Veterinary science student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Wagga Wagga, Mr Richard Sanders, has received a coaching award at a university meat judging competition held in Armidale in July. He was named the winner of the Tom Carr Award for Coaching Excellence at the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging (ICMJ) competition. For a number of years, Mr Sanders has lent his carcass evaluation skills to fellow students and coached the CSU team for the annual ICMJ competitions. Mr Sanders, from Moruya on the NSW South Coast, also represented Australia at ICMJ in the USA in 2005. Agricultural science student, Ms Kylie Dunn won the overall individual award at the ICMJ competition, scoring 439 out of a potential 450. Ms Louise Lawrence, also enrolled in agricultural science, was the winner of the individual award in the competition’s pork judging category. A four member CSU team was also named runner-up in the overall team award. Three CSU students now have the chance to be included in the Australian meat judging team as they were named among the nine finalists for an elite industry training workshop in Brisbane. “The participation of the successful CSU team is largely due to the generous sponsorship of Cargill Beef Australia, who has willingly provided access for students to beef carcasses and primal cuts in addition to their financial support,” said Professor of Animal Production Peter Wynn. “Access to sheep carcasses through the Junee Abattoir and pork carcases through Knights Meats has also contributed greatly to the success of the team.”

The wide variety of science research being undertaken by Charles Sturt University (CSU) research students will be on show at Wagga Wagga this week. A research symposium on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 July is a chance for 79 internal and distance education students to gather in one place and present their individual research to peers and colleagues. Dean of the Faculty of Science, Professor Nick Klomp said some of the brightest and sharpest minds in Australia are accepted into research programs and CSU expects them to operate at a high level right from the start. “This is intimidating for first year students, but a complete immersion into the research culture of the University is part of the training needed to produce accomplished graduates.” He said a second important aspect of the symposium is the opportunity to meet other students who are likely to become colleagues for the duration of their career. CSU’s commemoration of the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin will continue at a dinner for the research students. Professor Klomp and Professor Tom Frame, from the School of Theology at CSU in Canberra, will speak about Darwin’s Legacy – how Charles Darwin has influenced science and society in the 21st Century.  

A final-year Charles Sturt University (CSU) student has beaten a field of top applicants from around Australia to gain the position of sole journalist at The Blayney Chronicle newspaper in the NSW Central West. Ms Clare Colley, a fourth generation Bathurst resident, has trumped her fellow students by being appointed a graded journalist with the Rural Press media organisation while completing the last semester of a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) at the School of Communication  at CSU at Bathurst. “This is a fantastic position,” Ms Colley said. “On the one hand, I was surprised to get the job, but on the other hand, I feel completely prepared for it because the journalism course is brilliant, broad, practical, and not just theory. My role at The Blayney Chronicle satisfies the course’s work-experience criteria, so, happily, I’m being paid as a journalist before I even graduate. You can’t beat that for job-ready training.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has signed on to the Bathurst Breast Screen Business Challenge and is encouraging its female staff aged 40 and over to take the opportunity for a free breast screening examination during paid working hours throughout July. Occupational, Health and Safety Manager at CSU, Mr David Tallentire, said, “Charles Sturt University takes its commitment to staff health and safety very seriously, and we are proud to participate in this important initiative in partnership with BreastScreen NSW and other local businesses. The University recognises the significant impact breast cancer has on Australian woman and their families. Breast cancer is the number one cancer killer of women in Australia, with one in eight women being diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. The early detection or identification of breast cancers can have significant benefits to the health outcomes of a diagnosed woman.” The screening only takes around 15 minutes to complete. To make an appointment, contact BreastScreen NSW on 13 20 50.

