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Those last days of summer: How to entertain your kids before the break ends
Are you one of the parents who is panicked at the prospect of entertaining your children for those final weeks of the summer? Did you miss the day camp sign ups early in the summer? University of Delaware expert Roberta Golinkoff has you covered. Golinkoff is an education professor in the fields of education and psychology with over 30 years of experience in childhood education. She is currently Unidel H. Rodney Sharp Chair and Professor in UD's School of Education as well as a member of the Departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Linguistics and Cognitive Science. She also directs the Child’s Play, Learning, and Development laboratory. She gives tips on how to keep kids entertained throughout the summer, particularly this last month of summer. Work with others in your neighborhood in the same boat to create an at home day camp. What happens at day camps can be duplicated at home. Consider how they work. Peers get together under the supervision of a young adult and engage in outdoor activities such as foot races and ball games and indoor activities such as arts and crafts. Camps are hotbeds for playful learning – the way that children learn best. Camps unwittingly nurture communication between peers and adults, collaboration in helping your team, and creative thinking of all types – during craft activities but much more. Making a tentative agenda for kids with other parents in the same boat will be invaluable. But there is no room for a rigid schedule! Time has to be flexible. During the regular year when parents are rushing hither and yon, there is little time to stop and let the action continue. But the summer changes all that. Discoveries like hungry turtles in a nearby pond can be a delight for children. Even if you can’t find a teen helper or another parent to trade off with, you can engage your children in many activities they will love. Limited screen time can be beneficial. There is nothing wrong with playing with apps or watching television as long as parents make sure the content is appropriate for the age of their children. There are shows that amuse children and that they can learn from – Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow are prime examples. And parents can build on these shows by asking children to design the next episode, “What would happen if Peppa Pig couldn’t find a playmate?” or draw pictures showing the characters at the beach! A new website called Stories with Clever Hedgehog and designed in Ukrainian for Ukrainian children suffering from the war is also available in English. Designed by developmental psychologists – including Golinkoff herself – has numerous activities such as games, songs, art, fun facts for children to enjoy. But media that takes place indoors should just be used as cool down periods and even then only briefly, or on rainy days. Luxurious breezes, sunshine, and physical activities are what summer is meant for. Boredom is ok. Boredom is not a bad thing and can be a time for reflection and inner growth. Ask children to think about what they want to do next and make a plan for the rest of the day. Ask children to come up with a brand new activity that other kids would like. Media is not a great solution to boredom anyway but developing strategies to consider boredom a plus can be. Golinkoff is available to give more tips. She also welcomes reporters to visit her lab to see what she and her group are working on. Contact her by clicking on her profile.
Stephen Pearlman, M.D., Honored for Excellence in Neonatology Education
Stephen Pearlman, M.D., MSHQS, will receive the 2024 Avroy Fanaroff Neonatal Education Award at the American Academy of Pediatrics’ annual meeting in September. This honor, presented by the AAP’s section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, recognizes an educator who makes outstanding contributions in neonatal-perinatal medicine for health care students, professionals or the public. Pearlman, an expert in neonatology, intensive care and pediatrics, is clinical effectiveness officer for acute care at ChristianaCare. He is also professor of pediatrics at Sidney Kimmel College of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. “Stephen is deeply committed to excellence in neonatal education and the highest quality care,” said Kert Anzilotti, M.D.,MBA, system chief medical officer at ChristianaCare. “As a faculty member, physician and leader, he continues to make a lasting impact at ChristianaCare and beyond with his pioneering initiatives in quality improvement and safety in health care.” A faculty member for almost 40 years, Pearlman has served ChristianaCare in clinical, educational and administrative roles. Among them, he was chair of the Pediatric and Neonatal Safety Committee, director of Neonatal Quality Improvement, associate director of Neonatology and director of Pediatric Medical Education. Pearlman has led initiatives that have been spotlighted by the federal government as exemplars of how to improve safety at health systems. He developed an innovative quality-improvement curriculum for neonatal fellows, which the Organization of Neonatal-Perinatal Training Program Directors adopted. “I’m passionate about educating clinicians about ways to improve the quality of patient care, so it’s humbling to receive this recognition,” Pearlman said. “I am honored to have been selected as a recipient of this award.” Pearlman is also an associate editor of Quality Improvement for the Journal of Perinatology and an executive committee member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Perinatal Section.
