Staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will plant native trees to increase environmental biodiversity next week as part of a CSU Green initiative for National Tree Planting Day. The event will see CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Orange and Wagga Wagga all take part in tree planting days. CSU Green Coordinator of Partnerships Nicola Smith said the event was designed to effect the campus ecosystems. “Our goals are to increase biodiversity by providing homes and food for wildlife, which brings more wildlife to the area, more ground cover, understorey and overstorey,” Ms Smith said. “We’ll also aim to reduce topsoil loss and erosion, increase soil infiltration, influence microclimate, and increase aesthetics for each campus.” Plants will come from local nurseries that specialise in native plants. Interested staff and students will determine where to planting the native trees on each campus. Miss Smith said students drew a sense of satisfaction from taking some ownership of their own campuses and would be thanked with a barbecue lunch. The tree planting events are set for Albury-Wodonga on Friday 16 and Sunday 18 August, Wagga Wagga on Sunday 18 August and Orange on Monday 19 August.

Charles Sturt University Winery has taken out the prestigious Best Sparkling Trophy at the 2013 Cowra Wine Show. CSU winemaker Mr Andrew Drumm was in Cowra for the Trophy Presentation Dinner held at the Cowra Civic Centre on Saturday 10 August. “The Cowra Wine Show attracts thousands of wines from around the country, so it is a significant win for us. We have been making great sparkling wine for many years so it is good to get the industry recognition that this trophy gives us,” he said. The winning wine, 2009 Reserve Sparkling, was made from fruit grown in Tumbarumba and is bottle fermented in the traditional method used for making fine sparkling wines. The wine is a blend of 70 per cent Pinot Noir and 30 per cent Chardonnay. “The Pinot Noir contributes a subtle red fruit sweetness to the nose and palate whilst the Chardonnay fruit developed typical citrus characters ideal for top quality sparkling wine,” Mr Drumm said. “The nose of the wine is complex, with restrained red fruits and citrus and subtle yeast characters. The palate is very fresh, with the complex citrus, biscuity characters coming to the fore. The wine has a line of acidity which will allow it to age for several years and gain further complexity.”

Residential students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange raised more than $2 000 for the Orange and District Early Education Program (ODEEP) with a “Great Gatsby’ themed ball recently. The ODEEP centre is a community based, not for profit early childhood intervention service for young children with disabilities or delays in their development. Earlier this year the students presented the centre with $2 500 in funds raised through chocolate sales and other activities. Residential Coordinator Terri-Lee Duffy said the students were supported in fundraising for the ball through many local businesses offering prizes for the night and items to auction. “The major sponsor for the night was Harvey Norman Electrical who generously donated a flat-screen television. The Orange business community, and the community in general, have been very supportive,” she said. The ball raised more than $2 000, bringing the students fundraising efforts for the centre this year to nearly $5 000.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will present a free seminar on small business finance, in Orange on Thursday 12 September, as part of a series of Small Business Management Foundation Seminars. Course director for CSU’s Graduate Certificate in Small Business Management, Dr Lan Snell will chair the seminar and said while small business funding options included venture capital and government grants, most operators looked to the bank. “This seminar provides participants with a greater insight into how banks assess risk,” she said. “It will give you hints and tips on how to mitigate these risks. It will also cover best practice in terms of cash flow management and other financial management issues.” NAB business banking executive Mr Will Armstrong will be a guest speaker at the seminar which is presented in conjunction with the Orange Business Chamber, NSW Business Chamber, Orange City Council and Orange Ex Services Club. “The Seminars will be short, sharp, and engaging sessions that address the challenges in small business management,” Dr Snell said. The topics include marketing, finance, and human resources.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange is embracing NSW Bike Week this week, encouraging its staff and students to jump on their bikes for the health and environmental benefits. CSU staff will celebrate the week with a Ride to Campus event, starting at Bill’s Beans on McLachlan Street, Orange, on Wednesday 18 September. Staff will gather at the coffee shop from 8am for an 8.30am departure and a gentle, five kilometre ride to campus finishing at Banjo’s Bistro for a free breakfast. Other CSU campuses are also rolling into Bike Week, with events set for CSU in Wagga Wagga, Bathurst, Dubbo and Albury-Wodonga. Bikes and helmets are essential and there is a chance for CSU participants to win a bike and helmet valued at $600. To register for any of the NSW Bike Week events at CSU, email CSU Green here.

A program to advance Charles Sturt University (CSU) as a leader in higher education teaching and learning will be launched in Bathurst on Tuesday 17 September. CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Garry Marchant, said, “Given the ongoing growth of student numbers and evolution of the higher education sector due to theoretical and technological developments, the launch of ‘Smart Learning’ will enable a stronger professionalised teaching focus to improve student engagement and maintain high-quality teaching standards at the University. With the implementation of Smart Learning, Charles Sturt University will lead the way in higher education learning and teaching innovation.” Information about Smart Learning and the next steps in establishing this program will be presented at the launch at The Grange, CSU in Bathurst at 3pm on Tuesday 17 September.

Following an environmental assessment of all Charles Sturt University (CSU) campuses against the University’s sustainability goals, the Head of Campus in Orange, Dr Heather Robinson, will officially launch the Environmental Scorecard for the campus on Wednesday 18 September. Mr Chris O’Connor, the acting energy manager with CSU Green, said this environmental assessment is relative to the initial 2006 data when the University embarked on the initiative. “Charles Sturt University in Orange, like all our campuses, have continued to grow during this period,” he said. “The introduction of new waste management systems has lifted our recycling rates to about 26 per cent, and we’ve also instituted new ‘office waste’ programs aimed at improving that even further.” In addition, CSU Green has other projects planned to assist the University achieve its recycling and energy management targets. The CSU Environmental Scorecard will be launched at 10.30 am on Wednesday 18 September at CSU in Orange.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) National Wine and Grape Industry Centre director Professor Alain Deloire will address the concept of ‘terroir’ as part of the University’s free public lecture series at CSU in Orange on Friday 27 September. Professor Deloire, previously a team leader in viticulture at world renowned Moet and Chandon, is co-author of a book on “grapevine physiology and terroir” and more than 100 peer-reviewed and popular articles. He said terroir was a complex, but important, notion for agri-food products, but measuring its effect on wine market trends remains difficult even for the experts since it could include climate and soil, people, social organisations and agricultural practices. Despite these complexities, the idea of geographical origin was still critical for products which lay claim to a “terroir-linked typicality”, he said. Head of Campus at CSU in Orange, Professor Heather Robinson, said the Explorations Series of lectures brings speakers from a range of disciplines to share the latest ideas, thinking and opinions on contemporary social, scientific and cultural issues with the NSW Central West community.

Two teams of Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Pharmacy students have demonstrated their business acumen to claim a place in the quarter finals of a prestigious national competition. Ms Thanh Le and Ms Marina Mikhail along with Mr Neil D’Souza, Ms Seray Goktekin and Ms Pooja Balgi are taking part in the National Student Business Plan Competition organised by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia to promote creative entrepreneurship amongst pharmacy students. This is the first time CSU has entered a team in the competition and Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice with CSU’s School of Biomedical Sciences, Mr George John, said it was an opportunity for students to practice the pharmacy management and business skills taught in the classroom. “Students had to develop a sound business plan for buying a pharmacy and the model had to be innovative while addressing community needs,” he said. “I believe the competition will give them valuable experience for starting their own pharmacy business in the future.” CSU is one of 12 teams left in the competition and the quarter final round concludes on Friday 12 July.