Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff and students from the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences in Orange are brushing up on their Spanish in preparation for a trip to Argentina at the end of the year. Supported by CSU Global, the trip is a first for CSU, with previous study tours including China, Vietnam and India. Three staff and 27 students are preparing for the trip in October when they will visit different agricultural businesses. “We will visit vineyards and beef and sheep producers as well as intensive horticultural and agricultural businesses,” said lecturer Dr Shevahn Telfser. “The trip is also a great way to build a relationship with the University of Buenos Aires which offers similar degrees in business and agriculture, and  if we want to get the most of the trip, we need to learn the language. Last year, when we went to China, we learnt a little Mandarin so that we could exchange basic greetings and understand some key phrases. The students and staff had a lot of fun with it and it definitely helped with cross cultural relationships.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students from the School of Communication and Creative Industries  will be putting their skills on show in the University Theatre Ensemble’s (UTE) production of Jesus Christ Superstar. This rock musical features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice with memorable songs including ‘Everything’s Alright’, ‘I don’t know how to love him’ and ‘Superstar’. It tells the story of the last seven days of the life of Christ seen through the eyes of his betrayer, Judas Iscariot. The UTE production opens on Thursday 2 June at 8pm and runs until Saturday 11 June at the Civic Theatre in Wagga Wagga. It is directed by Mr John Saunders and is cast from second year Bachelor of Arts (Acting for Screen and Stage) students, and designed and stage managed by third year students from the Bachelor of Arts (Design for Theatre and Television). Tickets can be booked at the Civic Theatre Booking Office on telephone 02 6926 9688, online here and are available at the door. Tickets are $29, $15 concession and $12.50 for students.

A volunteer bicycle recycling group has joined with Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga to provide eight recently renovated bicycles for use by the University’s students. The Border Community Cycleworks will donate eight bicycles re-built by its volunteers for use by students who live and learn at Thurgoona. CSU residential coordinator, Mr Kurt Neville said the contribution from the community group will be used by up to 300 students living on the campus as well as those living in Albury, to be used in and around the Border community. “It is another positive step that Chart Sturt University students can take to reduce their environmental footprint, choosing to ride rather than drive,” Mr Neville said. Border Community Cycleworks aims to promote community development through providing access to cycling to the whole of the Border community, especially by recycling old and unused bicycles and distributing them to the community.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer Dr Maree Donna Simpson was given high praise at a recent Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak award presentation where she received the Pride of Workmanship Award for her passionate work with CSU Pharmacy students. The Pride of Workmanship Program encourages job satisfaction, and publicly recognises community members for their efforts within their profession. Nominees of the Pride of Workmanship Program are presented with a plaque in recognition of their achievements. On receiving the award Dr Simpson said, “I was honoured to be recognised for my work with Charles Sturt University students and for my dedication to a job I love, which is to provide high quality teaching.” On hearing of Dr Simpson’s award, Pharmacy student Mr Liam Vidler said, “It could not have gone to a more worthy recipient.”

Funding has been provided by Charles Sturt University (CSU) to support the full-time release from teaching commitments of 14 key researchers from the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation – an alliance between CSU and the NSW Department of Primary Industries. The 14 Graham Centre 2011 Research Centre Fellows were honoured at a special lunch on Monday 16 May. “The 14 Fellows for 2011 will focus on a broad range of research including plant and animal diseases, animal physiology and production, animal reproduction, food security, sustainable pasture systems, weeds, canola, bio-security and environmental health, water, stubble and conservation cropping,” said Graham Centre director Professor Deirdre Lemerle.“The 2011 Research Centre Fellows have been provided $40 000 each for 12 months so they can focus on their research. We are extremely impressed with the high quality of the 29 applications for the 14 Research Centre Fellowships.”

The first production for 2011 from  the University Theatre Ensemble (UTE) and the School Of Communication and Creative Industries at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga is Sarah Kane’s acclaimed  production, 4:48 Psychosis. The production is a theatrical poem by one of the most influential English playwrights of the last 20 years. Kane’s unyielding exploration of the psychotic mind is filled with beauty, irony and a palpable life force that reaches out to make this a night in the theatre like no other. 4.48 Psychosis caused a sensation when first performed and a decade later it’s still dividing opinions. 4:48 Psychosis  plays at the Riverina Playhouse in Cross Street, Wagga Wagga from 8pm Tuesday 24 to Saturday 28 May with a special late night performance on Friday 27 May at 10pm.Tickets can be booked at the Civic Theatre Booking Office on  telephone 02 6926 9688, online here and are available at the door. Tickets are $12 or $7 concession.

Students in Year 12 at high schools across the Central West will be able to explore career and employment opportunities at the annual FACTS Day (Facts About Careers and Tertiary Study) at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Thursday 26 May. FACTS Day is organised by the Central West Careers Advisers Association and staged at CSU. Ms Fran Dwyer, a CSU Prospective Student Adviser, said, “Approximately 1 000 Year 12 students from schools in Bathurst, Lithgow, Kandos, Oberon, Blayney, Cowra, Orange and Molong will be able to obtain information from approximately 120 representatives from more than 60 career and employer organisations, including universities, private providers, TAFE, Centrelink, police and other government agencies. This day offers our regional final-year high school students the opportunity to speak with a range of educational providers, as well as hear a motivational speaker, and experience Charles Sturt University by attending the campus, which some schools will tour”.

The MyDay event at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Tuesday 31 May will provide information and insights for 20 senior students from eight high schools in the region about information technology (IT), and computing courses they can study. CSU Prospective Student Adviser, Ms Fran Dwyer, said, “This MyDay will provide general information and interactive sessions with academics from the School of Computing and Mathematics at Charles Sturt University. These disciplines prepare students for a dynamic range of career options, and the students will be shown the range of state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories on campus. There has never been a better time to study at Charles Sturt University”. Participating students will come from Bathurst, Cowra, Lithgow, Mudgee and Orange.

Born and bred Taralga girl Ms Nikita Corby has left home, and her family band, to follow her dream by moving to Orange and studying Agricultural Business Management  at Charles Sturt University (CSU). One of six children, Ms Corby started playing drums to join her brother, Ben and sister Rhiannon when they started performing as The Corbys three years ago. Now in Orange, Ms Corby even managed to squeeze her drum kit into her room on campus. “It’s an electric kit so I can put on my headphones and practice without bothering my room-mates,” Ms Corby said. In Taralga, Ms Corby worked at a local CRT outlet and, with an interest in the rural community, decided to study a course that would give her a broad knowledge of the agricultural industry. When she isn’t studying, she’s practising for her next gig. “I still go home on weekends and perform with The Corbys, which provides a good mix of study and music.”