Teacher mindfulness doesn't begin on the first day of classes in the late summer or early fall. It is an invaluable skill that can be practiced and perfected all throughout the year, especially when teachers are on summer break. Leigh McLean is an an associate research professor in the School of Education and Center for Research in Educational and Social Policy at the University of Delaware. In her program of research, she investigates how teachers’ emotions and emotion-related experiences including well-being impact their effectiveness. Her work particularly focuses on how teachers’ emotions impact their instructional practices, and the role that early-career teachers’ emotions play as they transition into the career. She holds expertise in quantitative, mixed-methods, and longitudinal study design and implementation, multileveled data analysis, and classroom observation. Below she gives a few tips on how teachers can begin preparing themselves – and by extension their future students – for all the ups and downs of the upcoming school year. Engage in restorative rest this summer. One of the ways to prepare for the upcoming school year is to get restorative rest. It's important to let your brain disengage for a short time, but it's also beneficial to set aside time, before the school year begins, to think about the past school year. What went well? What might you want to do differently?? What techniques are you hoping to improve in the coming school year? As we as a society still reel from the COVID-19 pandemic, meaningfully reflect on the past four years and ask yourself what you've see with your students. What might they need to succeed this upcoming year? How can you facilitate an environment where students are getting supports for the unique challenges that the pandemic created? Incorporate mindfulness into your daily habit. A mindfulness practice is a daily regime of awareness, contemplation, and processing of all the things going on both within and outside of you. Mindfulness is a key skill when it comes to the larger goal of emotional understanding and regulation, and it has been shown to be a particularly helpful practice for teachers. However, you cannot expect to dive into mindfulness on day one of a new school year, it take practice. A great place to start is to pay attention to your emotions and work on emotional awareness in the weeks leading up to the school year. Shift your thinking fromo "emotions are noise that get in the way" to "My emotions are important signals that I have to pay attention to." This type of shift can be difficult to do for the first time in the heat of teaching so summer is a great time to practice these techniques. As educators, teachers experience the full range of human emotions every day, and they are usually the only adults in the room. While this might at the outset seem intimidating, teachers have the unique opportunity to use their emotions intentionally as cues for their students to pick up on. Dr. Jon Cooper, Director of Behavioral Health for the Colonial School District in New Castle, Delaware noted: "We want teachers to be the emotional thermostat, not the thermometer," and "We want them to intentionally set the emotional tone of the classroom." During the summer, think about how to set classroom norms and expectations to be responsive to your emotions and those of your students in a way that will create a more mindful classroom all around. This could look like including a classroom norm stating that aAll emotions are ok, even the bad ones. It could also look like acknowledging in your classroom management approaches that there is a difference between emotions and behaviors; so while all emotions are ok, not all behaviors that come from those emotions are ok. Take yourself through a school day and anticipate the needs of your students. One major mindfulness practice is taking yourself through a typical school day and identifying parts where students are most likely to have difficulties. Do students have challenging moments during small groups? Is there a lot of math anxiety going on in your class? Try structuring your day, approach, even your expressions so that you set yourself and your students up for success during these moments that are more likely to be challenging. Utilize mindfulness websites and apps. There are websites and apps teachers can use to further incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives, including: The Center for Healthy Minds UCLA's Free Mindfulness App For more tips... McLean is available for interviews and can expound on the ways teachers can set themselves – and their students – up for success. Click on her profile to connect.
Olympics 2024: Expert details the danger of headings in soccer
One of the most popular Olympic sports is soccer, and one of its most exciting plays – headers – is more commonly deployed by international teams. Given the risk of concussions during that play, experts like the University of Delaware's Thomas Kaminski will be watching the event closely during the 2024 Summer Games. Kaminski, professor of kinesiology and applied physiology in UD's College of Health Sciences, is a leading expert on concussions in soccer and serves as the sole U.S. representative on the FIFA Heading Expert Group. “FIFA is concerned about the disparity in concussions between men and women,” Kaminski said. “Women are at a higher risk of concussion due to a variety of reasons, including neck strength and overall body strength.” Concussions often occur during aerial challenges. “When players compete for the ball at the same time, they need to use their body to protect their head space, taking the strain off the head,” Kaminski said. Expect the ball to be in the air quite a bit in Olympic competition. “Many international teams tend to play the ball in the air more, but the USA will be ready for that. They know what to do,” Kaminski said. What to keep an eye out for: “Anytime a ball is scored from a header, it’s a picture of beauty in the game,” Kaminski said.
