The role of trade unions in vocational training is the topic of the first international visit to be hosted by Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Centre for Organisational Performance, Ethics and Leadership (OPEL) in 2007. International human resource management academic, Professor Jonathan Winterton is a Professor of Human Resource Development and Director of Research and International Development at the Toulouse Business School in France. He will give a seminar on trade union approaches to vocational training on the Wagga Wagga Campus at 12noon on Wednesday 28 February. In conjunction with the European Union and its agency for vocational training, Jonathan has helped develop the European Credit Transfer System for vocational training and developing improvements to training systems in Lithuania and Turkey.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) range of high quality cheeses is set to tempt tastebuds and tantalise tourists. Tourism NSW is sponsoring a media tour for travel journalists to highlight some of the outstanding attractions and tourism products available in the Riverina region. The group will visit the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus cheese factory on Wednesday 28 February at 10:15am to taste test CSU cheeses. The tour party includes journalists from the Australian Traveller, the Sun Herald, the Open Road and other publications. CSU cheese maker Barry Lillywhite says: “This sort of national media exposure is invaluable to the region’s tourism potential as well as CSU cheese sales”, adding “People have to see the exciting work going on at the CSU Cheese Factory and in the Riverina”.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer in animation Damian Candusso is celebrating Oscar success for Australian director George Miller’s animated feature film Happy Feet. Damian, who is based at the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus, was already in Los Angeles for the 2007 Motion Picture Sound Editors’ (MPSE) annual Golden Reel Awards ceremony, which was held on Saturday 24 February. Happy Feet was nominated for Best Sound Editing at those awards, but lost to the animated movie Cars. However, last night Happy Feet went one better to pick up the Oscar for the Best Animated Feature Film at the 2007 Academy Awards. Speaking from Los Angeles Damian, who worked as a sound editor on the animated penguin flick said, “We’re all very excited,” adding , ”The sound award would have been awesome but the Academy Award is a higher honour”.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) veterinary students will be given practical guidance on leadership, team-work, communication, emotional intelligence and conflict management tomorrow Wednesday 7 March as part of a veterinary leadership experience (VLE) workshop on CSU Wagga Wagga Campus. CSU lecturer in dairy cattle practice Natasha Lees said, “The VLE is a chance for students to further develop their skills enabling them to successfully make the transition from the lecture hall to the workplace”. Ms Lees believes the workshops will help CSU produce graduates that meet the needs of its regional, national and international communities. First year students in CSU’s School of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences will be addressed during the workshop by Professor Rick Debowes and psychologist Kathy Ruby, both from Washington State University, USA.

Former US Vice President Al Gore was in the news last week when it was revealed his household energy bill amounted to US$30 000 a year. Jodie Kleinschafer, a Charles Sturt University PhD student currently studying ways households can become more energy efficient, said: “If he is being carbon neutral, using renewable energy sources that are 100 per cent green, then he is not being inconsistent with his environmental stance.” She says there are simple ways to reduce electricity consumption. “Turn down the temperature on your hot water, use the air conditioner less, and don’t turn your heater up quite so high.” Mrs Kleinschafer says “smart meters” are also a useful option for improving energy efficiency because they “give immediate feedback on how much electricity is being used and how much it is costing. Until our electricity is from 100 per cent renewable energy sources, it is in everybody’s best interest to become more energy efficient”.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) human movement graduate, Paralympian and current world wheelchair marathon champion Kurt Fearnley won the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday 4 March smashing the course record by more than a minute. Kurt is originally from Carcoar in the NSW Central West region. Yesterday he said from LA, “It was a particularly sweet victory - my fifth straight win. I have definitely hit something - whether it is my peak I don’t know. I have conditioned myself to race week in and week out, and I am not sure how long it will last, so I am trying to do as many marathons as I can and figure out which ones I enjoy most”. This weekend Kurt travels to Japan for a track meeting before the Rome Marathon on 18 March. In April he will compete in the Paris and London marathons and attend the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards in Spain as Australia’s only nominee.

Do you have recent experience in giving birth in rural or remote NSW? The Charles Sturt University (CSU) midwifery research team is looking to interview women who usually live at least an hour’s travel by road from their nearest maternity unit and who, in the last two years, needed to move from their local community to give birth. Dr Elaine Dietsch, senior lecturer in Midwifery at CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus, says that in less than a generation, many hospital maternity units in rural and remote NSW have temporarily or permanently closed, with many women no longer able to give birth closer to home. “We are keen to hear about the experiences of the women who are most affected by the closures of maternity units, because their experiences need to be understood to inform midwifery practice and influence health policy in rural and remote NSW, ” Dr Dietsch said. To contribute your experiences to this research, please contact Elaine Dietsch on 02 6933 2782 or send an email.

Former US vice-president Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth, which details the affects of global warming, has become the third-highest grossing documentary in the United States to date. It seems the film’s message is not lost on Australian audiences either, according to Dr Mark Morrison from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Marketing and Management, Bathurst Campus. He is working on a CSIRO project looking at the value the community has for reducing global warming.”We are measuring the community’s willingness to sacrifice future income to mitigate the affects of global warming. It is very interesting - we are finding that although about ten per cent of people don’t want to sacrifice any income, there is a very large proportion who don‘t care about the cost, they just want it fixed.” He says the preliminary findings were presented at a conference in New Delhi recently.

Winemaker Vikki Fischer is already taking out awards after graduating from Charles Sturt University (CSU) last year. Vicki’s Kardinia 2006 Riesling won the ACT Chief Minister’s award for the best Riesling for the Canberra district at the recent 2006 Hyatt International Riesling Challenge. Director of the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) and CSU Professor of Oenology Geoff Scollary said the University played a significant role in the Challenge, with wine science and viticulture students and the CSU Winery assistant winemaker acting as stewards for the tasting program, while NWGIC experimental winemaker, Emily Rouse, was Associate Chief Steward. Professor Scollary also convened the event’s Winemakers’ Seminar, which he said is an important part of the University’s outreach to the wine industry and assists with the ongoing training of winemakers.