Society has been transformed by computing and data transfer technology in the last two decades. The success of Charles Sturt University (CSU), which was established in 1989, owes much to the innovation and capacity of its Division of Information Technology (DIT) which celebrates its 20th anniversary with a staff barbeque on Friday 26 November. DIT Executive Director, Mr Garry Taylor, said, “Charles Sturt University was created as part of the Dawkins-era reform of the Australian higher education sector, and the University’s success is partly due to the early and deliberate priority to develop technology to ensure success. We were one of the first universities in Australia to adopt video conferencing technology, and we now have more than 100 terminals, which is important for teaching, learning and collaboration, as well as reducing the need to travel which is important for the environment. In 1990 Charles Sturt University was one of the first regional universities to connect to the Internet, and at one stage our website had the most ‘hits’ of any website in Australia in 1995-96. We also had a world-first enterprise-wide Online Learning Environment in 1997. We now have the fastest single and direct internal network link in regional Australia and the largest wireless network in the Southern Hemisphere.”

A visit to the small, historic village of Brungle near Tumut, NSW, is on the itinerary for international historians visiting the region next week for a conference organised by academics from the School of Education at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. The 2010 Australian and New Zealand History of Education Society (ANZHES) conference has attracted about 50 historians of education from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA from Monday 6 to Thursday 9 December. “One focus of the conference is on Indigenous people’s educational histories in Australia, New Zealand and North America, highlighted by a keynote address by CSU’s Foundation Professor of Indigenous Studies, Professor Jeannie Herbert, at 8.30am on Wednesday 8 December,” conference co-convenor Dr Peter Rushbrook said. “As a part of this focus, the historians will visit Brungle Public School near Tumut from 12.30pm to 6.30pm on Wednesday 8 December. The school, established in 1868, is known for its excellent Indigenous education program, and a paper about the school’s history will be presented to the conference delegates on the coach on the way to the school.”

Student meat judges from Charles Sturt University (CSU) have claimed the title of the highest scoring Australian team at the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging (ICMJ) competition held in Wagga Wagga last week. During the competition, 130 university students from Australia, Japan, the USA, Pakistan, Indonesia and South Korea judged lamb, pork and beef carcases along with cuts of meat.  The team of 12 students from CSU’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences was beaten by just one point by a team from Kansas State University in the USA.  “This magnificent result is due to the commitment and hard work of the students and their coaches who have spent many early mornings training at the abattoir,” said CSU Professor of Animal Production Peter Wynn. Four members of the CSU team, Ms Ebony Mull, Ms Laura Kemmis, Ms Tamara Heir and Ms Mikhalla Middleton have also been selected in the 10-member national training squad that can earn a place in the Australian team to tour the USA in 2014. Read the full ICMJ competition results for 2013 here.

A Bachelor of Agricultural Science graduate from Charles Sturt University (CSU) has competed in an international competition that tests the agribusiness skills of students. Mr Will Porter who studied through CSU’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, was part of a team of five Australian university students which competed at the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) conference in the United States in June. The team was given a case study and had four hours to prepare and present a business plan to a panel of judges. The Australian team came a close second in the heat but Mr Porter said the real value was attending the conference itself. “It was a wonderful opportunity to meet people involved in the global agribusiness sector, to talk about the challenges and the opportunities for career development.”  Mr Porter graduated from CSU in 2012 and now works as an agronomist for Auscott Limited in Narrabri in northern NSW.

Twenty Charles Sturt University (CSU) students from Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga will receive scholarships worth more than $100 000 from the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) Foundation during a ceremony on Thursday 18 July. The RAS Foundation awarded 49 Rural Scholarships in 2013 – a record number – with recipients coming from various educational institutions across NSW. The CSU students are studying a range of courses including agricultural science, agricultural business management, education, equine science, journalism, medical radiation science, physiotherapy and veterinary science. RAS Foundation Rural Scholarships support students who are undertaking post-high school study or training, show a passion for rural issues and who are committed to playing a part in shaping the future of rural and regional NSW. The ceremony will be held on Thursday 18 July from 6pm to 8.30pm at the National Wine and Grape Centre, building 412, McKeown Drive, CSU in Wagga Wagga.

The traditional office rubbish bin is a thing of the past at Charles Sturt University (CSU) after the roll-out of a new waste recycling program. An initiative of CSU Green to help the University cut its landfill waste by 70 per cent by 2014, colour-coded bins have been delivered to central locations in buildings across CSU. Small desktop waste cubes have also been delivered to every office as well as paper recycling boxes for under desks. Cleaners are now only responsible for emptying the colour coded bins located in a central location rather than emptying bins in individual offices and common areas. CSU Green Energy Manager Mr Chris O’Connor said, “This waste recycling system puts the onus on staff to take responsibility for their own waste. We have tailored the new system so the office waste is sorted by the person who makes it.” The office waste recycling system has just been rolled out at CSU in Wagga Wagga, It is already in use at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo and Orange. Read more on CSU News here.

The latest cohort of veterinary students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) will promise to practice their profession 'ethically and conscientiously' when they take the Veterinarians’ Oath at a ceremony on Saturday 6 July. The 65 Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/Bachelor of Veterinary Science students will celebrate their transition to the workforce with family, friends and staff from CSU’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences. Head of the School Professor Nick Sangster said this is the fourth group of students to complete the CSU veterinary science program. “Our graduates are keenly sought by the profession and are recognised by their practical skills and ability to excel in rural practice,” he said. “Each year is better prepared than the last and these students are now poised to make a huge contribution to veterinary science and be future leaders in Australian agriculture.” The ceremony will also be attended by National Veterinary Director of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) Dr Kevin Doyle while students will be lead in the Oath by President of the Veterinary Practitioners’ Board of NSW Dr Ruth Thompson. Students hope to register as veterinarians in early August and will receive their degrees in a formal graduation ceremony at CSU at the end of 2013.

A group of Charles Sturt University (CSU) students will gain an insight into business and information technology in Asia during a visit to Malaysia in July. The nine students from CSU’s Faculty of Business will visit HELP University and discuss trade with representatives from the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. Other highlights will include a round-table discussion about strategic marketing with low-cost airline Air Asia, and tours of the Seagate hard disk factory in Penang, and the largest cloud computing data centre in South-East Asia. Tour leader, Mr Anthony Chan, a lecturer with CSU’s School of Computing and Mathematics said, “The tour will give students the opportunity to interact with political and business leaders to get a better understanding of the trade, education and employment opportunities”. The trip is supported by CSU Global, a University initiative to give students the opportunity to experience the world through a broad range of international study experiences.

Riverina schools will have their first chance to compete in the RoboCup Junior Challenge when Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga hosts the 2013 event on Thursday 13 June. Following a training session at CSU in Wagga Wagga earlier this year, 65 local students will compete in the Challenge in the University’s Convention Centre to build and operate mini robots. Associate Head of the School of Computing and Mathematics, Dr Michael Antolovich, said, “Staff from the CSU School of Computing and Mathematics will provide technical advice to students and their teachers, and will be the judges at the 2013 RoboCup Junior Challenge.”