#Expert Insight: Political Fandom
The 2024 Presidential campaign has been a roller coaster ride this summer. The upheavals are so fast and unprecedented that the reaction to each event often seems too muted. An assassination attempt and sudden pre-convention withdrawal? In a past generation, these events would be decisive, but in 2024, they seem like just the latest blip in the news cycle. The polls never seem to move more than a couple of points. In such an oddly volatile but also stable environment, our best bet to understanding what is going to transpire during the last 100 days of the election cycle is to look at data that gets to the heart of how voters view the candidates. My choice of fundamental data or essential metric is candidate fandom. Fandom is an unusual metric in politics, but it should be more common. Fandom is about passion for and loyalty to a cultural entity, be it a team, singer, university, or even politician. In fact, MAGA Trump supporters and Bernie Bros share many characteristics with Swifties and Lakers fans. Fans of all these things show up, spend, wear branded apparel, and fiercely defend the object of their fandom. The politicians who inspire fandom, such as AOC, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, and Marjorie Taylor Green, enjoy many advantages and are the celebrities of the political world. Fandom is critical in politics because fans are loyal, engaged, and resilient. Fans are not casual potential voters who may change preferences and are unlikely to make an effort to stand in line to vote. Fans are the voters who will show up rain or shine and who can’t be swayed. In 2024, a fan will interpret a conviction of their candidate as political “lawfare” rather than evidence of criminality. Also, in 2024, a fan will make excuses for signs of aging that would result in children taking a senior’s car keys. The flip side of fandom, anti-fandom, is also a powerful political force. Indeed, politics may be the cultural context in which anti-fandom has the most impact. Taylor Swift may have haters, but these anti-Swifties are not buying tickets to see Katy Perry in protest. But in politics, hatred of a candidate might be as powerful a tool for generating a vote as fandom. Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign was notoriously bad at drawing crowds, suggesting he inspired little passion. In contrast, Trump’s rallies looked like rabid sports crowds complete with matching hats. However, the hatred and fear of Donald Trump inspired sufficient anti-fandom to make Biden competitive. Of course, fandom doesn’t entirely decide elections. In most elections, there isn’t all that much fandom or passion. Beyond the presidency and senatorial contests, most candidates are barely known, and identity factors (race, gender, party affiliation) and candidate awareness are the determining factors. Even in presidential elections, get-out-the-vote efforts (ballot harvesting) and election regulations (voter suppression) combined with effective marketing to the few percent of swing (low information) voters are often the determining factors. Looking toward the future, fandom may be an increasingly salient political metric for multiple reasons. First, the last two decades have witnessed many candidates raised quickly from obscurity with somehow Hollywood-worthy origin stories (Barack Obama, AOC, JD Vance, etc.). In the modern media environment, candidates’ reputations (brands) are increasingly the product of marketing narratives rather than a lifetime of real-world accomplishments. In this new world of politics, fandom will be a critical metric. Second, with the increasing diversity of the American electorate, voting will be increasingly based on identity rather than ideology. Identity-based voting segments are likely to be driven by fandom (and anti-fandom) rather than policy. We see a form of this in 2024, as high inflation has barely made a dent in voters’ preferences for the two parties. A fragmented electorate comprised of racial and gender segments whose preferences are driven by fandom and anti-fandom will lead to increasingly negative campaigns featuring ads highlighting the threat of the non-preferred party’s candidates. When voters are focused on identity, negative advertising becomes the ideal method to use fear to create anti-fandom (hate) to motivate turnout. Kamala Harris versus Donald Trump Barring further disruptions, the matchup is set for the 2024 presidential contest (as of this writing, we do not know the Democratic VP). We do know the matchup between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is a contest between polarizing figures. Donald Trump is a movement candidate who has redefined the Republican party. He inspires passionate fandom from his followers and amazing antipathy from major media and cultural outlets. Harris is also polarizing. In the immediate aftermath of Biden’s withdrawal, Harris received massive media and donor support. However, Harris has not demonstrated any significant national voter appeal, and her time as VP has generated ample blooper real material. My approach to assessing the race is to examine each candidate's fandom and anti-fandom. Fandom is the candidate’s core, resilient support, while anti-fandom is about antipathy. Fandom and anti-fandom are especially powerful metrics for a candidate because they are relatively fixed after a candidate gains high awareness. Once an individual identifies with the candidate (e.g., they are on the same team), an attack on the candidate is an attack on the individual. This means attack ads do not work because fans feel they are being attacked. Anti-fans are also important because they constrain a candidate’s support. A Trump anti-fan is unpersuadable by efforts from the Trump campaign because their identity is steeped in opposition to him. Fans and anti-fans are trapped in a cycle of confirmation bias where all information is processed to fit their fandom. I use data from the Next Generation Fandom Survey to assess candidate fandom and anti-fandom. The Next Generation Fandom Survey involves a nationwide sample of the U.S. population regarding fandom for sports and other cultural entities. In the 2024 edition, political figures such as Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and RFK Jr were included. The survey captured responses from 2053 subjects split evenly across the four primary generations (Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers), and the sample is representative in terms of racial background. The survey does not focus on likely or