A diverse range of rural career paths will be on display at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 13 August. The annual student-led Agriculture and Animal Industries Careers Fair (AAICF) brings together more than 200 students from CSU's School Animal and Veterinary Sciencesand with 30 potential employers from the primary industry sector. One organiser,Bachelor of Animal Sciences student Ms Lucy Watt said it's an opportunity for students to make connections with industry members for future employment and work placement. "I have made some great contacts and every year I find something else that sparks my interest in other areas of animal production and agriculture," she said. "We always have a fantastic group of industry members who are willing to provide valuable advice on the opportunities available in rural Australia." The fair includes workshops on resume writing and the use of social media along with a panel discussion with recent CSU graduates and industry representatives. Read the full program here.

A free seminar at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will tap into the expertise of a leading neurosurgeon, Dr Charlie Teo, to raise awareness of brain cancer. The event at 5.30pm Friday 25 July is supported by CSU, TAFE NSW Riverina Institute, and Cancer Council NSW. Dr Janelle Wheat, Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching with the CSU Faculty of Science , said Dr Teo is a renowned neurosurgeon and philanthropist who is devoted to the advancement and treatment of patients with brain cancers. "Brain cancer kills more Australian's under the age of 39 than any other cancer but it's also one of the least understood. Further research is needed to improve survival rates," said Dr Wheat. "Charles Sturt University is proud to support the Cancer Council to host this free, interactive presentation." Dr Teo will participate in the seminar via Skype conference and will answer questions from the public. To attend, contact Cancer Council NSW Wagga Wagga office on (02) 6937 2600 or send Dr Wheat an email.

The month of fasting, or Ramadan, is well under way for Muslims in Australia and around the globe, and two Charles Sturt University (CSU) academics will explore the meaning of the month. During Ramadan, Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink between sunrise and sunset. The month ends with a celebration known as Eid al-Fitr.  Dr Waseem Afzal and Dr Hassan Obied will present a public lecture, What is Ramadan (the Month of Fasting) anyway?, from 1 to 2 pm Thursday 24 July at CSU in Wagga Wagga to address questions about this month of fasting. The lectureis presented by the University's Islamic Students Association. "Ramadan carries special significance in Islam, and is aimed at many physical, social, and spiritual aspects. In this lecture, we aim to introduce some of the essentials concerning the Month of Ramadan," said Drs Afzal and Obied. There will be time for questions and answers at the end of the lecture which will be held in Room 278, Connected Learning Space, building 13 near car park 7, Nathan Cobb Drive, CSU in Wagga Wagga.

The 2014 class of veterinary science students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will mark the transition from university to professional life on Saturday 19 July. The 55 students will be welcomed to the profession in front of family, friends and staff from CSU's School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences.  'We are constantly amazed at the versatility and skills of our students. It is very pleasing to receive feedback from our local and international partners on how well this cohort of students has performed, especially in clinical situations, and to have confidence that they will take that into their professional life,"  said Head of the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Professor Nick Sangster. Students will be led in the Veterinarian's Oath to practice their profession 'ethically and conscientiously' by CSU senior lecturer in Small Animal Medicine and representative of the Australian Veterinary Association Dr Geoff Gibbons. Several scholarships and prizes will be presented at the dinner including the $3 000 VetPrac Aesculap Academy Prize. Students will be awarded their degrees in a formal graduation ceremony at CSU in December.

School students from the Riverina will get a feel for university life as well as a selection of courses in the MyDay event at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Tuesday 24 June. More than 80 students from 25 high schools across the Riverina, Central West, ACT and Victoria will attend MyDay from 9.30am to 2pm to learn about CSU courses including: nursing, pharmacy and medical science. MyDay will also feature courses from the School of Communication and Creative Industries. They include acting for stage and screen, animation and visual effects, design for theatre and television, fine arts, graphic design, photography and television production.  In the University's revamped television studio, school students will take on roles of actors, camera operators and television producers to make a program, 'Hello Riverina' from 10.30am to 11.40am in building 70, near car park 20, Kywong Place, off the roundabout at CSU's main entrance. School students will also explore the University's nursing program during two 'hands on' activities at 11 am and 12.30pm in the nursing laboratory in the David Morrell Laboratories, building 10, near car park 4, Tooma Way, CSU in Wagga Wagga. Students will also participate in practical activities in the pharmacy laboratory, level one, building 16, near car park 4, Tooma Way, CSU in Wagga Wagga between 11am and 12 noon.

