Four Charles Sturt University (CSU) teacher education students received Awards for Outstanding Professional Practice in 2011 at a special ceremony at the Faculty of Education in Bathurst on Monday 9 July. Each student completed their professional experience at small public schools in Central West NSW. Professor Jo-Anne Reid, the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Education, presented the certificates to Ms Rebecca Clark (Meadow Flat Public School), Ms Erin Scouller (Sofala Public School), Ms Jessica Goodacre (Neville Public School), and Mr James Deehan (Wattle Flat Public School), in front of their peers at an orientation session for final-year Bachelor of Education (Primary) students in the School of Teacher Education before they commenced their final professional experience placement as students. “These students have demonstrated outstanding competencies during their professional experience placements in 2011, and the Faculty rightly acknowledges and applauds their achievements,” Professor Reid said.

Carers of people with a mental illness are the focus of a new research project by a psychology student at Charles Sturt University (CSU). Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) Honours student Mr Gerald Haslinger is seeking participants in a confidential survey which aims to find out more about the experience of unpaid carers and mental health service providers in caring for someone with a mental illness. “I am interested in hearing from unpaid carers and service providers, and what they understand about the Recovery approach to caring for someone living with a mental illness, an approach that is widely accepted within the mental health sector.  My study seeks to find out the level of awareness of this approach amongst mental health service providers as well as unpaid carers.” Mr Haslinger, an education and training officer with a non-government agency in Sydney, has extended the survey until Friday 13 July.  He is completing his degree by distance education through the School of Psychology at CSU in Wagga Wagga. For further details about the survey, contact Mr Haslinger on his email  or take the survey here.

MyDay at Charles Sturt University in Orange, to be held on Monday 4 June, has attracted high school students from Sydney, Canberra, and north and south coast regions all keen to experience life as a health sciences student. Highlighting courses in dentistry, physiotherapy, clinical science and pharmacy, the day introduces students to the campus known as the health hub of the University. Students will gain hands-on experience in the health clinics, meet with academics and tertiary students and tour the campus. MyDay offers high school students the unique opportunity to experience a day in the life of a university student and provides key information on support available to make their goals achievable. On the same day an Agriculture HSC enrichment day will be held for those studying agriculture in the HSC.

High school students from as far afield as Tasmania will gain an insight into studying animal, equine or veterinary science at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 July. The Years 11 and 12 students from almost 120 high schools in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania will visit CSU as part of the University’s MyDay, an initiative that lets high school students experience a day in the life of a university student. During the two-day My Day event, the students will participate in hands-on workshops within the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The University will also host general information sessions on accommodation and financial support. Undergraduate courses under the spotlight during the event include the Bachelor of Animal Science, the Bachelor of Equine Science, and the Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/ Bachelor of Veterinary Science. Read more here.

More than 70 Years 5 and 6 students from Yeoval Central School, Trangie Central School and Bowen Public School will attend Check It Out Day at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange on Tuesday 26 June. “Check It Out Day is part of the Future Moves program which aims to expose students to the University at a young age and encourage them to consider university as an option when they leave school,” said Ms Tonya Graham, Pre-entry Program Coordinator, Academic Support. “The day features special workshops, run by academics, which will provide engaging interactive experiences for the primary school students so they develop confidence to seek information about courses and pathways as they progress through high school. The workshops will provide hands-on experiences in supermarket botany, extracting DNA, robotics, and nursing. The students will also tour the campus, have an introduction to Falcon Watch, and join in a mock graduation.” The CSU Check It Out Day runs from 10am to 2pm on Tuesday 26 June at CSU in Orange.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) continues to develop its Orange Campus, now opening a new cellar door to showcase the range of CSU wines. CSU Winery  marketing manager Mr Justin Byrne says the cellar door will give the community the opportunity to sample and buy the University wines. "We have the full range of wines in stock including our sparkling and fortified wines," he said. CSU’s award-winning winemaker Mr Andrew Drumm has been keen to open a cellar door in Orange since the University acquired the vineyard. "Orange is growing some great fruit and producing some excellent wines and we are a small but important player in the region so it's good to be able to show off our work," Mr Drumm said. The CSU Winery Cellar Door is open Friday to Sunday from 11am to 4pm. For more information contact Mr Byrne on 02 6365 7643.

Forget the Eiffel Tower and Buckingham Palace, a group of students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) will spend their European tripvisiting world class biomedical research institutions. The 22 students from CSU’s School of Biomedical Sciences will spend more than three-weeks during June visiting leading research and teaching facilities in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and  Switzerland. CSU Pharmacy program leader Mr George K John said the trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity for students to gain a broader understanding of global health issues and highlight the careers available in health sciences. “Students will see cutting edge research and teaching in areas of biomedical sciences like biotechnology, microbiology, nutrition and pharmaceutical sciences,” he said. Highlights of the itinerary include workshops and interactive sessions at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, The World Health Organisation in Geneva, the Nestle Research Institute in Lausanne and Max Planck Institute in Munich.

Born and bred Taralga girl Ms Nikita Corby has left home, and her family band, to follow her dream by moving to Orange and studying Agricultural Business Management  at Charles Sturt University (CSU). One of six children, Ms Corby started playing drums to join her brother, Ben and sister Rhiannon when they started performing as The Corbys three years ago. Now in Orange, Ms Corby even managed to squeeze her drum kit into her room on campus. “It’s an electric kit so I can put on my headphones and practice without bothering my room-mates,” Ms Corby said. In Taralga, Ms Corby worked at a local CRT outlet and, with an interest in the rural community, decided to study a course that would give her a broad knowledge of the agricultural industry. When she isn’t studying, she’s practising for her next gig. “I still go home on weekends and perform with The Corbys, which provides a good mix of study and music.”

A student attending Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange has been awarded a Rural Scholarship from the Royal Agricultural Society Foundation to help her realise her dream of becoming a regional dentist. Ms Grace Amey, 22, is in her second year of the CSU Bachelor of Dental Science and is passionate about returning to western NSW to practice dentistry once she graduates. “I work at a dental clinic in my home town of Dubbo when I’m not at uni,” Ms Amey said. “I see so many people come to the clinic from further west who have to wait months to see a dentist. There is so much demand for health professionals.” Ms Amey’s $5 000 scholarship will help her with the cost of equipment needed for her course. “It’s a big help to have this kind of support.” The RAS Rural Scholarships are available to support individuals in NSW who demonstrate a passion for rural issues and whose studies will add value to rural communities.