registered voters, so the results reflect overall societal sentiments rather than the electorate's opinions. The critical survey question asks subjects to rate how much of a fan they are of a celebrity on a 1 to 7 scale. In the following discussion, individuals who rated their fandom a 6 or 7 on the 7-point scale are categorized as Fans, while those who rate their fandom a 1 or 2 are classified as Anti-Fans. Table 1 shows the Fandom and Anti-Fandom rates for the entire sample. Donald Trump has a 27% fandom rate compared to Harris's 21%. The fandom rate is crucial because it identifies the candidate's core support. It also indicates something important about the candidate’s potential likability. In terms of anti-fandom, Harris has a slightly higher Anti-Fandom rate. Anti-Fandom is also critical as it shows the percentage of people who hate a candidate. The data suggests that Americans find Harris to be more dislikable than Trump. Notably, the anti-fandom rates are significantly higher than the fandom rates. The American public has significant disdain for politicians. The high anti-fandom rates are both the product of past negative advertising and the cause of future negative campaign strategies. Table 1: Candidate Fandom and Anti-Fandom Table 2 reports fandom rates based of the two gender segments. Trump has a 7%-point advantage with men and a surprising 4% advantage with women. This is a stunning result as Trump is generally regarded as having weakness with female voters. However, this weakness shows up in the anti-fandom rates. In the male segment, Trump has a 5%-point advantage in anti-fandom (fewer anti-fans), but a 3% disadvantage in the female segment. This reveals that Trump is polarizing to women, and almost half of women find Trump to be highly dislikable. This finding is why the Harris campaign is likely to use advertising that casts Trump as misogynistic or a threat to women to motivate turnout by female voters. Table 2: Candidate Fandom by Gender Table 3 shows the fandom rates for the two younger demographic segments: Gen Z and Millennials. This Table also shows Trump’s relative performance versus Biden (in parentheses in the last column). Trump enjoys higher fandom and lower anti-fandom than Harris in both the Gen Z and Millennial segments. In terms of fandom, Trump is plus 6% in Gen Z and plus 11% with Millennials. Critically, Harris outperforms Biden. The Gen Z anti-fandom gap between Trump and Biden favored Trump by 6% points. However, this gap shrinks to just 1% point when Harris is the comparison. The data suggests that Harris is stronger with Gen Z than Biden. Table 3: Candidate Fandom in Younger Generations Table 4 reports the fandom rates based on a racial segmentation scheme. Specifically, the sample is divided into White and Non-White categories. This is a crude segmentation, but it illustrates some essential points. Trump enjoys a significant 14% positive fandom advantage in the White demographic. He also enjoys a 10-point edge in (lower) anti-fandom. The pattern essentially reverses in the Non-White segment, as Harris has a 10-point advantage in fandom and a 17-point edge in anti-fandom. Trump’s anti-fandom in the Non-White segment is critical to the campaign. Nearly half of this segment has antipathy or hate for Trump. This high anti-fandom suggests an opportunity for the Harris campaign to emphasize racial angles in their attacks on Trump. Table 4: Candidate Fandom by Race In addition to fandom and anti-fandom rates across demographic categories, insights can be gleaned by looking at segmentation variables that reflect cultural values or personality. Table 5 shows fandom and anti-fandom rates for Trump and Harris for segments defined by fandom for Taylor Swift (Swifties) and Baseball. The Swifties skew towards Harris. The implication is that young women engaged in popular culture have more positive fandom for Harris and more negativity toward Trump. This is unsurprising given the content of the popular culture and Swift’s personal liberalism. The Swiftie segment shows a much stronger skew for Harris than all but the Non-White segment. Examining the data at a cultural level is vital as it indicates that it isn’t necessarily youth or gender where Harris has an advantage but a combination of youth, gender, and a specific type of cultural engagement. The table also includes fandom rates for baseball fans. In the Baseball Fan segment, Trump enjoys an 8% point fandom advantage and a 7% anti-fandom advantage (lower anti-fandom). Like the case of the Swifties, the fandom rates of Baseball Fans reveal something about Trump’s core support. Baseball is a very traditional game with an older fan base, and traditionalism is probably the core value of Trump fans. Trump’s negative advertising is likely to focus on the threats to traditional values (i.e., Harris is a San Francisco liberal). Table 5: Candidate Fandom and Cultural Segments Commentary and Prediction Fandom is a powerful metric for predicting political success, but like most data points, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Fandom is a measure of unwavering core support while anti-fandom measures the group that will never support and is likely to show up to vote against a candidate. Examining fandom rates across multiple segments reveals that Harris’ core support is concentrated in specific cultural and racial segments. The analysis also suggests that Trump's core support is broader than is usually acknowledged and that his main problem is significant anti-fandom with women and minorities. Harris’ problem is a lack of love, while Trump’s is too much hate. Notably, I am not paying too much attention to the current wave of excitement and enthusiasm surrounding Harris. The recent enthusiasm is likely more a manifestation of the Democratic base’s hopes and a relentless media onslaught than an actual increase in passion for Harris. Maybe there will be a permanent shift upward in Harris’s fandom, but I don’t see any logic for why this would occur. Harris isn’t suddenly more likable or aspirational than she was last month. The argument that the American people are becoming more acquainted with her is dubious, given that she has been the Vice President or a major presidential candidate for almost five years. What are the implications for the upcoming election? Voting is not only about fandom or hate, so we must consider some additional factors. For instance, many potential voters lack passion and knowledge and are more prone to vote based on identity rather than ideology. If a region or demographic segment