The biennial ArtStart Youth Arts and Skills program aims to develop the performance skills of young people aged 12 to 24 years across the NSW Central West. This year’s event will employ a number of Charles Sturt University (CSU) graduates and students from the theatre/media course offered through the School of Communication at Bathurst. ArtStart  will hold a range of workshops in Condobolin, Blayney, Forbes, Oberon, Orange and Parkes during the July school holidays. Ms Zoe Rodwell, a CSU theatre/media graduate and ArtStart Coordinator with Arts Out West, said, “Half a dozen graduates of the theatre/media course are employed on this year’s program, and all of them are generating work and successful businesses for themselves in the creative industries in regional NSW. CSU graduates and current students are working together to pass on their skills. Some of the young people will have CSU students as mentors in event management, and other students will produce a series of short documentaries on each community project.”

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has been recognised for her work in improving the clinical experience of health students at CSU at Albury-Wodonga. Ms Kristy Robson from the School of Community Health has been named winner of the 2009 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Professional Excellence for her work with the CSU Allied Health Clinic where podiatry and other students obtain clinical experience. Ms Robson has also organised joint clinics with physiotherapy students, with a similar clinic with occupational therapy students scheduled in the next semester. Ms Robson grew up in Albury, studied in Sydney, and returned to set up a private practice in Albury-Wodonga before moving to CSU. “Since we want more health professionals working in regional and rural areas, it is vital that Charles Sturt University continues to offer high quality health courses and professional experiences that develop the confidence of students to meet the challenges of working in regional and rural areas,” Ms Robson said.

The 2009 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence at Charles Sturt University (CSU) has been presented to Central West ‘local’ Dr Jennifer Sappey, from Oberon, who came to work at Mitchell College of Advanced Education – one of CSU’s predecessor institutions - in 1974 before enrolling to study there in 1975. “For me, education is about social justice, for the individual and the wider community,” Dr Sappey said. “My commitment to education lies in its role as a social equaliser, leading me to an emphasis on bridging theory to practice and my students’ own life experiences. My disciplinary lens, industrial sociology, allows me to understand that teaching is not just something I ‘do’ but who I ‘am’, and my strong belief in Charles Sturt University as a place of inspiration and hope which changes peoples’ lives, both young and old, lies at the heart of my own story.” Dr Sappey taught at other universities before returning to CSU in 2002 to take up a role as lecturer in Management. In 2007 she was appointed to her current role as lecturer in Sociology in the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies at CSU at Bathurst.

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) Winery Cellar Door at Wagga Wagga has again been named as a finalist in the annual Inland NSW Tourism Awards. The Cellar Door is one of the finalists in the Riverina region of the 2009 Inland NSW Tourism Awards. The winners will be named at a dinner at the Crossing Theatre in Narrabri NSW on Saturday 25 July. The Cellar Door sells wine and offers tastings from the University’s own range of premium table, fortified and sparkling wines. Since its inception in 1977, the Winery has won numerous trophies and medals in national wine shows. The winery has been rated as a 4.5 star winery in the 2009 and 2008 James Halliday Wine Companion and was a finalist in the 2008 Inland NSW Tourism Awards. “It’s a great achievement to once again be named as a finalist in these awards considering the number of cellar door’s in operation in inland NSW,” said Cellar Door Manager Mr Richard Lawson. “The award recognises the Winery’s contribution to local and regional tourism, as well as the extensive range of CSU wine, cheese and olive oil products available for tasting and sales. It also recognises the hard work of our dedicated Cellar Door team.”  

The success of the inaugural equine school held during the Easter school holiday break at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Orange has prompted organiser Ms Cheryl Gander to continue the program. The next school will be held from Tuesday 21 to Friday 24 July. “All the participants enjoyed themselves immensely and came away feeling they had learned valuable horsemanship skills as well as new handling techniques and a better understanding of the general welfare and nutrition of their equine friends,” said Ms Gander from the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences. The four-day school, run by highly regarded and qualified instructors, caters for all age groups and experience levels. The Equine Centre at CSU at Orange even has a selection of quiet horses that are available for hire during the school. The closing date for enrolment applications for the July school is Monday 13 July. For enquiries please phone Ms Gander on 02 63657 850 or mobile 0417 665 324.