Charles Sturt University (CSU) academics and medical imaging students will be present to discuss a career in medical imaging when Regional Imaging Riverina holds an open day in Wagga Wagga on Sunday 8 November - the day in 1895 when Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered x-rays - as part of National Radiographers and Radiation Therapists Week (Monday 2 to Sunday 8 November). Radiographers are the health professionals who operate x-ray, mammogram or ultrasound diagnostic technologies. CSU medical imaging students will also mark the Week with their annual end of year dinner at 6.30pm on Wednesday 4 November at the University’s Convention Centre. “There are around 40 radiographers working in Wagga Wagga alone,” said Mrs Kelly Spuur, lecturer with the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences at CSU at Wagga Wagga. Mrs Spuur is course coordinator of the Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Medical Imaging) and a former radiographer with Regional Imaging Riverina (RIR). “Given the national and international shortage of radiographers, our region is fortunate to have this many professionals working in local private practice and public hospitals.”  The open day is an opportunity for the local community to tour the facility at Calvary Hospital which includes a 16 channel short bore MRI scanner, 16 slice CT and digital mammography unit. Radiographers will also be on hand to discuss their work.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic and artist Mr Jamie Holcombe will explore his photographic exhibition Civic Melancholy  in a public seminar at CSU at Wagga Wagga from 3.10pm on Wednesday 4 November. The exhibition, which will be officially opened by CSU lecturer Mr David Gilbey at 6pm on Saturday 14 November in the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, focuses on large-scale urban landscapes in the Riverina. During the seminar, the artist will present an overview of the project’s evolution, drawing on his ongoing PhD research into the concept of the melancholy in photography, with particular reference to urban landscape in regional community environments.  “This body of work is a personal response to my surroundings,” said Mr Holcombe. “After a long period of passive observation, this exhibition represents an interchange with the region that I now call home.” Mr Holcombe lectures in photography and digital imaging in the School of Visual and Performing Arts at CSU at Wagga Wagga.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) research and teaching links with Pakistan will be highlighted when the High Commissioner of Pakistan visits Wagga Wagga on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 October. CSU has forged strong relationships with Pakistan in the areas of animal and veterinary sciences and water. The High Commissioner, His Excellency Mr Jalil Abbas Jilani, will meet the University’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Ian Goulter, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Sue Thomas. The senior diplomat will also meet CSU researchers from the University’s International Centre of Water for Food Security (IC WATER) and the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation. He will tour the campus including the Veterinary Clinical Centre, and visit Coleambally in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA).

Staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Wagga Wagga are being encouraged to participate in a Walk at Work on Thursday 5 November. The University’s Occupational, Health and Safety (OH&S) Committee at Wagga Wagga has reshaped the annual national Walk to Work Day to try to get staff and students out and about for a brisk four kilometre walk before a hearty but healthy breakfast at the University. “It would be wonderful to see as many staff and students as possible take part in this exercise within their work environment and to take advantage of the walks around the local campus,” said OH&S Committee presiding officer Mrs Marion Kater.

A new survey aimed at improving animal health and treatment of beef cattle is being conducted by Charles Sturt University (CSU), the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, and the Hume Livestock Health and Pest Authority. The survey entitled ‘Animal Health and Treatment of Beef Cattle’ was recently distributed to 1 600 farmers in the Hume region. The study aims to evaluate how beef farmers assess animal health, and what sources of information they use to select the best treatment for their cattle. This information will be used to ensure best practice in animal healthcare and treatment. As part of the study, all beef farmers are invited to the inaugural Annual EH Graham Centre Beef Field Day on Tuesday 1 December at CSU at Wagga Wagga. The program includes several short presentations on issues such as animal health, pasture growth and economics. There will be four workshops on the following topics: How do you benchmark your own farm?; Why should I bother about pestivirus in my herd?; How to plan the best worm control; and Successful reproduction management. This free event will be hosted annually.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is providing scholarships in 2010 to assist students to meet the costs of study. CSU Equity Scholarships (CSUES) worth $2 000 a year are open to undergraduate or postgraduate students from low socio-economic backgrounds. Indigenous Access Scholarships (IAS) are valued at $4 253 for Indigenous students enrolled in courses on campus or by distance education. Recipients of the IAS also automatically receive a four year Commonwealth-funded scholarship. CSU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Ross Chambers says the scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis. “The scholarships reflect CSU’s commitment to enhance the communities of rural, regional and Indigenous Australia by making it possible for a greater number of students to participate in tertiary education,” said Professor Chambers.

The Head of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Charles Sturt University (CSU) at Wagga Wagga, Associate Professor Margaret Woodward, will officially open a new exhibition showcasing the works of students on Friday 27 November. The exhibition, artifex, will feature students from the Bachelor of Arts (Jewellery) and Master of Arts Practice (Jewellery Design and Production). Artifex will be opened from 6pm in the Docker Street Gallery, 125a Docker Street, Wagga Wagga. The exhibition runs until Friday 4 December.

The challenges facing Israel’s wine grape industry are shared by growers and researchers in Australia. Charles Sturt University (CSU) is currently hosting a visit from one of the world’s leading viticulture scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Professor of Viticulture and Oenology, Professor Ben Ami Bravdo is known internationally for his expertise on the impact of water and salinity stress on plant productivity. He is speaking to researchers at the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) at Wagga Wagga on crop load, mineral nutrition, water availability and salinity impact upon the quality and quantity of grape harvests. Later in the week Professor Bravdo will travel to Griffith to present a seminar and meet with district growers. The NWGIC’s Dr Jonathon Holland said, “This is a unique opportunity as Israel experiences many similar issues to those that challenge Australian growers, so there is much that can be learned.”

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) student has been named The Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year 2009. At a ceremony in Sydney on Friday 20 November, Mr Ryan Aggiss, from Flying Fish Cove winery in the Margaret River region in Western Australia, was named the winner of the award. Mr Aggiss is a Bachelor of Applied Science (Wine Science) student studying by distance education through the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences at CSU at Wagga Wagga. The Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year awards aims to encourage and recognise excellence in young winemakers in Australia and New Zealand. The judges found Mr Aggiss produced and made the most outstanding wines of all 10 finalists. As part of the award, the winemaker receives a return trip to Europe for vintage 2010 and $5 000. "I am still pinching myself every day after being recognised by the Wine Society as the Young Winemaker of the Year,” Mr Aggiss said. “It’s extremely gratifying to know that all the years of vintage work and hours of study at Charles Sturt University have enabled me to be in this very fortunate position. I am passionate about continuing the production of well-priced, great wines for Flying Fish Cove and finishing my last year of study. I also look forward to spending a month travelling through the Old World wine regions; France, Italy, Germany and Spain.”