consistently votes for a party 75% of the time, that’s voting more based on fixed identities than current societal conditions. The American electorate has many of these types of fixed-preference voter segments. Furthermore, as the American electorate becomes more diverse, identity-based voting seems to be making presidential contests more predictable. The baseline seems to be that the Democratic candidate will win the popular vote by a few percentage points, and the Electoral College will come down to a few states, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Examining past electoral maps shows far more shifting of states across elections. Now, all but a handful of states are regarded as non-competitive. The Figure below shows the presidential popular vote margins for the last 50 years. It shows a trend towards smaller margins for the winning candidate, which is at least partly due to growing ethnic diversity and more fixed (at least in the near and medium terms) identity-based voting. Over the last 13 cycles, the margin of victory has dropped by about 1% every four years. Demographic change has also locked in a high baseline level of support for Democratic candidates. The last time a Republican won the popular vote was in 2004, with George Bush as the incumbent. Figure 1: Presidential Vote Margin 1972 to 2020 In addition to shrinking election margins, demographic change promises to change future campaign tones. The increasing relevance of fandom and anti-fandom, combined with the growing diversity of the electorate, will make 2024 an extremely negative campaign. The 2024 election will be determined by identity-based demographic trends and negative (anti-fandom) marketing campaigns. Demographics are destiny, and America is changing rapidly in ways that make it increasingly difficult for the Republicans to win the popular vote. It doesn’t matter if the Democrat is Harris, Newsom, Clinton, or Whitmer while the Republican is Rubio, Haley, Cruz, or Burgum. The baseline is probably 52% to 48%, D to R. Candidate fandom and anti-fandom probably shift the vote 2 or 3 percent in either direction. The correlation of demographic traits with voting behaviors creates incentives for campaign strategies that focus on identity. Republicans are eager to shift some percentage of Black or Hispanic voters to their cause because it simultaneously reduces the Democrats' base and grows Republican totals. In contrast, Democrats need to motivate marginal voters in the female, Black, and Hispanic segments to turn out. Fear-based appeals are the most effective tool for both parties' goals. Negative messaging is also prevalent because of the general view of politicians. Politicians tend to inspire more antipathy (anti-fandom) than admiration (fandom). The fandom data shows this, as both candidates have far more anti-fans than fans (this holds with other politicians) . The modern election calculus is, therefore, focused on aggressive negative ads that inspire marginal voters to take the initiative to vote against a hated candidate. Passion drives behavior, and it's far easier to drive fear and hatred of a candidate than to inspire passion and admiration. Considering the fandom data and the current electorate, I have two predictions. First, we will witness an incredibly nasty race. Harris’s best bet is to demonize Trump to motivate the anti-Trump voters to turn out. The American culture of 2024 includes constant repetition that many Democratic voting constituencies are marginalized and threatened. These segments are best motivated by using messages that cast the Republicans as the danger or oppressor. Women will fear losing reproductive rights, and African Americans will be primed with threats to voting rights. Trump will also employ negative messaging, but Trump’s adoption of a negative campaign comes from a slightly different motivation. Trump’s core support consists of conservatives who are frustrated by a lack of cultural power and representation. This group is looking for someone who will fight for their values. This desire for a “fighting advocate” explains much of Trump’s appeal, as his supporters are enthusiastic about his “mean tweets and nicknames.” There will also be fear-based advertising as Harris will be positioned as wanting to defund police and open the border. Second, Trump wins in a close contest. Comparing Trump’s and Harris’ fandom and anti-fandom suggests the Harris campaign faces an uphill challenge. Despite the current blitz of enthusiasm for Harris as a replacement for a failing Joe Biden, her “brand” has not shown an ability to stimulate passion, and her dislike levels exceed Trump's. It seems unlikely that she will be able to inspire fans. While Trump has a significant fanbase and weaknesses in terms of strong anti-fandom levels in minority and cultural segments, he probably beat Clinton in 2016 because her anti-fandom was equivalent to his. In contrast, he lost to Biden because Biden had less anti-fandom (in 2020). Kamala Harris seems more like Clinton than Biden, so look for a similar outcome as in 2016. The bottom-line prediction: An exceptionally negative campaign, with Trump’s greater baseline fandom and Harris’s charisma deficit leading to a narrow Trump victory. As in 2016,Trump wins the Electoral College while losing the popular vote. Addendum: Future Fandom Lesson The structure of the American electorate and the propensity of people to vote based on identity rather than ideology mean that negative campaigns are the standard in the near future. The essential observation is that demographic trends create an electorate that is more a collection of identity segments than a homogeneous population that varies in ideology. An increasingly diverse electorate likely means increasingly negative presidential campaigns as negative or fear-based appeals are especially effective when elections focus on threats to identity groups. The tragedy of this situation is that the negative messages of campaigns amplify racial division and acrimony. When the next election occurs, the electorate is even more polarized, and negative or fear-based appeals are again the most effective. Mike Lewis is an expert in the areas of analytics and marketing. This approach makes Professor Lewis a unique expert on fandom as his work addresses the complete process from success on the field to success at the box office and the campaign trail. Michael is available to speak with media - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today. Interested in following Future Fandom! Subscribe for free to receive new posts.
