Psychologist, social researcher and novelist Mr Hugh Mackay will tackle the question of 'What makes a life worth living?' when he delivers the first Charles Sturt University (CSU) Explorations public lecture in Albury on Wednesday 8 May. Mr Mackay has spent his working life asking Australians about their values, motivations, ambitions, hopes and fears. “The good life is not the sum of our security, wealth, and levels of happiness,” he said. “It is one defined by our capacity for selflessness, the quality of our relationships and our willingness to connect with others in a useful way.” In the public lecture Mr Mackay will explore our pursuit of pleasure, our attempts to perfect ourselves and our children, and our conviction that we can have our lives under control.

A team of Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Information Technology students is taking up the challenge to prevent cyber crime. On Tuesday 7 May the students from the School of Computing and Mathematics  at CSU in Wagga Wagga will take part in the Cyber Security Challenge Australia, a national competition run by the Australian Government and Telstra to boost skills and highlight careers in information and communications technology. In the 24-hour challenge students will have to identify vulnerabilities in a fictitious computer network and recommend strategies to fix the problems. This is the second year CSU has participated and Senior Lecturer Dr Tanveer Zia said the team is well prepared. “One of the team members took part last year so we have the advantage of having someone with good understanding of what is expected,” he said.  “The competition gives students the opportunity to integrate their learning into practice and experience a real life scenario.”

Rehabilitation expert Dr Gavin Williams will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange on Tuesday 30 April to work with third-year Bachelor of Physiotherapy students at the School of Community Health on methods to help brain injury patients re-learn how to run. Dr Williams developed Australia’s first running group for neurological patients and has considerable research experience in the treatment and measurement of mobility disorders following neurological injury. CSU physiotherapy lecturer Ms Kerstin McPherson said Dr Williams would work with students in the campus rehabilitation gym, deliver a lecture and then run drills with students on the sports oval. “This is an excellent high-level educational opportunity for our students, and for local practitioners,” she said. “Rebecca Moore from Orange Base Hospital, who regularly supervises Charles Sturt University students during their practical work placements, will also attend, and Dr Williams’ visit is an example of the strong and ongoing relationships the physiotherapy program in Orange has developed with local practitioners.”

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) building has been short-listed for an international design award. The School of Dentistry and Health Sciences building at CSU in Wagga Wagga is one of six buildings short-listed for World Architecture WAN AWARDS Education Sector 2013. Opened in 2009 for the University’s new oral health and dentistry program, the building was designed by Brewster Hjorth Architects. The international jury found  the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences building was a “modest design with a strong connection to the site. The project created a sense of locality and identity by using local materials and translating the surrounding typography into the architecture. The circulation and learning spaces were thought to have created a fascinating place to learn”. The other buildings short-listed for the WAN AWARDS Education Sector 2013 are in Angola, Canada, Portugal and the United Kingdom (UK).The winner will be announced on Tuesday 30 April.

Primary school and early childhood educators from Albury-Wodonga will discuss Australian children starting school with researchers from Iceland, Scotland, Sweden and New Zealand as well as leading Charles Sturt University (CSU) education academics on Tuesday 9 April at CSU in Albury-Wodonga. The seminar, which runs from 3.30 to 6pm at CSU’s School of Education, will see local and international visitors discuss the strengths, challenges and anticipation children, their families and their educators face as the children make the transiton to school. One of the event coordinators, Professor Sue Dockett, said the seminar is part of a four year international project involving education researchers from Europe, Australia and New Zealand that is using international comparisons to investigate how children start school. A second, similar meeting will be on Wednesday 17 April at CSU to address these topics.

Educators are being urged to attend an important early childhood event this Friday 5 April at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga. Organised by the Riverina branch of the peak body, Early Childhood Australia (ECA), the event will examine cultural competency in the early childhood setting. Keynote speaker and early childhood consultant, Ms Catharine Hydon will explore aspects of reconciliation in practice and alignment with the Early Years Learning Frameworks (EYLF) and National Quality Standards (NQS). Ms Carol Burgess, from the School of Teacher Education at CSU in Bathurst, said, “At the core of quality early childhood programs are children and their relationships with others,” Ms Burgess said. “Promoting positive relationships is fundamental to building strong relationships that respect individual differences, celebrate diversity and build cultural competence. Educators who seek to strengthen their work in this area would find it of great benefit to attend this presentation.”  Ms Hydon will deliver her keynote address from 9am to 12noon at the Wine and Food Industry Training Centre, building 412, McKeown Drive, near CSU Winery, Wagga Wagga.  

The 2013 vintage harvest has concluded at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange, with strong yields and excellent quality in all varieties picked. CSU Winery marketing manager Mr Justin Byrne said the second crop of Riesling to be harvested at CSU in Orange yielded six tonnes. “It’s just as well, since the 2012 Charles Sturt ‘R’ Riesling has been very popular and is likely to run out soon, so it is good to know we have a great follow-up in the 2013 vintage,” he said. The harvest also included three tonnes of Pinot Gris, a good crop of 40 tonnes of Chardonnay destined to become both sparkling and table wine, and 17 tonnes of Sauvignon Blanc. “The question remains as to whether the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc will be better than the 2012, which is in the market now,” Mr Byrne said.  “We have to wait until the spring to see.” The red varieties also performed well, with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon relishing the warm growing season. “The Cabernet Sauvignon is the last of the varieties to be harvested at Charles Sturt and will spend at least 18 months in barrel before bottling for release sometime in 2015. So patience is required,” Mr Byrne said.

A student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga with plenty of hair on show has challenged fellow students across the University to match his dedication by undertaking a ‘full body cut and wax’ to raise money for the NSW Leukaemia Foundation. Environmental studies student Mr Jack Fry is going to bear all for this year’s Shave for Cancer including his head, chest, back, legs and arms, for this important cause. “I have family members who have battled cancer, and I want people and businesses to join me in opening their hearts and wallets for research that could help find cures for this disease,” Mr Fry said. Albury residents can witness Mr Fry lose his shoulder length locks, and much more, at the ‘G’, next to the Gums Café, at CSU in Albury-Wodonga on Thursday 14 March from 8.15pm. Matilda from uZuri Beauty & Hair in Lavington is supplying free labour and wax for the event, which will include supporting acts from other students.

Faculty of Science students from nearly all campuses of Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be recognised for their academic excellence in the coming week. Acting Executive Dean of Science, Professor Heather Cavanagh, is due to present the Dean’s List academic prizes to more than 80 students from the Schools of Community Health, Environmental Sciences and Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Studies, all of which are based at Charles Sturt University in Albury-Wodonga. “Attaining this award is a major achievement for students.  The Dean’s Award recognises the hard work undertaken to achieve a consistent standard of excellence by students in their studies,” Professor Cavanagh said. The event will commence at 3.30pm on Wednesday 13 March at The ‘G’, next to the Gum’s Café, CSU in Albury-Wodonga, off Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Thurgoona. Dean’s Awards are presented to all CSU students who receive at least distinction level grades for four courses in one semester.