga in 2012. Members of the University’s student club, Pharmers' Society  won a competitive bid to host the National Australian Pharmacy Students’ Association or NAPSA Congress in January 2012. “Our successful bid to host this national event is sweetened by the fact this is the first time the annual NAPSA conference will be held in a regional centre,” fourth year CSU pharmacy student Mr Sean Dodd said. “We are very proud that the event will be held in inland Australia. It is a vote of confidence in those of us that choose to live, study and ultimately pursue our chosen profession in regional Australia to improve health services,” pharmacy student Ms Amy Minett said. “The work has now begun to stage a relevant and cutting edge conference in Wagga Wagga for more than 200 students from 13 universities,” Mr Dodd said. Head of CSU’s School of Biomedical Sciences Associate Professor Lyndall Angel said, “Again the pharmacy students at Charles Sturt University have shone and shown their maturity and dedication to serve rural and regional Australia”. Read more about the NAPSA Congress Wagga Wagga 2012  here.

From libraries to op shops, ebay and even linen closets-artists, Associate Professor Margaret Woodward and Ms Justy Phillips from Charles Sturt University (CSU) have gone to extraordinary lengths to explore how the symbols of Australia seen in tourist souvenirs contribute to our national identity. Professor Woodward is the Head of the School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU while Ms Phillips is an adjunct lecturer at the School. Their work, Greetings from Aggaw Aggaw can be seen at the Art Gallery in Wagga Wagga from Friday 29 July. Professor Woodward said the exhibition uses textiles, vintage souvenir ware, upholstery, text and sculpture to challenge ideas of national identity and the tourist experience. “It is an extension of ideas developed in research into tourist ephemera and how souvenirs contribute to defining a sense of place through evoking nostalgia and constructing stereotypes.” Ms Phillips hopes people will question how we name, record, promote and establish our familiar places. The exhibition is the culmination of three years of collaborative research focusing on cultural iconography and representations of contemporary Australian identity.

At a time when agriculture is facing a skills shortage, a careers fair at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will give prospective employers the chance to meet students. The student-led careers fair on Thursday 28 July aims to showcase the diversity of career paths in primary industries and to help students make contacts and gain work experience. Students in the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences and the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences have enlisted exhibitors from agribusiness, government departments, research and development corporations, and farming organisations. The fair will feature career development workshops and CSU graduates will share their experiences of the workforce.  Member of the fair's organising committee and Bachelor of Animal Science student Mr Isaac Allen said more than 200 students from CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Orange and Wagga Wagga are expected to attend the annual event. “Companies in certain sectors are really feeling the pinch of the skills shortage,” he said. “Now more than ever, there are opportunities for graduates to pursue careers in the agricultural industries.”

Students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange and Wagga Wagga will receive state-wide rural scholarships from the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) of NSW Foundation. Four CSU students from Orange and seven from Wagga Wagga are among almost 40 people from across NSW who will receive a scholarship, each valued at between $1 500 and $5 000 . The scholarships are awarded by the Foundation to students who ‘demonstrate a passion for rural issues and the determination to make a difference’. A ceremony will be held on Thursday 21 July from 6pm at CSU in Wagga Wagga where RAS Foundation director Mr John B Fairfax, AO, will present the scholarships to local students. A similar ceremony was held in Orange on Thursday 14 July.

The biology behind the current obesity epidemic in the Western world will be explored by Dr Wouter Kalle from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Biomedical Sciences at a public lecture titled ‘Evolution, genetics and psychology: the holistic view on obesity’ on Friday 22 July. “It is amazing to see how the evolution of the human brain has given enormous advantages to the species but also how these advantages can lead to health problems in certain social and cultural settings,” Dr Kalle said. The lecture will cover the basics of human evolution and genetics. Including examples and stories, the lecture will also go into the specifics of the development of human nutrition and human food patterns before finally touching on obesity and its biological ‘triggers’. Dr Kalle jokes, “Unfortunately this lecture will not give an easy slimming solution”.

“Beware the rIdes of March!” (apologies to Shakespeare) is the catchcry for the Ride to Uni Day to be held by Charles Sturt University (CSU) on Wednesday 7 March. For the first time, bicycle riders will gather on the University’s Albury City Campus to ride to the Thurgoona site via the bike trail which follows the newly opened Albury bypass. Carbon dioxide is a major cause of global warming and it has been estimated that each car driven from Albury city to CSU Thurgoona releases five kilograms of carbon dioxide – or 100 ‘black balloons’ – into the atmosphere. Ride to Uni Day coordinator Peter Taylor said riding instead of driving to work not only increases fitness and relieves stress, but also allows each participant to play their small part in reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Australian insects and their relationship with eucalypt trees is part of Ms Anamika Sharma’s studies for her PhD in entomology at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange. Originally from a city in Rajasthan in India, Ms Sharma has always been fascinated with insects and their role in the environment. “I used to work at a forest institute so I have a vast knowledge of trees and insects but this is the first time I’ve worked with Eucalypts and Australian insects so I have a lot to learn.” Ms Sharma will work with academics at CSU and staff at the Orange Agricultural Institute to put together a proposal for her research. “It’s a matter of narrowing down my research to one or two specific species of insects and their relationship with one or two species of Eucalyptus. Then I hope to study their physiological, chemical and molecular interaction to help develop some resistant species of eucalypts.” Ms Sharma has left behind a close family including two elder brothers but is enjoying her time in Orange. “It’s a beautiful place.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will launch its first Equestrian Club to celebrate the horse’s birthday on Monday 1 August. The manager of the CSU Equine Management Centre, Ms Cheryl Gander has invited people from around Orange to join. “There are many Orange residents who love horses and use our facilities regularly so I’m hoping they will join the club along with Charles Sturt University students.” Ms Gander says the horse’s birthday is always the first day of August in the southern hemisphere so that horses’ ages can be standardised for comparison because of the historical lack of records of actual birth days. “We like to celebrate their day by giving each horse at the Equine Centre extra feed, an apple each and a lot of attention.” To join the CSU Equestrian Club, contact Ms Gander on (02) 6365 7850.