Covering the race for the White House? Georgia Southern's presidency expert can help
It has been far from a quiet summer on the American political scene. Each day seems to bring a different twist of turn for both parties seeking to claim power in the upcoming November elections. And if you're covering - Georgia Southern University political science professor Joshua Kennedy, Ph.D., is here to help with any question you may have, angle you're looking to explore or simply be a reliable, informed and objective source for your stories. Kennedy's principal area of study and teaching is in American politics, with a more particular focus on the presidency and the federal bureaucracy. His research has appeared in such outlets as American Politics Research, Research and Politics and Presidential Studies Quarterly, and he is a renowned expert for local, regional and national media when it comes to the American presidency. So if you have a story to file between now and November 05 - simply click on Joshua Kennedy's icon now to arrange an interview today.
Sport and Study: Villanova University Faculty Offer Academic Lens to Paris Olympics Storylines
All eyes are on Paris: more than 10,000 athletes from 206 nations are set to compete in the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, the third Olympics in the City of Love and the first since 1924. Below, Villanova University faculty members provide their academic expertise on the unique storylines and narratives already taking place as Paris 2024 gets underway. Portraying a National Image in the Opening Ceremony Étienne Achille, PhD Director of French and Francophone Studies After months of speculation, the daily Le Parisien has officially confirmed that renowned French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura will lend her vocals to an opening ceremony featuring an iconic backdrop steeped in history. “Nakamura is the most-streamed Francophone singer in the world, embodying France’s culture on a global stage, and she’ll be paying homage to one of the most cherished representatives of the chanson française,” said Dr. Achille, referring to reports she will sing one of beloved French crooner Charles Aznavour’s greatest hits. According to Dr. Achille, the pop star’s presence is significant and symbolic. “A performer, or even a flagbearer, can easily become the face of a global event like the Olympics,” he said. The details of the setting for the ceremony – in the heart of Paris, along the Seine – are just as intentionally symbolic. “Not only will this be the first opening ceremony to take place entirely outside of a stadium; its location along the river and the fact the delegations will be on boats are key. “It represents movement and connection to the world,” Dr. Achille said. “And Nakamura’s performance projects the image of a modern, multi-ethnic nation building on tradition while proudly marching into the future.” Swimming in the Seine: Safe or Not? Metin Duran, PhD Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering It is, perhaps, the most-asked question of the last few weeks. Is the Seine River, set to host multiple swimming events, safe? The river has been illegal to swim in for a century due to the presence of harmful bacteria such as E. Coli, and recent testing has reaffirmed this concern. The Seine, which had undergone an expensive cleaning to mitigate this issue, received the endorsement of Paris Mayor Ann Hidalgo, who personally took a dip in the water herself to attest to its safety. The stunt did little to convince experts such as Dr. Duran, who studies wastewater, to abandon concern about the potential health risks of athletes being exposed to pathogens in the water. “When we have fecal pollution, there is a high likelihood of pathogens being present,” Dr. Duran said. “Those could be viral, like a norovirus, or protozoan. “If you’re swimming in that water, you run the risk of ingesting it. Once you ingest that polluted water, you’re likely to contract some of those disease-causing pathogens. Ingesting this water doesn’t mean you’re necessarily going to get sick, but based on the number of people in a big city like Paris, there is a very high likelihood of some of these pathogens existing now in the river.” Accommodations for Breastfeeding Athletes Sunny Hallowell, PhD, APRN, PPCNP-BC Associate Professor of Nursing The IOC and Paris 2024 Organizing Committee is providing support to all breastfeeding athletes competing in the Games. A few national governing bodies, like the French Olympic Committee, are going a step further and offering hotel rooms near the Village for their country’s breastfeeding athletes to share with their children and spouses. “A few decades ago, the idea of a female athlete who also wanted to breastfeed their child was so taboo it may have prevented an athlete from competing,” said Dr. Hallowell. “Now, many female athletes who choose to breastfeed their newborns or toddlers conceptualize breastfeeding as another normal function of their remarkably athletic bodies.” Accommodation for breastfeeding athletes and increased awareness are needed more than ever. Dr. Hallowell notes that in addition to changing views on breastfeeding, the needs for such accommodations are increasing as the age of peak athletic performance also increases. “Advances in sports nutrition, wellness and lifestyle have extended the longevity and performance of many athletes into adulthood,” she said. And while some athletes with rigorous training regimens might feel “frustrated incorporating breastfeeding into the routine,” Dr. Hallowell says that for others, “breastfeeding provides both physical and socio-emotional benefits for the mother and the infant that allow the athlete to focus on the job of competition.” Protecting Against the Parisian Heat Ruth McDermott-Levy, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN Professor of Nursing The potential for extreme heat in Paris has been a topic of concern for athletes and organizers, prompting certain outdoor events to be proactively scheduled at times to avoid the day’s worst heat. Current forecasts predict temperatures in the 90s for several days early on in the Games, which could be exacerbated by Paris’ reputation as an urban heat island, unable to cool due to lack of green space and building density. Dr. McDermott-Levy says the athletes are inherently vulnerable, because “the added stress of physical exertion during their events puts them at greater risk of heat-related illness.” But she also notes that many of the athletes have likely undergone pre-competition training in extreme heat conditions to acclimate and will have trainers and health professionals monitoring them frequently. “The group of concern are the