The inaugural NSW Commissioner for Small Business, Ms Yasmin King will attend a seminar in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 27 June as part of a series of information sessions to assist local small businesses. The Small Business Management Foundations Seminars are co-hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Wagga Wagga City Council. Guest speakers include Ms King and Mr Duncan Rutherford, a causal lecturer from the University’s School of Management and Marketing, and consultant in the field of organisational change and change management. The seminar, the third in the series, explores human resources issues within the context of small businesses. It will offer participants an overview of common human resource challenges and best practice frameworks. The seminar will run from 5.30pm to 7.30pm in the Civic Centre, Baylis Street in Wagga Wagga. Read more about the series and CSU’s Graduate Certificate in Small Business Management here.

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.

An expert panel that includes a Charles Sturt University (CSU) specialist in agricultural extension and training will discuss the future of family farming at a public forum to be held in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 20 June. The forum, Has the Family Farm a Future?, will provide an opportunity for family farmers to come together and share their views about the future. The forum will be hosted by ABC Riverina’s Ms Anne Delaney. CSU history and politics lecturer and the event’s co-organiser, Dr Troy Whitford, said that with 90 per cent of Australian farms owned and operated by families, it was of national importance to keep the next generation of farmers on the land. “At present, many of our young people are leaving the farm in pursuit of more lucrative employment, particularly in mining. We hope this forum will highlight the need to assist family farms maintain their business,” Dr Whitford said. The forum will start at 7pm on Wednesday 20 June at the Wagga Wagga RSL Club, Dobbs Street, Wagga Wagga.

A first year accounting student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) has made it to the finals of a national marketing competition to promote the computer technology known as Kinect. Based on an assignment for the subject Marketing and Society, Mr Will Gummer from Junee entered the Microsoft Protégé Challenge, which is open to undergraduate students in Australia. The challenge involves the marketing of the Kinect application for use outside the gaming industry such as in health or education. Mr Gummer recently made it through to the competition’s semi finals with a 10 minute presentation via video-conference. “I did my proposal on the Virtual Distance Learning Classroom, which is a Kinect application designed for distance education students. It puts both the lecturer and students into a virtual classroom where they can see their 3D images. These avatars can raise their hand if they have a question and can also use computer-simulated visual cues,” said Mr Gummer. Marketing lecturer Ms Elizabeth Dunlop said, “This is an outstanding achievement for a first year student to make it though to the finals of the national competition. Will should be congratulated for taking on this ‘real-life’ marketing challenge during one of his early subjects for his degree.”

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.

As part of its expanded regional training program, the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) will be at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Friday 15 June to offer an intensive one-day screenwriting course. Playwright and AFTRS screenwriting lecturer Dr Carl Caulfield will present the course using clips and scripts from well-known classic and modern era films – from Citizen Kane, to Slumdog Millionaire and The King’s Speech - to guide participants through the processes, techniques and tools used to tell a compelling story. AFTRS OPEN Regional Manager Mr Martin Corben said, “Screenwriting Part One is just the beginning for those wanting to develop their film skills as this course explores not only the ‘story’ but the importance of its structure, how to build scenes, suspense and captivating characters. The AFTRS course is supported by Eastern Riverina Arts and the School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU. The course runs from 9am to 5pm in the theatrette, building 21, School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU in Wagga Wagga.

Approximately 800 high school students from across the Riverina are due at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Friday 15 June for the annual HSC English Study Day. Thirty-five lectures, workshops and discussion panels are being planned on texts and topics being studied by the Standard and Advanced English students. The sessions, which will run from 9.30am to 2.20pm, will be presented mostly by English teachers from regional high schools and academics from CSU’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences. “There is always a buzz of excitement and fun to the HSC English Study Day. The students are grateful to get another perspective on the work they’re concentrating on for the HSC. For the teachers and trainee teachers, it’s a professional development occasion,” said HSC English Study Day coordinator Mr David Gilbey from the University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The HSC English Study Day is being organised by the Wagga Wagga Branch of the English Teachers Association in association with Booranga Writers’ Centre at CSU.

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.

Weeds occupy a lot of the time of scientist Dr Rex Stanton, a postdoctoral fellow with the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation – an alliance of Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Industry & Investment NSW. Dr Stanton has been honoured with the Medal for Excellence in Weed Management 2010 from the Weed Society of NSW for his work on glyphosate (active ingredient in herbicide Roundup) resistance in annual ryegrass, management of silverleaf nightshade, and his contribution to general weed management and administration in the state. Dr Stanton has been involved in weed research at CSU in Wagga Wagga for many years and is also the President of the Weed Society of NSW. His current research focuses on new ways to manage silverleaf nightshade and prairie ground cherry, two perennial deep-rooted weeds active in summer. His work examines improving the efficiency of herbicides; competitive pasture options; and assessing allelopathic compounds. Another member of the Weed Society of NSW, Mr Jim Swain, was a co-recipient of the Society’s Medal for Excellence in Weed Management 2010.