A celebration of the significant role education plays in the success of Wagga Wagga’s economic, cultural and social life will be highlighted in a main street parade and expo in the city on Thursday 21 March. Following the colourful Town and Gown Parade from 4.30pm in the city’s main street, a reception and expo will be held from 5pm in the Victory Memorial Gardens to promote the many educational, training and learning opportunities available in Wagga Wagga. The wide range of educational providers will be involved including local primary and high schools, the local Australian Defence Force bases, TAFE NSW Riverina Institute, Charles Sturt University (CSU), University of NSW Rural Clinic School and the Riverina Conservatorium of Music. “A large part of what makes Wagga Wagga such a great place to live and work in is the breadth and depth of educational opportunities available right here in the city,” Head of Campus at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Mr Adrian Lindner, said. “This parade and expo is a reminder of what this city has to offer in terms of education, training and learning. It is an annual celebration of education in Wagga Wagga and I encourage everyone to come and see the many offerings from school education, learning, recruit and technical training, and tertiary education. From kindergarten to PhD!”

As families prepare for Christmas celebrations, with festive goodies such as candy canes, gingerbread and chocolate within easy reach, Charles Sturt University (CSU) Dental Clinic dentist Dr Ying Shi Chang asks parents to remember the importance of children’s teeth. “Holidays often mean lack of routine and the festive season is a time when people eat more sugar, more frequently, than at any other time of the year,” says Dr Chang. “That can cause serious problems for teeth unless sensible and straightforward steps are taken.” Dr Chang recommends limiting the number of times a day your child eats sugary treats or snacks between meals and avoiding soft, sticky treats that get stuck between teeth. “It is best to eat sugary treats at the end of mealtime while there is still plenty of saliva in the mouth, as saliva helps to wash away the sugars and acids. Drinking a glass of water after eating a sugary treat also helps.” Finally, always have your child brush and floss before going to bed. It is also suggested that parents book their children in for an annual check-up before the start of a school year.

Research being conducted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) should lead to happier, healthier pigs and better quality pork on supermarket shelves. Ms Rebecca Doyle, an associate lecturer with the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga will be working with Australian Pork Limited (APL) to help farmers and veterinarians to better assess the wellbeing of their pigs. “It is hoped this research will develop some best-practice standards which producers can adopt to the benefit of their profitability and the welfare of their pigs that suffer pain or sickness,” Ms Doyle said. “The research will be conducted on-farm and at specialised research facilities. The aims include developing a postgraduate researcher with specialist expertise in pig welfare and to provide industry with practical, easy to use tools for assessing the wellbeing of pigs. Ultimately, healthier pigs will lead to better quality pork for consumers.” The project is due to start in March 2011 and will continue for three years. Ms Doyle is also a member of the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation - a collaborative alliance between CSU and Industry & Investment NSW.

Questions surrounding the social policy aspects of water are being examined in a project by Charles Sturt University (CSU) Professor of Social Work, Professor Manohar Pawar from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The project looks at critical issues of access and fair distribution of water to disadvantaged communities and the need for sound social policies for water sustainability. At the recent ‘Water and Social Policy’ international workshop in South Korea organised by Professor Pawar, papers were presented from Australia, India, Nepal and Thailand. Some of the critical questions raised were: who owns water and who should own it?  “Resolutions to these questions have significant consequences in terms of privatisation and the marketing of water,” Professor Pawar said. “The laws in some of these countries are silent on some critical issues, which allows for their interpretation by powerful groups. Cultural and social aspects are often ignored. For water sustainability, and to ensure the just and fair distribution of water, broad policy guidelines need to be developed.”  The project is due for completion in April next year.

