Central West senior high school students preparing to sit the agriculture Higher School Certificate exam will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange on Friday 30 July for a HSC Agriculture MyDay. CSU’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences will conduct a series of lectures and workshops to assist more than 65 HSC students with their studies. They will participate in interactive workshops of their choice covering HSC topics such as the role of native plants in a pasture management system, integrated pest management programs in plants and livestock, plant breeding and plant genetics, and ruminant digestion and the integration with diet. Lecturer Ms Shevahn Telfser believes the tertiary level material students receive on the day will assist in their studies. “We believe Charles Sturt University academics’ wealth of knowledge will give the students the edge when sitting their exam,” she said. “MyDay will include a farm tour and practical hands-on activities, things the general HSC student should experience.”

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) Winery is still celebrating after being named one of the winners of a 2010 Inland Tourism Award. The winery took out the Wineries, Distilleries and Boutique Breweries Award during a ceremony held at the Temora Aviation Museum on Saturday 24 July. Established in 1977 at CSU in Wagga Wagga, the commercial winery produces premium varietal table wines. The Winery is tightly integrated with the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga and the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre.   “We are thrilled to be recognised for providing a great experience for visitors to Wagga Wagga and the Riverina,” winemaker Mr Andrew Drumm said. The CSU Winery has a number of awards to its name including 25 trophies and 95 gold medals.

Horses at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be given special attention this Friday in preparation for the Horse’s Birthday on Sunday 1 August. Ms Cheryl Gander and the Equine Centre team at CSU in Orange are celebrating the Horse’s Birthday on Friday 30 July giving horses a thorough pampering. “Daily grooming is part of day-to-day maintenance, but Charles Sturt University horse Harvest Percussion will be getting a special treat in the form of a serious makeover for his birthday,” Ms Gander said. “Percussion is being prepared for sale so the Equine Centre team will make him feel special.”. Ms Gander explained why 1 August is the Horse’s Birthday. “All thoroughbreds have the same birthday so that their ages can be standardised for comparison because of the historical lack of records of actual birth days. Their birthdays are January 1 in the northern hemisphere and August 1 in the southern hemisphere.

The CSU Global Where in the World exhibition is on the move, travelling to Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga on Monday 2 August. CSU Global, CSU’s student exchange program, ran a Facebook competition to collect images from international student travels. A cash prize of $500 was awarded to the winning student in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst and Wagga Wagga. CSU Global’s Mr Byron Preston said, “The exhibition was well received in Wagga Wagga with more than 50 art and travel enthusiasts attending and we’re hoping it will inspire those in Albury-Wodonga who visit the exhibition to do their own travelling.” The Where in the World exhibition was initially launched at CSU in Wagga Wagga last month and will travel to each of the three campuses involved in the competition to promote CSU Global and its world travel opportunities.

A trial project encouraging Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff to take personal responsibility for cutting their computer and monitor energy use has concluded with results showing energy use dropped by one-third. Meters were installed in the offices of volunteers from the School of Education at CSU in Wagga Wagga for two week periods earlier this year. In the first week of the trial, participants were instructed to use their computers ‘as per usual’. In the second week they made a conscious effort to use less energy by turning computers off at the power point at the end of each day and by switching off monitors when leaving the room for more than 10 minutes. “The project found that energy use in the second week fell by an average of 32 per cent,” said team member Ms Barbara Conlan. The amount of energy saved in the second week was 62 kilowatt-hours for the 30 volunteers, equivalent to an annual saving of approximately $470. “One of the aims of this project was to promote a cultural change within Charles Sturt University as well as to provide case studies for education students on ways to be environmentally sustainable in schools, workplaces and homes.”

Working with rice farmers in India to save water, learning from the nomadic sheep herders on Mongolia’s endless Steppes, and travelling through the fertile Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam are the recent experiences of agricultural students at Charles Sturt University (CSU). Three student groups involving about 40 students from the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences at CSU in Orange and Wagga Wagga spent up to two weeks in June and July on separate study tours in China, India and Vietnam. “Agriculture in 2010 is a global business,” Head of the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences Associate Professor John Kent said. “Therefore it is very important that Charles Sturt University students have an international perspective when they graduate and pursue their careers in the rural sector.” Leading the study tour of 18 students to Vietnam was lecturer Dr Jason Condon. “It’s good for the students to be taken out of their comfort zones to experience and observe how different agriculture and life can be in other countries,” Dr Condon said. On the trip to Vietnam, final year agricultural science student Mr Dwayne Schubert said, “The trip really opened up my eyes to see how developing countries approach agriculture. They use agriculture to support their community’s survival whereas at home, we are more concerned about commodities and profit.”

Allied health students and staff from Charles Sturt University (CSU) leave this month to spend up to six weeks working with children in a Vietnamese orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. The students will gain important practical experience working with the children, many of whom have severe disabilities, while demonstrating and passing on their expertise to orphanage staff. Organised by the University’s School of Community Health, this is the sixth visit by health students and staff to the Phu My orphanage which provides schooling and health care for around 350 orphans. The 13 students, who study physiotherapy, speech pathology and occupational therapy, have raised $1 200 from student clubs and fundraising to purchase resources and equipment for the orphanage and pay for Vietnamese interpreters.

Team Barracuda took out the finals of Animal Idol on the Wagga Wagga Campus of Charles Sturt University (CSU) last week. Each week, first year animal science students presented on a topic chosen by their course coordinator, with the added challenge of delivering their presentations in varying contexts, such as gearing the talk towards school children, or ‘unplugged’ without the benefit of electronic devices such as Powerpoint or overhead projection. The teams were then judged by an Australian Idol style panel. Cassandra Macdonald from Team Barracuda accepted the trophy, certificate and first prize of $1 000 at a barbecue last Friday 15 June, saying the experience was “good fun and a good experience. It definitely built up my confidence”.

Photographers from around Australia will display their work at the 23rd Western District National Photographic Exhibition which opens at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo on Friday 16 July. The Head of Campus at CSU in Dubbo, Dr Beverley Moriarty, said, “Charles Sturt University is delighted to host this Australian Photographic Society approved national exhibition. It is one of 17 approved national exhibitions held around Australia each year. These exhibitions are open to all photographers in Australia who choose to compete to be exhibited. Photographs in each category are assessed by three from a panel of six judges, and the selected images are exhibited. This year there are 100 images from most states in Australia, in several categories; Monochrome Open, Colour Open, Nature, People, Creative, and Photojournalism. Some local photographers with works on display include David Slack-Smith, Geoff Wheeler, and Brian and Lorna White.”