The Charles Sturt University (CSU) Winery is still celebrating after being named one of the winners of a 2010 Inland Tourism Award. The winery took out the Wineries, Distilleries and Boutique Breweries Award during a ceremony held at the Temora Aviation Museum on Saturday 24 July. Established in 1977 at CSU in Wagga Wagga, the commercial winery produces premium varietal table wines. The Winery is tightly integrated with the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga and the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre.   “We are thrilled to be recognised for providing a great experience for visitors to Wagga Wagga and the Riverina,” winemaker Mr Andrew Drumm said. The CSU Winery has a number of awards to its name including 25 trophies and 95 gold medals.

The CSU Global Where in the World exhibition is on the move, travelling to Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga on Monday 2 August. CSU Global, CSU’s student exchange program, ran a Facebook competition to collect images from international student travels. A cash prize of $500 was awarded to the winning student in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst and Wagga Wagga. CSU Global’s Mr Byron Preston said, “The exhibition was well received in Wagga Wagga with more than 50 art and travel enthusiasts attending and we’re hoping it will inspire those in Albury-Wodonga who visit the exhibition to do their own travelling.” The Where in the World exhibition was initially launched at CSU in Wagga Wagga last month and will travel to each of the three campuses involved in the competition to promote CSU Global and its world travel opportunities.

Millawa in North East Victoria will echo with the sounds of whirls, clicks and clunks when a Charles Sturt University (CSU) technical expert holds a day-long workshop at Millawa Primary School tomorrow, Thursday 2 December, to help students with their robotic projects. Mr Andrew Shaw from CSU’s Division of Information Technology in Albury-Wodonga will help senior students at the school to build robots using LegoTM and program them to do simple tasks. The students recently completed a Lego Robotics course with Goulburn Ovens TAFE and want to extend what they learned to ‘real world’ situations. “I had completed my degree on applied cybernetics and computing at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, and I am really please to share what I learned,” Mr Shaw said. “The recent New Zealand coalmine disaster highlighted that limitations still exist in modern robots, and I hope to give the students some appreciation of the challenges and approaches we face in this area.”

Students get their first real taste of their new life at university during Orientation Week next week. With the theme ‘Supeher-O’, commencement activities for new students start on Monday 21 February at Charles Sturt University (CSU) on all its campuses, including Albury-Wodonga. Nearly 650 students have enrolled in undergraduate courses as varied as physiotherapy, teaching, nursing, speech pathology, adventure ecotourism, accountancy, and information technology. Head of Campus at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Professor Allan Curtis, said Orientation Week activities were vital to introduce the students to study and life at CSU. “Orientation Week allows students to become familiar with their surroundings, staff and other students. CSU staff are ready to respond to queries about courses and subjects, help students find accommodation, and help them make the most of the cultural and sporting activities available in Albury-Wodonga,” Professor Curtis said.

As families prepare for Christmas celebrations, with festive goodies such as candy canes, gingerbread and chocolate within easy reach, Charles Sturt University (CSU) Dental Clinic dentist Dr Ying Shi Chang asks parents to remember the importance of children’s teeth. “Holidays often mean lack of routine and the festive season is a time when people eat more sugar, more frequently, than at any other time of the year,” says Dr Chang. “That can cause serious problems for teeth unless sensible and straightforward steps are taken.” Dr Chang recommends limiting the number of times a day your child eats sugary treats or snacks between meals and avoiding soft, sticky treats that get stuck between teeth. “It is best to eat sugary treats at the end of mealtime while there is still plenty of saliva in the mouth, as saliva helps to wash away the sugars and acids. Drinking a glass of water after eating a sugary treat also helps.” Finally, always have your child brush and floss before going to bed. It is also suggested that parents book their children in for an annual check-up before the start of a school year.

The new President of Dongguk University’s Computer Science Institute in South Korea, Dr Kyung-sun Beak, will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury–Wodonga on Monday 17 October to sign an agreement and investigate opportunities for expanding collaboration between the two universities. CSU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Ross Chambers and Dr Kyung-sun Beak will sign a new articulation agreement during the visit to facilitate further pathways for students from Dongguk University to study business and information technology at Charles Sturt University. A number of students from Dongguk University are already studying at CSU in Albury-Wodonga under a previous agreement signed in 2008. Two of these students will meet for lunch with the South Korean delegation, which will also include the Dean of International Studies, Professor Min-jung Ko, and the Director of Marketing, Jong Wook Ryu. The Head of Albury-Wodonga Campus and Director of CSU’s Office of International Relations, Ms Sue Moloney, will take the delegation on a campus tour after lunch and then, time permitting, a brief tour of Albury city.

A significant funding increase from Charles Sturt University (CSU) for higher degree research places has resulted in a large intake of doctoral and Master students in the University’s School of Environmental Sciences, working with supervisors in the Institute for Land, Water and Society. Eight students from as far as Mexico, Bhutan, Zimbabwe, China and USA have joined nine students from around Australia in full-time and part-time studies on the Albury-Wodonga Campus, with topics ranging from yak herders in Bhutan to snow leopard conservation in Nepal. ILWS Director Professor Max Finlayson said the number of international students at ILWS highlighted the quality of research undertaken at the University. “Many issues we face in the Murray Darling Basin are faced around the world. We are part of a world group of scientists addressing issues on the local and global stage,” Professor Finlayson said. Most of these students will be welcomed to the Institute during an ‘Aussie’ morning tea commencing at 10.30am on Thursday 9 August.

A former student from Springdale Heights Public School in Albury has returned to help with a young pupil’s story on the local environment as part of a Charles Sturt University (CSU) teaching and research project. Mr Jarrod Lindner is studying early childhood and primary education in the Murray School of Education  and will return to his former school on Thursday 22 September to show Kindergarten student Noah Taylor the finished product of their work together. “Earlier this year, Noah and Jarrod, together with 140 other Charles Sturt University and Springdale Heights students, ventured down to the University wetlands to take photos and write a digital story together about the experience. Jarrod has developed a presentation of Noah’s story, which he will show Noah on Thursday. It is a neat way of getting student teachers and school pupils together in one place at one time in a stimulating environment to help educate them all,” said project coordinator and leading CSU education academic, Dr Noella Mackenzie. 

A Science and Health Expo at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga will highlight courses, facilities and projects on offer on the campus on Saturday 11 August between 11.30am and 3pm. The Expo will feature solar telescopes, tours of CSU’s state-of-the-art health education facilities, and Oral Health and Dental Clinic as well as the University’s internationally renowned environmentally designed campus at Thurgoona, interactive information sessions showcasing health and science courses offered by CSU, jumping castles, music and the Gums Café open for visitors. “We welcome the community to experience the excellence in health and science education, research and facilities that underpins Charles Sturt University’s courses in these fields,” said Head of CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Professor Julia Coyle. The Expo is part of National Science Week, which is hosted on the Border by CSU and the Astronomical Society of Albury-Wodonga.