Strategic Research Professor of Agriculture at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Jim Pratley, has been honoured for his outstanding contribution to weed management in Australasia. The Council of Australasian Weed Societies Inc. (CAWS) named Professor Pratley as the recipient of the 2010 CAWS Medal for Leadership. President of the Weed Society of NSW and a member of the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, a collaborative alliance between CSU and Industry & Investment NSW, Dr Rex Stanton, said Professor Pratley has been recognised for his “sustained and nationally influential contributions in the fields of weed management research, teaching, administration and extension. He has had an extensive influence on weed management in southern Australia over more than 30 years. He has an international reputation in weed science research and teaching as well as administration.” Read more about the 2010 CAWS Medal for Leadership here.

International research for the teaching professions at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be marked during a ceremony at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Monday 6 December following the signing earlier this year of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Academic Cooperation by CSU and the University of Western Ontario (UWO) in Canada. Dean of CSU’s Faculty of Education, Professor Toni Downes, will welcome UWO Associate Professors Allan Pitman and Anne Kinsella to CSU. Professor Bill Green from CSU leads the cooperative initiative between the two universities for research in professional education. Similar agreements involving CSU’s Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education (RIPPLE) have been signed in recent years with the University of Tromsø in Norway, the University of Gothenburg (Sweden), and the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands). Leading these latter agreements is Professor of Education at CSU, Professor Stephen Kemmis. He will also oversee two meetings from Monday 6 to Friday 10 December of about 70 academics and PhD students from Australia, Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden and The Netherlands.  The researchers are exploring how teachers in Australia and overseas can ‘develop the moral, social and professional capabilities characteristic of excellent teachers’.

A touch of the Irish will come to Charles Sturt University (CSU) when a group of Connemara ponies and riders gather in Wagga Wagga on Saturday 16 March, the day before St Patrick’s Day. Known as Aonach Australia, it was originally an annual ‘assembly’ of tribal chieftains in Ireland where laws were discussed and disputes settled, followed by horse racing and games. In more modern times, riders compete with their horses in a friendly atmosphere. CSU equine science lecturer, Mr Hunter Doughty, said it is fitting the event is held at the University’s Equine Centre because of the ongoing relationship with the Connemara breed in Australia and Ireland. “The aim of the event is to educate and entertain owners, breeders and the general public, and to provide some competition for ridden Connemara pure-bred and part-bred ponies,” Mr Doughty said. “Charles Sturt University has a history with the Connemara breed including the purchase of a Connemara stallion called Glenormiston Celtic Pride in 2011.” Event organiser, Zita Denholm said good support has been promised with ponies coming from the central west, the NSW south coast, and the Victorian Alps, as well as locally.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) scientist Dr Rebecca Doyle is doing her bit to encourage young people to study and pursue a career in science. Dr Doyle, from the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga, will take part in the I'm a Scientist, Get me out of Here! program over the next two weeks. Over 1 600 students from Years 5 to 12, will chat to 15 Australian scientists, including Dr Doyle - deciding along the way which ones should be evicted, and which scientist will be left standing to win a $1 000 prize. Up until Friday 22 March, the students will use blogs and instant messaging to meet and chat with the scientists. They’ll have an opportunity to ask scientists questions about their careers, their interests and general science topics. The scientists will be evicted one by one. Program co-producer, Dr Kristin Alford, said the competition, originally conceived in the United Kingdom, is now in its fourth year in Australia. Dr Doyle is a researcher and lecturer in animal physiology and welfare. Read more about the scientist on CSU News here.

The Australian, Indigenous and NSW flags are flying high as part of a redevelopment of the entrance to Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. The entrance on Boorooma Street now features a 16 metre-wide ceremonial wall with a planter box, new signage and flag poles. New lighting also makes the new wall an impressive scene at night. The $150 000 face-lift was prompted by the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Farrer Road and Boorooma Street which meant the old ceremonial wall had to be demolished. Meanwhile, the University has spent $ 1 million re-surfacing and repairing the campus road network in Wagga Wagga, and there are plans for the construction of two new link roads from James Hagen Court to Valder Way past the new student accommodation project, and from the main campus entry around to the CSU Winery, as well as the reconstruction of part of Valder Way later in 2013.