workers at the stadiums, outdoor workers and spectators who are there to enjoy or work at the events and may have had little to no acclimation,” Dr. McDermott-Levy said. “They need to follow local instructions and take frequent breaks from the heat, seek shade and maintain hydration by avoiding alcohol and sugary drinks and drinking water.” How Nature Can Inspire Future Use of Olympic Infrastructure Alyssa Stark, PhD Assistant Professor of Biology Gone, hopefully, are the days of abandoned Olympic Villages and venues, overrun with weeds and rendered useless soon after the Games conclude. The IOC’s commitment to sustainability has been transparently relayed ahead of the 2024 Games, featuring a robust range of initiatives and programs. Dr. Stark is particularly interested in one aspect of ensuring a sustainable Olympics. “How will the structures, materials and systems they developed for the Olympics be re-used, re-shaped or re-worked afterward?” she posed. “This could include re-using buildings to larger scale or re-working transportation systems set in place for the Games that could then integrate into day-to-day life post Olympics.” At the root of her interest is the concept of biomimicry. “A lot of the way we think about designing, if we’re using this biomimicry lens, is how do we learn from nature to solve problems that we have in a sustainable way, keeping in mind the environment we are in?” Dr. Stark said. In this case, consider how something like a dwelling of a living creature might be repurposed to fit the needs of another creature, or serve another natural purpose, without harming the ecosystem. Could that inspire a way to re-use the Olympic infrastructure? “There are a ton of examples of [biomimicry] being used and working in products,” Dr. Stark said. “But I would say the next step is looking at the social levels of these big ecosystems – building architecture, city planning, flow of information and, in this instance, repurposing what was created for the Olympics.” Paris Could Be a Transportation Model for Major City Events in the United States Arash Tavakoli, PhD Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Paris has invested 250 million Euro the last several years to transform the city to a 100% cycling city, making it one of the most bike-friendly municipalities in the world. Currently, more trips are being made by bicycles in Paris than by cars (11% vs. 4%), a trend that has permeated to the surrounding suburbs as well. With an influx of travelers in Paris for the Games, Dr. Tavakoli, an expert in human transportation, said, “The Olympics will be a test for how well these kinds of systems respond to high fluctuations in the population as compared to vehicle-centric systems.” While Paris is thousands of miles away from the United States, how bicycle, pedestrian and vehicle systems work during the Games could provide helpful insight ahead of major events in American cities. “With the World Cup coming to the U.S. in a few years, it will be interesting to compare [Paris] with how our own system responds to people’s needs,” Dr. Tavakoli said. “Not just based on traffic data and congestion, but also considering factors like how comfortable the transportation system is, how much it affects our well-being and how much it attracts a nonresident to enjoy the U.S. when their only option, for the most part, is a vehicle.”
Gold medal-worthy experts for Olympic Summer Games coverage
The University of Delaware boasts several experts who can comment on health-related topics such as injuries and training and business-focused areas like marketing and team behavior as they relate to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Matt Robinson Professor, sport management Relevant expertise: Will be in Paris and can discuss the Olympics from an onsite perspective; can give the backstory on The International Coaching Enrichment Certificate Program (ICECP) and what’s new in the Paris Olympics. Link to profile and contact Tom Kaminski Professor, kinesiology and applied physiology Relevant expertise: Can comment on the impact of heading in Olympic soccer and has studied the risks of concussions in sports for nearly three decades. Link to profile and contact Karin Silbernagel Professor, physical therapy Relevant expertise: Research aims to advance the understanding of tendon and ligament injuries and repair. Can also discuss sailing. Link to profile and contact Tim DeSchriver Associate professor, sport management Relevant expertise: Sport finance, economics and marketing Link to profile and contact Other experts: INJURIES: Tom Buckley Associate professor, kinesiology and applied physiology Relevant expertise: Head impacts from boxing. Stephanie Cone Assistant professor, biomedical engineering Relevant expertise: Studies the structure-function relationship that exists in tendons and ligaments with a special interest in changes in this relationship during growth and following injury. Mike Eckrich Clinical instructor, physical therapy Relevant expertise: Weightlifting; can talk about the difference between men’s and women’s injuries and form in the sport. Donald Ford Physical therapy Relevant expertise: Shoulder injuries/rehab expert Jeffrey Schneider Senior instructor, kinesiology and applied physiology Relevant expertise: Athletic training and injury prevention, with a particular interest in ice skating injuries. Worked with athletes competing in Winter Olympics (2002, 2006) as a strength and conditioning coach and athletic trainer. EVENTS: Jocelyn Hafer Assistant professor, kinesiology and applied physiology Relevant expertise: Race Walk events and how biomarkers are used in walking studies. Airelle Giordano Associate professor, physical therapy Relevant expertise: Gymnastics; she was a collegiate gymnast Kiersten McCartney Doctoral student Relevant expertise: Can chat about Paralympic Triathlon (running, hand cycling, swimming). Steve Goodwin Associate professor, health behavior and nutrition sciences Relevant expertise: He is also in Paris leading a study abroad cohort. He has been to multiple Olympics, and can also speak to on-site experience, differences in games, etc. George Edelman Adjunct professor, physical therapy Relevant expertise: How the "underwaters” technique gives Olympians an edge. BUSINESS: John Allgood II Instructor, sport management Relevant expertise: Sport business management, event management SCIENCE: Joshua Cashaback Assistant professor, biomedical engineering Relevant expertise: Specializes in neuromechanics and control of human movement. His research falls under two major themes: The neuroplasticity and adaptation research line tests how reinforcement feedback can subserve our ability to acquire new motor skills.
