A stark reminder of the dangers of drink driving has been parked near busy roads at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga. Badly damaged cars have been parked at the front entrance to CSU in Thurgoona and on Valder Way at CSU in Wagga. Posters attached to the damaged cars depict the consequences of drink driving. It is an initiative of the University’s Health Promotion Service as part of Drug Awareness Month at CSU in May. The theme for Drug Awareness Month in 2013 is ‘Drink Driving’. Health Promotion Officer Ms Coleen Pearce said, “We are attempting to remind Charles Sturt University students of the perils of drink driving on the day of, and also the day after, any event. The program for Drug Awareness Month is based on the Plan B campaign in NSW to combat drink driving. We are reinforcing the message that students need to plan ahead when they go out. Our program throughout the month includes flyers on car windscreens and behind toilet doors, covers over unattended drinks, activities with drink simulation goggles and information stalls with free merchandise. We will be also marking World No Tobacco Day on Friday 31 May.”

The Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, an alliance between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI), has opened a new research hub in Wagga Wagga. Named after Edgar ‘Eddie’ Hugh Graham, the longest serving NSW Minister for Agriculture and local MP, the Graham Centre’s new offices are located in the refurbished Agricultural Research Institute building in Wagga Wagga. It is the same building Minister Graham opened in 1954. Guests attending the opening by Federal Member for Riverina Mr Michael McCormack on Wednesday 22 May signed the original 1954 visitor’s book. Watching the proceedings was Eddie Graham’s grandson, Mr Robert White (pictured). Established in 2005, the Graham Centre integrates research at CSU and NSW DPI in five key areas: conservation cropping; ruminant feed base; bio-protection and integrated pest management of crops and pastures; animal health and welfare; and integrated cropping systems. Graham Centre Director and Professor of Agricultural Innovation, Professor Deirdre Lemerle, said, “The centre has three research objectives: to increase the efficiency of production systems; to value-add to the quality of food and fibre commodities; and to strengthen our research capacity by training the next generation of researchers.”

Psychologist, social researcher and novelist Mr Hugh Mackay will tackle the question of 'What makes a life worth living?' when he delivers the first Charles Sturt University (CSU) Explorations public lecture in Albury on Wednesday 8 May. Mr Mackay has spent his working life asking Australians about their values, motivations, ambitions, hopes and fears. “The good life is not the sum of our security, wealth, and levels of happiness,” he said. “It is one defined by our capacity for selflessness, the quality of our relationships and our willingness to connect with others in a useful way.” In the public lecture Mr Mackay will explore our pursuit of pleasure, our attempts to perfect ourselves and our children, and our conviction that we can have our lives under control.

A team of Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Information Technology students is taking up the challenge to prevent cyber crime. On Tuesday 7 May the students from the School of Computing and Mathematics  at CSU in Wagga Wagga will take part in the Cyber Security Challenge Australia, a national competition run by the Australian Government and Telstra to boost skills and highlight careers in information and communications technology. In the 24-hour challenge students will have to identify vulnerabilities in a fictitious computer network and recommend strategies to fix the problems. This is the second year CSU has participated and Senior Lecturer Dr Tanveer Zia said the team is well prepared. “One of the team members took part last year so we have the advantage of having someone with good understanding of what is expected,” he said.  “The competition gives students the opportunity to integrate their learning into practice and experience a real life scenario.”

Rehabilitation expert Dr Gavin Williams will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange on Tuesday 30 April to work with third-year Bachelor of Physiotherapy students at the School of Community Health on methods to help brain injury patients re-learn how to run. Dr Williams developed Australia’s first running group for neurological patients and has considerable research experience in the treatment and measurement of mobility disorders following neurological injury. CSU physiotherapy lecturer Ms Kerstin McPherson said Dr Williams would work with students in the campus rehabilitation gym, deliver a lecture and then run drills with students on the sports oval. “This is an excellent high-level educational opportunity for our students, and for local practitioners,” she said. “Rebecca Moore from Orange Base Hospital, who regularly supervises Charles Sturt University students during their practical work placements, will also attend, and Dr Williams’ visit is an example of the strong and ongoing relationships the physiotherapy program in Orange has developed with local practitioners.”

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) building has been short-listed for an international design award. The School of Dentistry and Health Sciences building at CSU in Wagga Wagga is one of six buildings short-listed for World Architecture WAN AWARDS Education Sector 2013. Opened in 2009 for the University’s new oral health and dentistry program, the building was designed by Brewster Hjorth Architects. The international jury found  the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences building was a “modest design with a strong connection to the site. The project created a sense of locality and identity by using local materials and translating the surrounding typography into the architecture. The circulation and learning spaces were thought to have created a fascinating place to learn”. The other buildings short-listed for the WAN AWARDS Education Sector 2013 are in Angola, Canada, Portugal and the United Kingdom (UK).The winner will be announced on Tuesday 30 April.

Educators are being urged to attend an important early childhood event this Friday 5 April at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. Organised by the Riverina branch of the peak body, Early Childhood Australia (ECA), the event will examine cultural competency in the early childhood setting. Keynote speaker and early childhood consultant, Ms Catharine Hydon will explore aspects of reconciliation in practice and alignment with the Early Years Learning Frameworks (EYLF) and National Quality Standards (NQS). Ms Carol Burgess, from the School of Teacher Education at CSU in Bathurst, said, “At the core of quality early childhood programs are children and their relationships with others,” Ms Burgess said. “Promoting positive relationships is fundamental to building strong relationships that respect individual differences, celebrate diversity and build cultural competence. Educators who seek to strengthen their work in this area would find it of great benefit to attend this presentation.”  Ms Hydon will deliver her keynote address from 9am to 12noon at the Wine and Food Industry Training Centre, building 412, McKeown Drive, near CSU Winery, Wagga Wagga.

 

The 2013 vintage harvest has concluded at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange, with strong yields and excellent quality in all varieties picked. CSU Winery marketing manager Mr Justin Byrne said the second crop of Riesling to be harvested at CSU in Orange yielded six tonnes. “It’s just as well, since the 2012 Charles Sturt ‘R’ Riesling has been very popular and is likely to run out soon, so it is good to know we have a great follow-up in the 2013 vintage,” he said. The harvest also included three tonnes of Pinot Gris, a good crop of 40 tonnes of Chardonnay destined to become both sparkling and table wine, and 17 tonnes of Sauvignon Blanc. “The question remains as to whether the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc will be better than the 2012, which is in the market now,” Mr Byrne said.  “We have to wait until the spring to see.” The red varieties also performed well, with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon relishing the warm growing season. “The Cabernet Sauvignon is the last of the varieties to be harvested at Charles Sturt and will spend at least 18 months in barrel before bottling for release sometime in 2015. So patience is required,” Mr Byrne said.