His passion for science will be more evident than usual at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 21 March when Professor Nick Klomp, Dean of the Faculty of Science and a regular science commentator on ABC Radio in NSW, delivers his Science@CSU Roadshow. Commencing at 4pm, the public presentation will explore developments in science at CSU including new courses, current and future research collaborations, new international staff appointments and multi-million dollar investments in research and training facilities. “The Faculty of Science at Charles Sturt University is among the largest and most diverse science faculties in Australasia, with approximately 9 000 students and hundreds of staff in seven schools across six campuses,” said Professor Klomp. “We are involved in teaching and research in a variety of science and health disciplines including veterinary science, dentistry, nursing, environmental studies, forensic biotechnology, wine science, agriculture, and allied health.”  Science@CSU is open to CSU staff and students, industry and the general public. Read more about Science@CSU here.

The annual Somerville Lecture celebrates the contribution of Professor Warren Somerville to the scientific and Bathurst communities, and in 2012 the lecture will be delivered by Charles Sturt University (CSU) scientist Dr Andrew Rawson at the new Flannery Centre in Bathurst on Tuesday 17 April. Dr Rawson is an adjunct associate professor at the CSU School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences who teaches climate change science at CSU in Orange. He is also a senior scientist with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, and his primary role within the NSW government is to provide scientific support to climate change policy development. Dr Rawson has contributed to the NSW Greenhouse Plan, the NSW Soils Policy, and the NSW Climate Impacts Profile. The topic of Dr Rawson’s lecture is, Climate Change – reconciling modern climate change with the geological record. CSU education lecturer and Somerville Lecture spokesman, Dr Peter Wilson, said, “This is the third Somerville Lecture and it will be a very appropriate inaugural event at the newly-completed Flannery Centre. The subject of climate change is now an abiding topic of public interest and debate, and the Centre will provide a focus for practical environmentally responsible training and skills development.”

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) Education For Practice Institute will hold its second national summit on professional and practice-based education in Sydney on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 April. Professor Joy Higgs, AM, the summit convener and Director of the Education For Practice Institute, said, “The summit provides a forum for university educators and researchers to address practice-based education challenges, examine advances in this field, and share good practices and models. The theme for this year is ‘Education for Practice, Work and Society’, and leading academics from Australia, including Professor Andrew Vann, the new Vice-Chancellor and President of Charles Sturt University, are keynote presenters at the summit.” Other presenters include CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Ross Chambers, Professor Joy Higgs (CSU), Dr Franziska Trede (CSU), Professor David Boud (UTS), Professor Stephen Billett (Griffith University), Professor Jan Orrell (Flinders University), Dr Dale Sheehan (Canterbury University, NZ), and Ms Suzi Hewlett from the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Resources and Tertiary Education.

Starting in Bathurst on Thursday 29 March, the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Division of Learning and Teaching Services will hold forums on a number of its campuses for academics to discuss developments in online and mobile learning and teaching at the University. Forums facilitator, Associate Professor Philip Uys, the Director of Strategic Learning and Teaching Innovation in the CSU Division of Learning and Teaching Services, said, “The continued evolution of quality in learning and teaching at Charles Sturt University, and the growing expectations of our students for appropriate technology responses, requires the University’s staff to skilfully use an ever-growing set of internal and external educational technologies. Charles Sturt University is increasing its digital, mobile and paperless learning and teaching, which pose challenges for strategists of these new technologies, and for academics using them. It will be good to share information about education technology developments at the University and have some in-depth conversations about why these changes are occurring. We will explore what the learning and teaching potential of the respective educational technologies is, and what issues we are facing.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be well represented when the ‘new look’ Town and Gown Procession makes its way through the heart of Wagga Wagga on Thursday 29 March. The colourful annual parade has been expanded to celebrate the city’s role as a centre for education and training in inland Australia. Representatives from local schools, other education providers, and the Australian Defence Force will join with CSU staff in the procession. Starting at 5pm, the procession down Baylis Street will end at the Victory Memorial Gardens with an educational expo from 5.30pm. Read more on CSU News here.

Co-founder of the non-profit peacemaking educational company, Preaching Peace, Mr Michael Hardin, will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga during his trip to Australia. A theologian and author from the USA, Mr Hardin is a member of the Akron Mennonite Church in Pennsylvania. He brings his message about a peaceful God to CSU when he delivers the next Saint Martin's College Occasional Seminar from 4pm on Monday 2 April in the Fairfax Centre, building 382, CSU in Wagga Wagga. His seminar, titled Nonviolent Atonement, is free and open to the public. As executive director of Preaching Peace, Mr Hardin is also affiliated with the Colloquium on Violence and Religion. Saint Martin’s College is a residential university college run by the Anglican Church. It is located at CSU in Wagga Wagga.

At Charles Sturt University (CSU), vintage is underway. After a cool, wet summer, the CSU Winery is now gearing up for a sunny and, hopefully, dry finish to the season. “The 2012 Sauvignon Blanc was harvested at Charles Sturt University in Orange this week,” said CSU Winery marketing manager, Mr Justin Byrne. “The grapes were in surprisingly good condition although it was a small crop, approximately 30 per  cent down on 2011. Charles Sturt University wines have created a stir in the wine scene recently receiving a Gold Medal at the Sydney International Wine Competition for their 2010 ‘T’ Tempranillo. “We’re very excited about the next vintage, and the attention our wines are getting from wine enthusiasts.”

Twenty two Year 5 and Year 6 students from Parkes Christian School participated in ‘Check It Out Day’ as part of the Future Moves program at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst today, Tuesday 27 March. Ms Sue Rogan, the manager of Pre-entry Programs, Academic Support, said, “Check It Out Day is an exciting interactive experience for primary school students that includes faculty workshops with robots, water bombs, and theatre. The students were led by a team of enthusiastic undergraduate students who volunteered their time to encourage students to consider university as an option when they leave school. By exposing students at a young age to the university experience, they develop confidence to pursue further knowledge about degrees and pathways as they go through high school.” The students participated in workshops presented by the School of Computing and Mathematics (robots), the School of Teacher Education (science) and the School of Communication and Creative Industries (theatre/media). They also toured the campus, had lunch in the student dining hall, and attended a mock graduation ceremony. This is the first time Parkes school students have participated in a Future Moves event at CSU, and another event for more than 60 students is planned for May.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) campus has only just been established in Port Macquarie but already the University is engaging with local high school students to highlight the benefits of being able to undertake tertiary study in the region. Ms Sandra Wallace, School Outreach Coordinator at CSU in Port Macquarie, said, “Approximately 200 Year 10 students from St Paul’s High School will attend three 90-minute Future Moves workshops on Friday 30 March. The Future Moves workshops are designed to build aspiration among prospective students for tertiary study. They aim to encourage students to become more engaged in exploring their future career options and more confident in considering tertiary study as a realistic choice within their career path. We held similar workshops for about 200 Year 10 students at St Joseph’s Regional College on Monday 19 March and the feedback was very positive, so we’re looking forward to engaging with students at St Paul’s.”