Charles Sturt University (CSU) students will present Patrick White's A Cheery Soul at the CSU Riverina Playhouse in Wagga Wagga from Tuesday 29 September to Saturday 3 October.This University Theatre Ensemble (UTE) production of A Cheery Soul will be performed by CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries third-year students in the Bachelor of Stage and Screen (Acting), and is designed and stage managed by students in the Bachelor of Stage and Screen (Design). It is directed by lecturer in acting Mr John Saunders.A Cheery Soul was written in 1962 and is set in White's favourite fictional suburb of Sarsaparilla at the end of the 1950s. It is a satirical look at the mores of a so-called Christian society and chronicles the many 'good deeds' of the formidable Miss Docker."Miss Docker is literally, 'the do-gooder from hell', her good intentions unhitched from good sense" Mr Saunders said. "She rumbles through everyone's life on a mission to do right, without really knowing what right is. A Cheery Soul is an audaciously theatrical comedy, which flaunts a cavalcade of recognisable Australian suburban characters. They are absurd, entertaining and at times nightmarish. A Cheery Soul is the deep end of the pool for any actor and the students involved in this production have grasped the challenge with both hands. However, despite the darkness and the loneliness, the characters are richly comic, unique and at times infuriatingly funny and that's why A Cheery Soul has been such an enjoyable experience for all those involved, on-stage and off, in its creation."A Cheery Soul opens at the CSU Riverina Playhouse at 8pm Tuesday 29 September until Saturday 3 October, with a matinee at 2pm Saturday 3 October. Tickets can be booked at the Civic Theatre Booking Office, telephone 6926 9688, or are available at the door. The University continues its policy of providing excellent value for money with tickets $25 full price, $20 for groups (5 or more), $15 concession, and $12.50 for students. CSU Staff at Concession prices. Bookings can also be made online at http://www.civictheatre.com.au

The state government's Multicultural NSW Advisory Board will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 24 September as part of a trip to the city to attend a community forum.Seven members of the Board, including Multicultural NSW Chief Executive Officer Mr Hakan Harman, will tour CSU's National Life Sciences Hub from 1.10pm to 1.40pm.They will then meet five of the University's PhD students who are expected to discuss their research with the Board members and their experiences of studying in regional Australia.Among the students will be Ms Saba Nabi, who won the Higher Education category of the NSW International Student Awards in 2014. She and her husband Mr Syed Haris Omar moved from New Delhi to Wagga Wagga with their young family to undertake their PhDs.Ms Saba was recently elected to the Board of the Multicultural Council of Wagga Wagga. In July, the postgraduate student was elected as the equity officer for the Council of International Students Australia.The state Multicultural Advisory Board Advisory Board will later attend a Mayoral reception hosted by Councillor Rod Kendall, Community Forum, Working Together in Wagga Wagga.

School students from Cootamundra, Junee and Wagga Wagga will experience the stellar opportunities of higher education in a visit to Charles Sturt University (CSU) tomorrow 15 September as part of the CSU Future Moves aspiration outreach program.  The students from Years 6 and 7 will reach for the skies in the COSMODOME mobile planetarium as part of a Check it Out Day and the Sky Stories project. The students will attend one of three sessions from 9.30am to 2.30pm at the basketball courts, opposite Beres Ellwood Oval, Valder Way, CSU in Wagga Wagga.  The Sky Stories project aims to use astronomy to engage students in Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Future Moves program coordinator, Ms Ravnita Sharma said, "The day is intended to build aspiration and engagement in the school students by offering them engaging experiences at Charles Sturt University. At the same time it reinforces STEM skills at school." Read more about the Future Moves program here and the Sky Stories project initiatives on Facebook.

Students studying the Wiradjuri language and culture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will host about 200 primary school children on Wednesday 2 September.The Wiradjuri Cultural Day will be held from 9.45am to 2.30pm at The Hub (building 20) as part of a five-day residential school for CSU's Graduate Certificate in Wiradjuri Language, Culture and Heritage students.Children from Years 2, 3 and 4 will progress through a series of activities and workshops including: Wiradjuri songs and story-telling; Wiradjuri language in classrooms; Johnny cakes and story; Wiradjuri tools and weapons; weaving; and bush dyeing.The Wiradjuri Cultural Day will begin with a Welcome to Country from 9.45am by Wiradjuri Elder Uncle Dr Stan Grant, AM.The Graduate Certificate in Wiradjuri Language, Culture and Heritage was developed by CSU and the Wiradjuri Council of Elders to re-energize the Indigenous language and Wiradjuri Nation. It is a one-year distance education program with a five-day compulsory residential school at CSU in Wagga Wagga.

