Charles Sturt University (CSU) will present a free seminar on human resource management, in Orange on 22 August, as part of a series of Small Business Management Foundation Seminars. CSU Graduate Certificate in Small Business Management course director Dr Lan Snell will chair the seminar and said the small business sector makes up over 90 per cent of workplaces in Australia. “Small businesses face a number of challenges regarding human resource practices,” she said. “These include understanding legislation on work and pay conditions, and how to recruit and retain staff. This session covers these issues as well as providing an understanding of how to access low cost dispute resolution services, how to handle unfair practices, and solutions to the onerous administration requirements related to running a small business.” Ms Yasmin King, NSW Commissioner for Small Business will be a guest speaker at the seminar which is presented in conjunction with the Orange Business Chamber, NSW Business Chamber, Orange City Council and Orange Ex Services Club. “The Seminars will be short, sharp, engaging sessions that address the challenges in small business management,” Dr Snell said. The topics include marketing, finance, and human resources.

National Tree Day will be marked at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga with the planting of Indigenous species near student accommodation on Sunday 18 August. Organised by CSU Green, the plantings will take place from 11am near numerous Residential Cottages off Valder Way. Volunteers are urged to wear sturdy shoes and to enjoy a free BBQ hosted by Residence Life. CSU Tree Planting 2013 aims to increase the biodiversity of the area. CSU Green Partnerships Coordinator Ms Nicola Smith said, “We aim during tree planting day to increase homes and food for wildlife, reduce topsoil loss and erosion, increase soil infiltration, influence microclimate, as well as increase amenity and aesthetics”. RSVP for catering by email here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is looking to expand its relations with the isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, particularly in research into environmental management. Director of the Council for Renewable Natural Resources Research in Bhutan, Dr Tashi Samdup, is visiting Albury and the University’s Institute for Land, Water and Society to discuss future collaboration with CSU staff. Dr Samdup will also discuss the progress of two Bhutanese PhD student researchers at CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Mr Kuenga Namgay and Mr Karma Tenzing. Senior ILWS researcher Dr Joanne Millar said Dr Samdup’s visit was important as it allowed discussions to further extend CSU’s research and teaching efforts in the mountain kingdom. “Although Bhutan is considered an environmental success story, the country still faces poverty and land degradation issues so our collaborative research will investigate the impact of environmental policies on local livelihoods,” Dr Millar said.

School students will put their research skills to the test at the Graham Centre Science Investigation Awards at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 14 August. More than 50 Year 6 and Year 10 students from Ladysmith, Griffith and Wagga Wagga have designed and completed a science investigation or experiment and will present their project to a panel of judges. They will explain their hypothesis, the experiment used to test it and the findings of the research. The budding scientists will also participate in practical laboratory classes and meet with CSU and NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) researchers. Graham Centre Director, Professor Deirdre Lemerle, said the event aims to promote science education and encourage students to consider research careers. “Robust research is needed for Australian industries like agriculture to continue to be profitable and sustainable into the future,” she said. “Events like this will ensure that a new generation of scientists will be ready to meet this challenge.”

Acting and theatre design students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will go on the road to local schools with The Crucible by celebrated American playwright Arthur Miller. The University Theatre Ensemble (UTE) will present The Crucible to local HSC students. It follows two recent public performances at the Drama Studio at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The production involves final year students in Acting for Screen and Stage and final year students in Design for Theatre and Television. The play is directed by lecturer in acting, Mr Thomas Papathanassiou from the School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU in Wagga Wagga. UTE will perform at Tumut High School on Friday 9 August, Junee High on Wednesday 14 August, Wagga High on Thursday 15 August and Kildare Catholic College on Friday 16 August. The HSC students will be able to draw on the talents of the CSU students during question and answer sessions after the play. Miller’s play dramatises the Salem witch trials of the late 1600s. UTE’s production of The Crucible explores the ‘destruction of innocence and challenges our every notion of good and evil’.

