Around 20 Riverina high school students will take time out from their holidays to experience the joy of science at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. The Science Experience, a three-day event from Wednesday 13 to Friday 15 January, is run annually by the Science Schools Foundation, hosted by CSU and sponsored by Rotary. Students entering Year 10 in 2010 will participate in science activities including practical workshops. Topics include Oral Health, the Science Behind Putting Food on the Table, Chemistry Everyday, Psychology of Everyday Life, Speaking with Animals, and Careers In Science. The Dean of the Faculty of Science at CSU, Professor Nick Klomp, will welcome the students from 9.15am in the Wal Fife Theatre at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 13 January.

One is a veteran of the triathlon and another is a novice but both men will spend the next few weeks in final training for the Wagga Wagga 'Come and Try Triathlon’ to be held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Sunday 31 January. Dr Bruno Holzapfel, a researcher with the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre (NWGIC) at CSU, runs 10 kilometres and swims one kilometre each week “just to keep fit”. He is looking forward to his first ever triathlon at the end of the month and believes the event is a “great idea to encourage all types of people to take up sport”. Research technician at the NWGIC and member of the Wagga Cycle Club, Mr Mark Wilson, believes the CSU course is suited to all comers, including those undertaking their first triathlon. “Charles Sturt University will be a great venue for the short course - fast and technical,” said Mr Wilson, who trains four times a week and is a regular in the Tour de Riverina and Tour of Two Rivers bicycle road races.

Starting school can be exciting and, perhaps, a little scary – and that’s just for parents. Two senior education researchers at Charles Sturt University (CSU) have developed guidelines to help parents, teachers and children as they start school. “Starting school is an important milestone in the lives of children and families. If children have a successful start to school, they are likely to stay connected to school and regard it as a positive place to be,” says Professor Bob Perry from CSU. Drawing on over 15 years of research, Professor Perry and Professor Sue Dockett, who research and teach at the University’s Murray School of Education, have led the way for parents and teachers on how to help all involved feel competent and confident when children start school.

Energy and water saving initiatives at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga have attracted further NSW Government support under its Climate Change Fund. The $75 000 grant through the Fund’s Public Facilities Program will enable CSU to continue to install devices such as timers, energy efficient lighting upgrades, flow control technology for showers, sinks and basins in at least 10 University buildings including student residences, offices and Joyes Hall. Some funds will be used by the University to produce a video showing how the savings are being made. “Charles Sturt University has already invested $300 000 in 2008 to install energy and water saving devices into a number of buildings on Wagga Wagga Campus by the company, Ecosave,” said Energy Manager at CSU Mr Ed Maher. “The latest funding will allow us to further this work and reduce carbon pollution by an estimated 250 tonnes and save over 7.8 million litres of water each year.” The work by Ecosave to install the new devices is due to be completed by March.

Award-wining artist and Charles Sturt University (CSU) PhD student Mr Rohan Nicol will reveal his latest works during an exhibition at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The display, titled Crafting Designs on Wealth, will be officially opened by the General Manager of Craft Australia, Ms Catrina Vignando at 5.30pm this Thursday 4 February in the HR Gallop Gallery, CSU in Wagga Wagga. Mr Nicol, who is studying through the School of Communication and Creative Industries, is due to visit Milan, Italy in April to attend the Salone del Mobile furniture fair. The trip follows his win last year in the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award, Australia’s richest design prize. The exhibition at CSU in Wagga Wagga showcases Mr Nicol’s drawing, models, prototypes and commercial products prepared as part of his PhD studies at the University, in which he is investigating a financially sustainable method of craft and design in the studio.

While managers put much energy into improving business performance by investing in innovation, increasing product and service quality or through expansion, little effort is given to improving the culture which is the backbone of every organisation’s operation. A Swiss graduate from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Doctor of Business Administration program says carefully managing organisational culture can positively influence the company’s bottom line. Dr Patric Maerki is the first graduate to complete his studies through a partnership with CSU and the University of Applied Science in Bern, Switzerland. He devised a way to help manage the aspects of corporate culture influencing business performance. “My research into companies in five different industries showed that corporate culture values such as freedom, risk taking, open and shared communication, and respecting employees can be used to enhance operational performance in innovation, organisational alignment and customer orientation, and to increase profits,” said Dr Maerki. CSU’s distance education program attracted Dr Maerki as he could balance his business commitments with the demands of completing a doctorate while receiving support from a Swiss supervisor.

Researchers from our closet northern neighbour have developed a partnership with the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation which includes Charles Sturt University to support the development of stable and resilient agricultural production. A five-day visit by three visitors from Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) University of Technology to Wagga Wagga will also allow them discussion about common issues confronting agriculture this century, such as food security, biosecurity and changing commodity markets. Director of the EH Graham Centre, Professor Deidre Lemerle says the visit stems from an invitation made during her trip to PNG last November. “We’ll build on last year’s discussion about developing staff and student exchanges and collaborative research programs with Charles Sturt University, which aim to build links with PNG and ultimately build their capacity for sustainable agriculture,” she said. “The visitors will spend time with EH Graham Centre researchers working in their fields of interest including crop and animal production, tour facilities and visit farms in the district.”

Animal science students from Ohio State University (OSU) in the United States are witnessing a rare change to the local rural landscape following recent heavy rain during their six week study trip to Australia. Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences in Wagga Wagga is currently hosting a week-long visit to the Riverina by 20 OSU students. The group arrived in Wagga Wagga to stay with local host families on Friday 12 February. Before they depart on Saturday 20 February, the students will inspect CSU facilities including the Equine Centre and the CSU Winery; travel to the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area on Wednesday 17 February; and spend the night in Hay on Wednesday 17 February before a visit to rural producers and industries in Darlington Point and Yanco on Thursday 18 February. “The students are here to gain knowledge of farming in the Riverina and visit a wide range of local enterprises and properties,” said visit coordinator Dr Raf Freire from the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at CSU.

An international expert on the management of behaviour in children with a rare genetic condition will headline a one day workshop at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. Ms Brenda Finucane, a genetic counsellor and Executive Director of Elwyn Genetics in the USA will address the workshop, Strategies for Managing Children with Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS) from 9.30am to 5pm on Friday 19 February. The Syndrome is a rare disorder which can lead to a series of physical, developmental and behavioural challenges. Initiated by the CSU Faculty of Arts and hosted by the Schools of Humanities and Social Sciences and Biomedical Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga, the workshop aims to raise awareness of SMS in Australia. “Although SMS is relatively rare, it often goes undiagnosed as doctors are not familiar with it,” said CSU researcher Dr Chris Blanchard, who has a child with SMS. “Of all the various genetic syndromes, it is thought that children with SMS are the most difficult to manage due to their characteristic antisocial behaviour.” Families and carers of children with SMS from around Australia will attend the workshop to share their experiences. Also attending are allied health professionals and teachers from inland NSW, the NSW Central Coast and Wollongong,