Four staff will be honoured during a lunch in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 24 July for three decades of service to Charles Sturt University (CSU) and its predecessor institution, the Riverina College of Advanced Education (RCAE). Service medals for the thirty years of dedication to CSU will be presented to Mrs Debby Arneill from the Division of Finance, Mrs Kerry Cutting from the School of Commerce, Mr Geoff Gordon from the School of Visual and  Performing Arts, and Dr Bruce Graham from the School of Biomedical Sciences. Fifteen CSU staff will also be presented with medals for twenty years with the University. The University Chancellor, Mr Lawrie Willett, AO, will present the medals to staff during a lunch from noon to 2pm at the CSU Convention Centre. The Head of the Wagga Wagga Campus, Professor David Green, will also attend the event.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has a long history of producing champions in various fields and it hasn’t lost its touch with the recent inclusion of All Luck, a horse sired by CSU thoroughbred Bao Lack, in Australia’s Olympic three-day event team. “Bao Lack is a 16.2 hands-high thoroughbred with a wonderful temperament,” CSU’s Equine Business Management lecturer Dr Amanda Warren-Smith said. “I’m not surprised he has produced a horse that can compete at Olympic level.” Mr Shane Rose will make his debut at the Beijing Olympic Games riding the 13 year-old horse. Mr Rose and All Luck will feature in three days of fierce competition in three disciplines; dressage, cross-country and show jumping. “We’re thrilled that Bao Luck has sired this Olympic contender,” Dr Warren-Smith said.

As students return to Charles Sturt University (CSU) this week for the start of the second semester, the University welcomes Red Frogs founder Mr Andy Gourley to Wagga Wagga and Bathurst Campuses to discuss his initiative aimed at encouraging a safe alternative at social events. Founded in 1997, Red Frogs now connects university students with more than 1 800 volunteers to assist them through some of the most important years of their lives. Manager of Residential Operations, Mr Peter Bell, said CSU supports a fun yet safe lifestyle for all students and wants to promote responsible alcohol consumption. “Volunteers are the key to the success of Red Frogs. Students will be encouraged to volunteer to participate in the program, which will give them a chance to help fellow students and develop and use leadership skills.” Red Frogs aims to change the atmosphere of an event and promote a sense of looking after your mates by handing out red frogs and ice blocks, cooking pancakes and running coffee crawls to help support students through their studies.

About 230 administrative staff from across Charles Sturt University (CSU) are expected to attend the biennial Admin Focus Conference 2008 which will be held on Bathurst and Wagga Wagga campuses in the coming week. Held for the first time in 2000, the biennial conference provides an opportunity for the University’s administrative support staff to gain new professional skills and updated information. The 2008 conference will be held on the Wagga Wagga Campus on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 July.  Admin Focus aims to recognise the significant contribution of administrative staff in office and support positions, and to foster networking and a sense of community among administrative staff across the University. The event will include keynote addresses from senior staff, skills development workshops, and an exhibition of services and projects at the University.

Through its School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University (CSU) is a leading educator in Australia and overseas of professionals for the information industry, ranging from the traditional library and information management to the emerging field of private sector information and knowledge management. As part of this work, the University’s Centre for Information Studies (CIS)  supports research, publications and continuing professional development in library and information science, teacher librarianship and Australian literature for young people. The Centre has assisted CSU senior lecturer Dr Philip Hider, with Professor Ross Harvey, to revise the successful first edition of the book, Organising knowledge in a global society: principles and practice in libraries and information centres. The book reflects on current practice in information organisation, particularly how libraries and other information services provide intellectual access to digital information resources through socalled ‘metadata’. In the book’s 2008 revision, the information organisation components of the recent Web 2.0 era are discussed.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) television production student realised a dream when she spent time backstage at Canada's acclaimed 2008 Montreal Comedy Festival in July. Ms Stephanie Coombes has returned from a two week trip to Canada where she assisted with filming the well known Australian current affairs comedy show, Good News Week. Ms Coombes, from Sydney, gained the international experience while only six months into her three year Bachelor of Arts (Television Production) degree on CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus. “There is little substitute for practical learning, and getting out amongst the people who make television was a fabulous experience,” she said. “The appeal of the CSU course is that it teaches television in a practical way, so when I’m looking for a job I know I’ll have the knowledge to get a position such as a floor manager or vision mixer.” She hopes to pursue a television career like her father who is a television director for Good News Week. Television production course coordinator Mr Pat Sproule said Ms Coombes’ trip demonstrates the importance the University places on practical experience its courses.

Tenders have been called to reconstruct a key Charles Sturt University (CSU) laboratory complex which was partially damaged in an explosion on the Wagga Wagga Campus in 2007. Known as the Sutherland Laboratory, the building is a teaching and research centre for students from the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences and the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences. The University called for tenders for the $1.05 million building project in July. Work is expected to be completed by early 2009. “We want to reconstruct the damaged laboratory on the same footprint of the previous building,” said CSU Architect Mr Chris Nesakumar. “However, the University plans to refurbish the damaged laboratory as a multi-purpose facility to satisfy the immediate and future teaching requirements of the agricultural and veterinary science students.” The new facility will accommodate 72 students with a preparation room, solvents room, wash-up area and incubator room.

A strong advocate of the pharmacy program at Charles Sturt University (CSU) has been elected President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (NSW Branch). Mr Peter Gissing, from Wagga Wagga, accepted the position in July. The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (NSW Branch) is the professional organisation for all pharmacists in the state, providing education and advocacy to support pharmacists in their vital work. From 2004 until 2007, Mr Gissing was foundation Chairman of the Charles Sturt Pharmacy Foundation which was established to support the University pharmacy program on its Wagga Wagga and Orange campuses and its ongoing work to provide skilled pharmacists, particularly for inland Australia. Mr Gissing has owned two large community pharmacies in Wagga Wagga and works as a locum pharmacist and industry consultant. “Peter’s new position as President of the Society’s NSW branch is further demonstration of his unflinching commitment to the development of the profession,” said Head of the CSU School of Biomedical Sciences, Associate Professor Lyn Angel. “CSU has been a direct beneficiary of his long-term commitment.” Read more about the Charles Sturt Pharmacy Foundation here.

Agriculture has long been accused of contributing to air pollution through the practice of stubble burning, but a new Charles Sturt University (CSU) research project underway in the Riverina is aiming to quantify the extent of the practice. Using 30 years of satellite data, the project is investigating where stubble burning has occurred in the past, where it is carried out now and whether management practices have changed over time. The project is an initiative of the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, an alliance between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Department of Primary Industries based at Wagga Wagga. Researcher and spatial science expert Dr Remy DeHaan said, “With spatial science technology we can map 30 years of land management and show whether the practice has increased or decreased. Using satellite maps and historical knowledge means we can quantify the changes in management practices and provide an accurate picture of the extent of the burning.”  Initially, Dr DeHaan is mapping an area covering the Wagga Wagga, Albury and Lake Cargelligo regions but there is potential for the project to expand Australia-wide.