Local dental therapists and Charles Sturt University academics are encouraging children to grit their teeth and take on a seven day boot camp during Dental Health Week. Albury dental therapist Mrs Anne Pritchard is passionate about children's oral health having been an instrumental contributor to state-wide child health programs. "It's a fantastic initiative," says Mrs Pritchard. The Australian Dental Association (ADA) is conducting an online seven day dental boot camp offering a variety of dental health fact sheets and children's activity sheets to read and download. "The more parents and children know about their teeth and diet, the more they can help dental therapists in their job." Dental therapy has been in the news recently with CSU launching an Oral Health Therapy course in 2009.

Climate change and international markets are influencing the demand and supply of conserved fodder in Australia, and this year’s Riverina Outlook Conference will focus on the strategies needed to manage these changes. Hosted by the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation at Charles Sturt University (CSU), the conference will be held in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 14 August. EH Graham Centre Director, Professor Deirdre Lemerle said, “The aim of the event will be to highlight key issues that make the difference between profit and loss from conserved fodder. The Conference continues the long-standing tradition of highlighting future challenges for agriculture while offering suggestions and solutions to deal with them. Managing risks and the challenges of maintaining livestock production levels in a variable climate make the theme for this conference highly relevant to producers, agricultural advisors, consultants, educators and agricultural industry representatives.”  

For the first time, more than 80 sheep and lamb producers will converge on the NSW town of Cowra for Charles Sturt University's (CSU) annual Asia Today forum on Thursday 14 August 2008. Director of the CSU Asian Agribusiness Research Centre, Dr Claus Deblitz, says the day will cover all aspects of marketing lamb, from trends in the Asian markets to hearing from a local marketing group on their ability to lift returns. Dr Deblitz said, “Cowra is an important town within CSU’s region, with many of its residents studying at one of its campuses, so this is why we decided to hold this major conference there. Two areas which will receive attention on the day are the threats from and opportunities offered by climate change and current developments and their consequences for grain markets.” said Dr Deblitz. “We are delighted to be able to bring such a major conference to the local area, and given the high standard of speakers we hope local lamb and sheep meat producers will take part in these discussions.“

Not only are Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) wines rated among some of the best in the country, but the ‘Cellar Door’ on the Wagga Wagga Campus has been hailed as one of the top four outlets in the Tourism Winery category of the 2008 Inland NSW Tourism Awards. CSU Winery Marketing Manager Mr Richard Lawson said, “It’s a great effort considering the number of wineries in inland NSW”. Meanwhile, in the recently released 2009 James Halliday Wine Companion, the renowned wine critic again rated the CSU Winery at four and a half stars, which matches its 2007 rating. All wines submitted by CSU were rated four stars or higher, with five stars awarded to the 2007 Chardonnay, which was also placed in the ‘Top 10 Best Value White Wines ($10 - $15)’ category in Australia. Mr Lawson said, “It shows the quality of CSU wines and that they more than hold their own in a crowded and competitive wine market”.

A DVD made by Charles Sturt University (CSU) television production students documenting the lives and experiences of respected members of the West Wyalong Aboriginal community will be used in schools across NSW as part of the state’s Aboriginal education policy. The 20 minute DVD West Wyalong Wiradjuri will be officially launched at West Wyalong High School (WWHS) on Thursday 14 August at 11am. Filmed in West Wyalong, the DVD documents the childhood, schooling and family experiences of four West Wyalong locals and what it means to grow up as an Indigenous person. Third year television production student and DVD producer Ms Gemma Thornton was assisted with camera work and sound and lighting by other CSU students. “I learnt a lot about Indigenous culture and also about dealing with West Wyalong High School as a ‘client’, which is invaluable experience for getting a job after university,” she said. WWHS’s Ms Jenene West said it was essential to capture local people talking about their lives in the local region. “There is no point in showing school children a DVD about Arnhem Land as it just isn’t relevant. It’s important that they can relate to the location,” Ms West said.

Ms Rebecca Turnbull, a medical science and applied biotechnology student from the the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus, was chosen as CSU representative to the inaugural Australia-India Universities Youth Forum in July. The forum drew together almost 60 Australian and Indian university students. Highlights included a sustainability leadership training program in Sydney, a three-day eco-tour of outback Australia, a tour of a biodynamic organic farm near Canberra, and workshops with the City of Sydney’s Sustainable Sydney 2030 project team. “Each participant brought a different area of expertise from their university education; from engineering to teaching, languages to economics, architects and town planners and those in science and biotechnology,” said Ms Turnbull. “We were constantly consulting our fellow student experts which reinforced the concept that sustainability affects us all, regardless of occupation and origin.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) agricultural science student Mr David Gale, from the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus, was one of 22 young people selected to attend the World Council of Churches’ international dialogue centre, the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey Institute in Switzerland in July. Mr Gale participated in the inaugural Ecumenical Water Network Summer School on Water, not far from Lake Geneva. “The incredible bit for me was that a group of culturally, sexually, denominationally, vocationally and politically diverse young adults, who have an incredible passion to see water more equally shared, were able to come together and I was able to be a part of it,” said Mr Gale. “As a group we reflected on water and the ecumenical response to the global water crisis, especially issues of privatization, water management, water scarcity, gender and water, water rights and sanitation.”

The heads of intelligence agencies gathered in the New Zealand (NZ) capital of Wellington in August to hear from guest speaker and Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic Mr Patrick Walsh. Over 150 intelligence officers attended the inaugural conference of the New Zealand Institute of Intelligence Professionals. Mr Walsh, who addressed the intelligence officers after the conference was opened by NZ Prime Minister The Hon. Helen Clark, is a senior lecturer in criminal intelligence at CSU’s Australian Graduate School of Policing (AGSP) based in Manly, Sydney. He is also the course co-ordinator for the University’s intelligence program and  a vice-president of the Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers (AIPIO). “It was an honour to address this inaugural event,” Mr Walsh said on his return to Australia. “I talked about the history of AIPIO as a professional body for the Australian intelligence community and the role tertiary education can play in collaboration with intelligence agencies in delivering industry-relevant intelligence education programs”

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has called on the mediation community to consider that it now deserves the title of ‘a profession’. Associate Professor Anne Ardagh addressed the question ‘Is Mediation now a Profession?’ during her recent address to a dinner in Canberra to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Conflict Resolution Service (CRS) in the ACT. “Even though there is no one recognised path to becoming a mediator, mediators are becoming more educated through university and TAFE qualifications, and perhaps on quality assurance grounds the mediation community should embrace the idea that it now deserves the status of a profession,” said Professor Ardagh. The CSU academic believes mediation is at a stage that perhaps psychology or social work or counselling was at not so long ago.