International competition and an exclusive tour of the American meat industry awaits Charles Sturt University (CSU) student Ms Jessica McGrath. The Bachelor of Animal Science student from CSU's School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences in Wagga Wagga has been selected in the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Team. Originally from Bathurst, Ms McGrath was one of ten finalists selected from 130 students who took part in the meat judging competition in July. She earned her spot in the five-member national team after an intensive training workshop and industry tour in Queensland last week. "After visiting feedlots, abattoirs, butchers and retailers I have a new appreciation of the meat supply chain in Australia," said Ms McGrath. "I'm looking forward to comparing our production systems with those in the United States. The Americans treat meat judging like a competitive sport and I'm keen to learn more about their grading system and put my skills to the test." The Australian team will spend four weeks touring the United States in January 2016 where they will take part in three meat judging competitions.

Ten engineering students from Iwate prefecture in northern Japan arrive at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga today for a week of cultural exchange and English language enrichment. Mr David Gilbey, adjunct senior lecturer in English in the CSU School of Humanities and Social Sciences, has organised the visit from Monday 31 August to Friday 4 September with Professor Yoshihiko Hatakeyama of the National Institute of Technology Ichinoseki (NITI). "The aim of the program is to give Japanese students an experience of Australian university life by staying on campus, and provide them with a range of experiences of life and culture in and around Wagga Wagga," Mr Gilbey said. "Highlights will include some of the specific facilities at Charles Sturt University as well as visits to museums, art galleries, the botanic gardens, saleyards, shopping, farm and factory visits at Junee and Wantabadgery. Lecturer in photography Mr Jamie Holcombe will be at the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery to talk to the students about his current exhibition 'Civic Malaise', an apt and acerbic interrogation of Australian culture. It is intended that this exchange program will motivate and focus the students' study of and skills in English by designing short language tasks that arise out of their experiences here."

A seminar at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga will discuss Washington DC's Cyber Security Policy and how it will impact everyday lives around the world, including in Australia.Hosted by the School of Computing and Mathematics and the Cyber Security Research Group, 'A Matter of Style: How America's Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Tricks, Tactics and Agenda Impact World Cyber Security' will be presented by President and CEO of LabMD Mr Michael Daugherty. The seminar will be held in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 26 August between 12pm and 1pm.Mr Daugherty will discuss the FTC's investigation into his business' data security practices, the international impact of decisions made in Washington DC and why Australians should care about the effects on their personal data.Media and members of the public are invited to attend the seminar.To register email mislam@csu.edu.au

Networking with some of the world's top equine veterinarians has inspired Charles Sturt University (CSU) veterinary science students Mr Thomas O'Brien (pictured) and Mr Brodie Argue. The two students from CSU's School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences in Wagga Wagga were awarded a young member scholarship by the Equine Veterinary Association to attend the Bain Fallon Memorial Lectures held recently in the Hunter Valley. Mr O'Brien said it was an honour to be one of only four young people, and the only two students, awarded the scholarship. "The conference brings some of the most highly regarded equine veterinarians in Australia and from overseas," he said.  "The networking opportunity was invaluable, I have a great passion for horses and the experience has reaffirmed my desire to become an equine surgeon."  Mr O'Brien, originally from Melbourne, will travel to the University of Edinburgh and the University of Kentucky later this year for his final year work placements. Mr Argue is also planning international study with further training in equine sport medicine and surgery in the United States later next year.

Academic gowns and mortar boards will take centre stage in Wagga Wagga on Tuesday 4 August when Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff and students take to the street in the Town and Gown Procession. The academic procession along Baylis Street will celebrate the city's education and training heritage and the close links between CSU and the community. It has been held since 2005 and has grown to include other teaching, vocational training, learning and research organisations. Head of Campus at CSU in Wagga Wagga Ms Miriam Dayhew is encouraging people to take in the spectacle. "Charles Sturt University is proud of the role it plays in training professionals for rural and regional Australia and the contribution this makes to our local community," she said. "The Town and Gown Procession is an opportunity to celebrate and to highlight the wealth of opportunities for young people to be educated and trained locally." The Town and Gown Academic Procession will begin at the corner of Morgan and Baylis Streets at 4:30 pm and conclude with a reception in the grounds surrounding the Civic Centre. Read more here.