July 22, 2024

UOW expert commentary (22 July)

UOW academics provide expert commentary, opinion and analysis on a range of ongoing and breaking news stories

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Joe Biden withdrawal from US presidential race

United States constitutional law and politics expert Professor Markus Wagner can discuss US President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the US presidential race. He says:

President Biden, finally placing his party and country above his own ambition, decided to make way for a new Democratic Party candidate. 

Democrats have two options and both require a leap of faith: they can nominate Vice-President Harris or they can try to stage an open convention. The former is more likely, the latter risks a continuation of the perception of chaos in the wider US public. 

Professor Wagner is an internationally recognised expert in international law and governance, international peace and security, as well as US and Australian constitutional law. He is the Director of the Transnational Law and Policy Centre.

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CrowdStrike outage

Honorary Professor Katina Michael can provide commentary on the CrowdStrike outage and the global impact this has had. Honorary Professor Michael is from the School of Business and comments regularly on the social implications of emerging technologies with an emphasis on privacy and national security. She is also a Professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence at Arizona State University.

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ABS data release – detailed Labour Force Statistics (Thursday 25 July)

Associate Professor Martin O’Brien can discuss the detailed ABS Labour Force Statistics which will be released on Thursday 27 July. He can discuss employment, unemployment, underemployment, participation and hours worked in June 2024 from the monthly Labour Force Survey. Associate Professor O’Brien is an economist and the Director of the Centre for Human and Social Capital Research.

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2024 Olympics – breast injuries and gender equity in sport

Associate Professor Deirdre McGhee is an exercise physiologist and expert on breast injuries and protective equipment in female contact and combat sports, sports bra design and fit, and breast-related issues that limit physical activity and athletic performance.

Associate Professor McGhee was recently chosen to advise the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on gender equity in sport. Her work, alongside 15 other international experts, will contribute to the development of new guidelines that will help female athletes to straddle the worlds of pregnancy and elite sport. She is the Co-founder and Director of Breast Research Australia at UOW.

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2024 Olympics – performance under pressure

Dr Matthew Schweickle is a sports psychologist who is interested in the areas of performance under pressure in sport, mental health and sports participation, psychological safety in sports, and the use of goal setting in sport and exercise settings.

Dr Schweickle has written numerous research articles on clutch performance in sport, including a reconceptualisation and definition of the concept. He is a Lecturer in the School of Psychology.

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2024 Olympics – sports marketing

Professor Troy Heffernan is an expert in sports marketing in the School of Business. Professor Heffernan can discuss the role marketing principles play in the operations of sport organisations, sports marketing trends and how sport is used by sponsors to enhance their brand.

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UOW academics exercise academic freedom by providing expert commentary, opinion and analysis on a range of ongoing social issues and current affairs. This expert commentary reflects the views of those individual academics and does not necessarily reflect the views or policy positions of the University of Wollongong.