Riverina grain growers will be confronted by old and new challenges in 2014, and local Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Southern Regional Panel deputy chair, Associate Professor Chris Blanchard from Charles Sturt University (CSU), wants to ensure the region's cropping issues are being addressed. The GRDC Southern Regional Panel identifies cropping constraints and opportunities and directs research priorities to benefit grain growers. With seven years on the panel, Professor Blanchard is with the University's School of Biomedical Sciences and is Director of the new Australian Research Council Training Centre for Functional Grains at CSU in Wagga Wagga He said he wants to address known issues hampering productivity and profitability in the area, and shed light on emerging problems. "My involvement with the GRDC Southern Regional Panel is an opportunity for me to have an input into the direction of research in Australia," he said. As part of his role in identifying potential issues for GRDC attention, Riverina grain growers are encouraged to contact Professor Blanchard directly to discuss  current cropping issues on mobile 0438 662 992, or by email. See more about Associate Professor Blanchard here.

The Head of Campus at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga, Ms Miriam Dayhew will be among the city's business and community leaders sleeping rough this Saturday 21 June in the Wagga Wagga Business Chamber Sleepout WW. The money raised during the event from 5 pm at the Kyeamba Smith Hall will go to the Saint Vincent De Paul Society's Edel Quinn Shelter as well as contestants in the 2015 Miss Wagga Wagga Quest. With the forecast for showers and a low of 4 degree Celsius, Ms Dayhew said, "I welcome any sponsorship from within Charles Sturt University as well as from the wider community. The money I raise for homelessness and other local charities will help ease the discomfort of a single night sleeping rough."  To sponsor Ms Dayhew's sleepout, please send an email here or pledge money through the Wagga Wagga Business Chamber site here.

New quality assurance standards for grapevine planting material in Australia are now in place and a workshop being hosted by the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre in November aims to help the propagation industry meet the grade. The Growing to the standard workshop will present Australian and international research in grapevine trunk diseases, viruses, bio-security and propagation. Workshop organiser and Charles Sturt University (CSU) PhD researcher Ms Helen Waite said the workshop will put together the latest research to help growers, nurseries and Vine Improvement Associations."The new Australian Standard for Grapevine Material forms the basis of quality assurance for cuttings and nursery vines in Australia but it's relevant to vine propagators everywhere," she said. "Unhealthy vines are less productive, they produce poorer quality fruit, they're harder to manage and therefore they cost a lot more money so it can sometimes threaten the sustainability of a vineyard." See a full list of speakers here. The workshop will follow the 9th International Workshop on Grapevine Trunk Diseases being held on Friday 2 November at the SARDI Plant Research Centre in South Australia.Register online or contact Ms Waite by email or on 0419 522 875.

There was a timely visit to Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga recently by Biosecurity NSW Senior Veterinary Officer, Dr Paul Freeman.  In the same month that a case of the Hendra virus was diagnosed in a horse in Queensland, Dr Freeman spoke about the disease with staff and students from the CSU School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 June. Dr Freeman visited CSU's Veterinary Clinical Centre and Equine Centre and advised the University on safety protocols and equine isolation facilities. During Dr Freeman's visit to CSU in Wagga Wagga, veterinary science students organised an information evening at which he spoke to an audience of 150 students and staff about the Hendra virus including how protections from the disease through Hendra vaccine and personal protective equipment. The session was sponsored by the Equine Veterinary Association. In 2014, CSU is celebrating ten years of veterinary science education. Read more in CSU News here.