The 2013 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence will be presented to selected staff at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst at a presentation ceremony on Wednesday 14 August. Professor Andrew Vann, the Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU, will also present the 2013 Faculty and Divisional awards to staff. The awards acknowledge the commitment, dedication and ongoing excellence demonstrated by academic and general staff across CSU. Among the many awards and recipients at the campus in Bathurst are: – an individual V-C Award for Research Supervision Excellence to Professor Sharynne McLeod from RIPPLE; – an individual V-C Award for Teaching Excellence to Dr Izumi Hiramatsu from the School of Psychology; – a team V-C Award for Excellence in Innovation to the TAFE to CSU interact Site Project Team; – a team V-C Award for Performance Excellence to the Regional and Remote Learning Support Team. Some of the Faculty and Division awards go to the Workplace Learning Team in the Faculty of Business, and the Occupational Health and Safety Team within the Division of Human Resources. The awards presentation will be at the James Hardie Room at the Centre for Professional Development (building S17) from 1pm to 3.30pm Wednesday 14 August. Another ceremony, for staff on southern campuses, will be held at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 28 August. A full list of award recipients is available upon request.

Staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will plant native trees to increase environmental biodiversity next week as part of a CSU Green initiative for National Tree Planting Day. The event will see CSU in Albury-Wodonga, Orange and Wagga Wagga all take part in tree planting days. CSU Green Coordinator of Partnerships Nicola Smith said the event was designed to effect the campus ecosystems. “Our goals are to increase biodiversity by providing homes and food for wildlife, which brings more wildlife to the area, more ground cover, understorey and overstorey,” Ms Smith said. “We’ll also aim to reduce topsoil loss and erosion, increase soil infiltration, influence microclimate, and increase aesthetics for each campus.” Plants will come from local nurseries that specialise in native plants. Interested staff and students will determine where to planting the native trees on each campus. Miss Smith said students drew a sense of satisfaction from taking some ownership of their own campuses and would be thanked with a barbecue lunch. The tree planting events are set for Albury-Wodonga on Friday 16 and Sunday 18 August, Wagga Wagga on Sunday 18 August and Orange on Monday 19 August.

What combines physical theatre, live music, acrobatics, comedy, verbatim dialogue, multimedia, and a huge ball that people walk on? The answer is ‘What do you think?’, a 45-minute performance devised by second-year Charles Sturt University (CSU) theatre/media students which plays at the Ponton Theatre at CSU in Bathurst from Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 August. “When was the last time you saw a show that took what you were thinking and put it on a stage?,” asks Mr Dan Aubin, lecturer in theatre/media at the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries. “This work of short, dynamic, entertaining scenes set in a fantastic pop art design projection explores everyday thoughts in comparison to everyday actions. There is something in the show for everyone, and we invite you to come along and show your support for these talented students who gathered the material and created the content. The students have created some exciting pieces of theatre that go beyond a peripheral response to our immediate culture. They have found an entertaining physical and symbolic language full of deep meaning and whimsy.” The production is suitable for all ages, and tickets ($5 for students, $10 for non-students) can be purchased at the door or by phoning 0402 649 439.

Charles Sturt University Winery has taken out the prestigious Best Sparkling Trophy at the 2013 Cowra Wine Show. CSU winemaker Mr Andrew Drumm was in Cowra for the Trophy Presentation Dinner held at the Cowra Civic Centre on Saturday 10 August. “The Cowra Wine Show attracts thousands of wines from around the country, so it is a significant win for us. We have been making great sparkling wine for many years so it is good to get the industry recognition that this trophy gives us,” he said. The winning wine, 2009 Reserve Sparkling, was made from fruit grown in Tumbarumba and is bottle fermented in the traditional method used for making fine sparkling wines. The wine is a blend of 70 per cent Pinot Noir and 30 per cent Chardonnay. “The Pinot Noir contributes a subtle red fruit sweetness to the nose and palate whilst the Chardonnay fruit developed typical citrus characters ideal for top quality sparkling wine,” Mr Drumm said. “The nose of the wine is complex, with restrained red fruits and citrus and subtle yeast characters. The palate is very fresh, with the complex citrus, biscuity characters coming to the fore. The wine has a line of acidity which will allow it to age for several years and gain further complexity.”