A specialist wine testing laboratory is moving into the Cellar Door at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange to service the Central West wine industry.With the Cellar Door closing to the public at the end of week, the space at CSU in Orange is being leased to Vintessential Laboratories. Once a laboratory fit-out is complete, the ISO17025 accredited operations are planned to commence in January 2016.Vintessential also operates laboratories in wine districts in Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland. The company offers a range of testing services for wine, cider, beer, water and plant material. They will also sell laboratory consumables, and winemaking products such as yeasts and enzymes.Vintessential was founded in 1995 by Mr Greg Howell - a graduate of the wine science degree at CSU. Mr Howell said "We are thrilled to partner with Charles Sturt University to help support the flourishing wine industry in the Central West."CSU Chief Financial Officer Mr Paul Dowler said, "As an institution focused on research, teaching and learning, Charles Sturt University is keen to foster strong industry engagement in a manner that supports the Central West region."However, CSU continues to offer its stock of boutique wines online and through its Experimental Winery at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The Wagga Wagga Cellar Door remains open for business.Mr Dowler said, "Plans are in place to develop a Shiraz and Chardonnay through the experimental winery with the 2016 vintage to be available later next year.CSU farewells Winery Marketing Manager Mr Justin Byrne at the end of the week. He will continue his involvement with the University's new business model by developing online material.Mr Jeff Clements, from Western Regional Wines, will service customers in the Central West as well as the Blue Mountains.The Cellar Door at CSU in Wagga is in building 404, near car park 11, McKeown Drive, CSU in Wagga Wagga. It is open seven days a week from 11am to 5pm and 11am to 4pm on week-ends. Please call (02) 6933 2435 or go online here.

Students and staff from Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will join forces with Summer Hill Creek Landcare on Sunday 2 August to safeguard part of the local environment. The group will spend the morning planting trees on the Third Crossing property at 870 Ophir Road, Summer Hill Creek to provide shade for the small water creatures which are food for the local platypus. The tree planting will improve the habitat for birds and other animals, and stabilise the soil, especially on the creek banks. The trees have been grown as part of a joint CSU and Landcare initiative. Extra volunteers are welcome and are asked to meet at the property from 9.30am to be transported across the creek in 4WDs. After the tree planting, volunteers will enjoy soup and a country style lunch.For more information and to volunteer, contact Dr Cilla Kinross from the University's School of Agriculture and Wine Sciences on CKinross@csu.edu.au

Breaches at four private Sydney dental clinics have put infection control into the spotlight and dental students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will today hear from a world authority on HIV and the mouth. The guest lecture by Honorary Professor of dental research at the Menzies Health Institute in Queensland and Adjunct Professor of Dental and Oral Health at CSU, Newell Johnson is being hosted by CSU's School of Dentistry and Health Sciences. CSU Professor of Dentistry David Wilson said Professor Johnson specialises in tooth disease and disease that affect the mouth such as oral cancer and HIV/AIDS. "The talk on HIV/AIDS is particularly topical in view of the recently reported dental infection control breaches in New South Wales which highlight the clinical responsibilities of dental practitioners and their duty to be able to recognise signs of HIV/AIDS in the mouth, as these may be the first manifestation of the disease in a patient." The lecture, The Mouth and AIDS: A continuing global challenge will be held from 5:15pm in the lecture theatre 1004.120 at CSU in Orange.

Approximately 120 primary school students from Parkes and Wellington will experience university life at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange on Wednesday 24 June. The Year 6 students from Parkes Christian School, Parkes East Public School, Parkes Public School, and Wellington Public School will participate in a selection of fun and interactive workshops as part of a 'Check It Out' day to give them an authentic first-hand university experience. CSU Future Moves program coordinator Mr Ben Morris said, "By introducing young people to the world of university study, students are encouraged through a positive experience to become more engaged in school studies and more confident in considering tertiary study as a realistic post-school option." Students will participate in two hands-on faculty-based activities, then explore the library, tour the campus and its facilities, and enjoy lunch in the student dining hall. They will end the day by donning mortar boards for a mock graduation which will include a special presentation by a Future Moves leader or CSU academic. The Check It Out days are part of CSU's Future Moves program, which has been developed to encourage aspiration for higher education among students in rural and remote NSW and Victoria. Future Moves is a federally-funded initiative, run through Charles Sturt University and aligned with the Australian Blueprint for Career Development.

Staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will band together on Friday 22 May to create a wildlife corridor to assist local birds. The wildlife corridor at CSU in Orange will help birds to complete their foraging circuit around the dam. The tree planting event has been organised by lecturer at the University's School of Agriculture and Wine Sciences Dr Cilla Kinross, with the support of CSU Green."I noticed when I was doing my PhD in Orange that many of the birds would come to the end of the small existing windbreak, then turn around and head back. Alternatively, they had a long flight to the next windbreak. Neither of these options are efficient and having a full circuit means less energy expended on 'travel' and more on the good stuff like food," Dr Kinross said. CSU staff and students will gather from 9.45am to 12pm on Friday 22 May 2015 at CSU in Orange  to help create the wildlife corridor.

Agricultural research underway by international students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will be the focus of a seminar this week. Nine Master of Sustainable Agriculture students from countries including China, Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, Oman, Malawi and Nigeria will present their research from 2pm on Thursday 14 May. The postgraduate students are undertaking a range of studies in their home countries. This includes research into cocoa, wheat, date palm cultivation and aquaculture, rice and pest management.  Senior lecturer Dr Anantanarayanan Raman from the School of the Agricultural and Wine Sciences said, "Sustainable agricultural management is attempted in different nations following different methods and for varying reasons. The present opportunity afforded to our international students enables them to share the best practices followed in their respective countries, and thus, us to learn from their experiences," he said. "In return, they get to know the sustainable agricultural management efforts made in here, in Australia, which we offer them by visiting various farms in central western NSW so that they can take some messages with them what they would consider useful."  The students are being encouraged to wear traditional dress for their 20-minute presentations, which will take place from 2pm to 5pm in the conference room, in building no 1001, CSU in Orange.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Lecturer in psychology Dr Judith Gullifer will deliver a free public lecture at CSU in Orange on Friday 1 May 2015 which will discuss the psychology of ageing. 'Recent developments in the psychology of ageing' is part of the University's Explorations Series and will be held in building 1004, room 120 from 6 pm to 7pm. Dr Gullifer is a Lecturer at CSU's School of Psychology and will discuss results from a research project she completed in late 2014. "With the Australian population aged over 65 expected to double within the next 30 years, increased life expectancy and many government resources being poured into helping our aging population it is important for us to understand how ageing is perceived in society and the experience of older people," Dr Gullifer said. "The ageing population also applies to regional Australia, however Orange itself is slightly unique. The strong mining industry seems to have drawn families with younger children to the area and in 2011 the proportion of pre-schoolers was higher than the proportion of persons at post retirement age." Dr Judith Gullifer is a registered psychologist with a background in professional counselling in rural and remote Australia. She also holds various positions with the Australian Psychological Society. For more information about the public lecture please visit http://news.csu.edu.au/events

Almost 40 students from around the country will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) Orange on Monday 13 April to experience life as a university student first-hand. Students from 25 schools will travel from as far as Tasmania to participate in MyDay which involves hands-on workshops in Clinical Science, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Physiotherapy, meeting CSU students and academics, touring the campus and the on-campus accommodation."We're looking forward to welcoming students from around Australia to Charles Sturt University Orange, helping them experience what life at Charles Sturt University is really like and giving them hands on experience in our outstanding on-campus facilities," Prospective Student Advisor Mrs Katy Fardell said.MyDay events are held across all CSU campuses to help future students gather the information and experiences they need to find the best course for them.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Islamic Chaplain Dr Recep Dogan will deliver a free public lecture at the Orange Campus on Friday 20 March 2015 which will discuss Islamic radicalism and terrorism. 'Basics of Islam and Common Misunderstandings about Islam' is part of the University's Explorations Series and will be held in building 1004, room 120 from 6.00pm to 8.00pm. Dr Dogan is a Lecturer in Traditional Islamic Studies at CSU's Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation. He is a prominent Muslim scholar, a prolific author and a respected community activist in Australia. Dr Dogan was the Imam of the Tolerance Foundation in California USA from 2004 to 2011. During this time, he taught various courses such as Islamic Theology, Islamic Ethics, Islamic Law and Qur'anic Exegesis. For more information about the public lecture please visit http://news.csu.edu.au/events No RSVP is necessary.