Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Regional Development Australia (Central West) will host the Agribusiness Today 2012 forum highlighting opportunities for grain producers at the Forbes Services Memorial Club on Thursday 2 August. Dr Karl Behrendt, director of the Australasian Agribusiness Research Centre at CSU’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, said the forum’s focus is ‘Getting the pulse on cereals and oilseeds’. “Agribusiness Today 2012 is a free day-long forum to update central west grain growers and industry leaders about crop trends in the northern hemisphere and potential demand from Asia for their crops,” Dr Behrendt said. “Participants will hear from a range of experts from the CSIRO, Rabobank, NSW Department of Primary Industries, and others, as well as two international speakers from Argentina, Dr Roberto Peiretti and Ms Cintia Castagnino. Peak Hill farmer Mr Grant Byrne, who is the Conservation Farmer of the Year 2011, will also speak about resilience and adaptive cropping systems.”

The Vice-Chancellor and President of Charles Sturt University (CSU), Professor Andrew Vann, will officially open the new Cellar Door at CSU in Orange on Monday 30 July. Mr Justin Byrne, marketing manager at the CSU Winery, said, “The creation of the Cellar Door in Orange by the University is a strategic initiative that recognises the importance of the vineyard as a fruit source for the Charles Sturt University Winery and the importance of the Orange wine region as a small but important player in the Australian wine industry. This new use for the Machinery Centre enhances the building and gives it new life in a very dynamic local industry. The location, opposite the Chardonnay vineyard, is ideal for enhancing the understanding of the connection between the growing of grapes and the making and selling of wine. The 18 hectare vineyard at CSU in Orange is planted with a number of grape varieties: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.”

More than 40 new veterinary students will leave university for the workforce after taking their professional oath at a ceremony at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Friday 3 August. The Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/Bachelor of Veterinary Science students will gather in front of family, friends and staff from CSU’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences  to take the Veterinarians’ Oath to practice their profession ‘ethically and conscientiously’.  The keynote address will be delivered by Vice President of the Australian Veterinary Association Dr Peter Gibbs, who will share his experience of running a successful rural practice in Yass, NSW.  The students will be eligible to register as veterinarians on Friday 10 August and will be awarded their degrees during a formal graduation ceremony at CSU at the end of 2012.

Frugal and hard working, the history of German farmers in the southern Riverina will be explored in a free public lecture by Charles Sturt University (CSU) cultural heritage expert Associate Professor Dirk Spennemann in Deniliquin on Wednesday 15 August. German settlement began in the mid 1860s and in this illustrated talk, Professor Spennemann will examine their contribution to farming and the social fabric of the region. “Driven by the proverbial Protestant work ethic, German farmers were generally well respected at the time,” he said. “A typical household contained heirlooms such as family bibles, items sourced from Germany including wedding porcelain along with books and utensils unavailable in Australia.” A member of  CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS),  Professor Spennemann’s research interests include German colonial heritage in Oceania and the conceptual understanding of contemporary and emergent heritage such as modern architecture, space exploration and robotics. He is also a photographic artist who interprets heritage issues through visual media.

“One of the greatest challenges of modern neuroscience is understanding what happens to the brain as we age and why it becomes vulnerable to diseases such as Alzheimer’s,” said Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher Dr Adam Hamlin. Dr Hamlin, from CSU’s School of Biomedical Sciences,  will talk about our Amazing Brain in a free public lecture in Griffith on Wednesday 15 August. Almost 280 000 Australians suffer from dementia and that figure is expected to rise as the population ages. Dr Hamlin will outline current breakthroughs in our understanding of the processes that occur in neurodegenerative diseases and what scientists are doing to find potential treatments for these conditions. A national Health and Medical Research Council Fellow, Dr Hamlin is carrying out research to discover more about brain cell death in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

High school students in Year 10 in the Riverina will get a taste of the range of courses available at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga in the creative industries. Known as MyDay, the two-day event on Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 August has attracted 110 students from schools in Boorowa, Griffith, Leeton, Narrandera and Wagga Wagga. From 10.15am to 2.15pm, the teenagers will participate in a range of workshops covering CSU courses such as fine arts, animation, photography, graphic design, television production, acting and design for theatre and television. They will meet with CSU academics and visit the facilities in the School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU in Wagga Wagga, including the HR Gallop Gallery, photography studio, television studio and drama studio. Further information about courses in creative industries is available here. Read more about the University’s MyDay initiative here.

Sixteen medical science students from the Fiji National University (FNU) are spending a week at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga. The group of final year students will be accompanied by their lecturer Mr Manasa Mainaqelelevu. With a theme of food and nutrition in Australia, the FNU students will attend a food and nutrition research workshop and visit local food production facilities at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 August. Their visit to Albury-Wodonga on Tuesday 14 August coincided with the 2012 Science Fair at CSU as part of National Science Week. The week-long visit is supported by the University’s School of Biomedical Sciences based in Wagga Wagga and CSU Global.

Awards for excellence in research, teaching, leadership, innovation and sustainability are just some of the honours to be presented to Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff by Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Andrew Vann during the coming week. The 2012 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards will be handed out at two ceremonies in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 15 August and in Bathurst on Monday 20 August. The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence will be presented to Dr Jade Forwood from the School of Biomedical Sciences in Wagga Wagga. Dr Stephen Bird from the School of Human Movement Studies in Bathurst will receive the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Professor Excellence. The Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence will be presented to Dr Geoff Burrows from the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences in Wagga Wagga. The presentation ceremonies will be held from 1pm to 3.30pm on Wednesday 15 August, Convention Centre, CSU in Wagga Wagga and from 1pm to 3.30pm on Monday 20 August, James Hardie Room, Centre for Professional Development, CSU in Bathurst.

A Nobel laureate will speak about the expanding universe headlining activities at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga during National Science Week. Hosted by CSU and the Astronomical Society of Albury-Wodonga, the winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics, Dr Brian Schmidt, will give a public lecture starting at 7pm on Wednesday 18 August, CSU in Albury-Wodonga. The annual Science Fair, which will continue until Thursday 16 August, also includes a public lecture by CSIRO scientist Mr John Sarkissian, who will show the lost footage of the Apollo missions and Australia’s part in these historic events. Guest speakers, interactive workshops, exhibits, stargazing and other activities will be presented on each day of the three-day event to pupils from local and regional schools at the CSU campus.