Charles Sturt University will be represented in the new system to assess where Federal Government research dollars should be spent in 2008. Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research) at CSU, Professor Paul Burnett will chair one of the 13 assessment panels for the Research Quality Framework. The panels will assess the research applications submitted by higher education providers and will award a rating for quality and impact. As Head of the University's Centre for Research and Graduate Training and being responsible for the administration of research and research training at CSU, Professor Burnett will head the Psychology, Psychiatry, Neurological, Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences panel. With five degrees, Professor Burnett is a counsellor, counselling psychologist and educational and developmental psychologist.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) 2006 television production graduates Luke Heywood and Tim Pass are ecstatic with the news that their production Chance Your Hand will be screened at the 2007 New York Television Festival Independent Pilot Competition. Chance Your Hand, a situation comedy showing the behind the scenes drama of a television game show, was a major project during the students’ third year studies. Produced at the CSU School of Visual and Performing Arts studios at the Wagga Wagga Campus in inland NSW, Chance Your Hand is one of only three productions selected from outside the United States. CSU Associate Lecturer Patrick Sproule says, “this is a major accolade for the both the course and the students, showcasing just how capable, creative and talented our television, acting and theatre design graduates are”. Luke and Tim will travel to New York to attend the festival from 5 – 9 September and hope to meet network executives to further their television careers.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is reaching out to students in distant and remote locations through the growing education resource of podcasting, the broadcast of audio files across the internet. CSU School of Computing and Mathematics lecturer Anthony Chan says: “Podcasting is now happening in CSU biomedical sciences, accounting, information technology, food and wine sciences and commercial radio and management courses. Podcasts are provided to students before and after classes and include interviews with experts from around the world”. An international collaborative project between CSU and USA’s Bentley College allows students in a first year computing subject to learn from each other and another lecturer half way round the world. The School of Computing and Mathematics also uses podcasting with a local Wagga Wagga high school, with their work in Japanese learning and teaching featured on Japanese television. Studies within CSU have shown that podcasting reduces the effects of isolation and promotes inclusiveness. Surveys with CSU undergraduate students also show podcasting reduces their stress levels, especially students who are coming into a higher education environment for the first time.

Estimating the number of people in the Federal Calare electorate aged 55 to 75 years with respiratory disease is the goal of a new Charles Sturt University (CSU) research project. Dr Debbie Burton, a senior lecturer and Associate Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU’s Orange Campus, says the project will screen people for asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and the related disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). “The free lung health test uses a breathing test, where participants take a full breath in, then breathe out fully and with maximum effort into a tube, to check how well they can ventilate their lungs. Most people diagnosed with COPD experience moderate to severe shortness of breath and reduced lung function before discussing this with their doctor. This delays the diagnosis of COPD and increases the risk of getting the related disease CHF. Once diagnosed, people with these diseases can be managed medically so that the diseases progress more slowly and the quality of life for these people improves.” The study results will be used to identify ways to more easily screen and detect these diseases earlier in older people. If you have received an invitation letter and wish to take part in the study, contact Jillian Webb on telephone 02 6365 7823.

Charles Sturt University ( CSU ) winery has enhanced its reputation as an innovative producer of fine wines. The CSU Winery, based at the Wagga Wagga Campus, was awarded one silver medal and four bronze medals at the recent Royal Melbourne Wine Show. The 2004 Shiraz was awarded a silver medal, with this wine also earning four Bronze Medals at other major Australian wine shows. Bronze medals were awarded to CSU ’s 2005 Shiraz , the follow up vintage to the silver medal winning 2004 Shiraz , the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, the 2005 Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot and the 2004 Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot. The Melbourne Wine Show is one of the major wine shows in and is very highly regarded worldwide. CSU Winery Mark eting Manager Richard Lawson says “there were over 3 600 entries from around , so it is a great achievement”.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher is off on a trip offering “excitement of a life-time”. The trip to a remote Alaskan island is to gather an inventory of guns left behind by Japanese military forces after World War II. Archaeologist and principal researcher with CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS), Associate Professor Dirk Spennemann has been contracted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to inspect and document the guns on Kiska Island in the Bering Strait and to assess their state of conservation. He is one of a party of five who will spend five days on the island. Professor Spenneman says “This research fits into my interest in modern heritage and the planning problems. We can’t plan for the island’s volcano erupting but at least if we can document what we have now, then we can plan for future management and how we might stop these guns rusting away or being stolen.”

An innovative experimental winery is set to enhance Australia’s reputation for producing a quality product from the fruit of the vine. The new winery, to be launched on Tuesday 30 January, will be built next to the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre on Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus, the result of a partnership between CSU, NSW Wine Industry Association and NSW Department of Primary Industries. Director of the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, CSU’s Professor Geoff Scollary says “This year 120 different wines will be produced at the CSU Winery. The expansion will allow production to increase to 150 for the 2008 vintage and provide grape growers and wine producers with strong scientific and practical information to ensure the Australian wine industry remains sustainable and profitable”. Professor Scollary believes the expansion “will further establish CSU as one of the nation’s leading wine extension and research centres”.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU’s) emphasis on professional experience as an integral part of CSU courses is being put into practice in the University’s Careers Service – with practical success. This year for the first time, CSU’s Careers Service offered two paid, internships for final-year students to give them valuable work experience opportunities. Final-year Bachelor of Commerce student, Casandra Barnes, of Cumnock, NSW, has just completed her six-month internship as a marketing assistant in the CSU Careers Service and begins her first career job with Liverpool Plains Shire Council based in Quirindi this week. “The hands-on experience working at the Careers Service was fantastic and taught me so much about what’s involved in a professional job,” Casandra said. “I’m sure it made the difference when I applied for my first professional position.” During her internship Casandra was responsible for marketing the Careers Service to first-year students; coordinating and promoting careers events; running online student forums and producing an online careers newsletter. Casandra, 23, starts her new job as a Community Economic Development Officer with the Liverpool Plains Shire Council in Quirindi this week. She will complete her final two subjects towards her degree by distance education. Paul Worsfold, Senior Career Development Officer with the Careers Service said practicum experience was a high priority for CSU as it strives to be a national leader in producing ‘job ready’ graduates. “The Careers Service understands the importance of professional experience which is why it promotes vacation work opportunities to students. We are also seeking to involve students who want complementary work experiences and career development activities outside of formal teaching requirements,” Mr Worsfold said.

While the best of the world’s soccer teams were battling it out in Germany, Bathurst Campus Charles Sturt University (CSU) students were covering themselves in glory at the University Games in Coffs Harbour by winning gold in Men’s and Women’s Hockey and bringing home the prestigious Spirit of the Games Award. Sports Administrator Jean Ryan said several students were selected in the Green & Gold Merit teams, which are chosen by the umpires and convenors, but the highlight was winning Spirit of the Games. “That made my week. It means CSU’s Bathurst team were the best behaved, most respectful and most supportive of their fellow team members.” Renee Aberley, a Bachelor of Human Movement/Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary) student, was the goal keeper in the Women’s Hockey team, saving five out of nine penalty goal attempts in the combined finals. Sam Poole of the Men’s Hockey team is studying Bachelor of Human Movement/Bachelor of Business Studies. He is equally as pleased with his team’s performance, saying their biggest threats came from the Universities of Sydney and Newcastle. He says he’ll begin fundraising efforts soon to help offset the cost of taking the winning teams to the national competition in Adelaide in September.