Hofstra Experts Weigh In on the 2024 Presidential Election
Hofstra University boasts a team of distinguished media-ready experts, ready to talk about the newest developments in the 2024 presidential race. They include presidential scholar Meena Bose, constitutional law professor James Sample, media expert and former NBC executive Mark Lukasiewicz, and Lawrence Levy, an expert in suburban studies and suburban voting trends More details on their expertise and recent media appearances are provided below, along with information on how to connect with them for interviews and commentary. Dr Meena Bose Executive Director of the Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency & Professor of Political Science Dr. Meena Bose brings her extensive experience and frequent media presence to discussions on the historic nature of the 2024 presidential race. Recent topics she has been interviewed about include next steps for the Democrats now that President Biden has withdrawn from the 2024 presidential race, former President Donald Trump’s selection of J.D. Vance as his running mate, how the assassination attempt on Trump may have impacted the race, and the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity rulings View Profile & Connect Recent Media Dr. Meena Bose has recently been called on by media to discuss: CNN's Biden-Trump debate; how President Biden may recover from his poor debate performance; and the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling. She has appeared on WABC-TV, WNYW Fox 5, Fox radio stations across the country, and Reuters TV. She is frequently interviewed by Newsday and Newsweek, and her expertise has also been prominently featured in The Washington Post and The New York Times. She is the author of the forthcoming book: Pragmatic Vision: Obama and the Enactment of the Affordable Care Act. James Sample Professor, Maurice A. Deane School of Law James Sample, a constitutional law professor, is a sought-after legal and political commentator on legal challenges facing former President Donald Trump, Supreme Court ethics, the broader implications of presidential immunity, and the guilty verdict delivered in the Senator Robert Menendez trial. He most recently was interviewed about President Biden leaving the race and throwing his support behind VP Kamala Harris. View Profile & Connect Recent Media James Sample is a regular commentator for Reuters, CNN, CBS, WNYW Fox 5, and WCBS on topics like the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity; ethics questions facing Supreme Court Justices Alito and Thomas; former President Donald Trump’s legal challenges, including the election interference case and the “Hush Money” trial. In addition to his broadcast media interviews, Professor Sample has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, U.S. News & World Report, the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, Salon, USA Today, and The National Law Journal, as well as in leading blogs and regional outlets throughout the country. Mark Lukasiewicz Dean of the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication Mark Lukasiewicz offers his expertise on media coverage of the presidential race, drawing on his vast experience in planning and supervising election coverage. Before joining Hofstra, Dean Lukasiewicz was senior vice president of specials at NBC News, planning and supervising coverage of major breaking news events, including presidential elections and debates from 2004 to 2016. View Profile & Connect Recent Media A former NBC executive, Dean Lukasiewicz is available to speak about media coverage of the 2024 presidential race. Recent examples include the June 27th debate and expectations for President Biden’s interview on July 5 with George Stephanopoulos. Before joining Hofstra, Dean Lukasiewicz was senior vice president of specials at NBC News, planning and supervising coverage of major breaking news events, including presidential elections and debates from 2004 to 2016. He has been interviewed in recent weeks by the Wall Street Journal, Newsday, Tribune News Service, Scripps Morning News, and the AP. Lawrence Levy Associate Vice President and Executive Dean of the National Center for Surburban Studies (NCSS) In his leadership role at NCSS, Dean Levy has worked with Hofstra's academic and local communities to shape an innovative, interdisciplinary agenda for interdisciplinary suburban study. He has commented on a variety of political issues – most recently President Biden dropping his reelection bid and what that means for down-ballot elections. View Profile & Connect Recent Media Prior to joining Hofstra, Dean Levy spent 35 years as a reporter, editorial writer, columnist and PBS host, winning many of journalism's top awards (including Pulitzer finalist) for in-depth works on suburban politics, education, taxation, housing and other key issues. As a journalist, he was known for blending national trends and local perspectives and has covered seven presidential campaigns and 15 national conventions. Visit our Expert Center for a full directory of Hofstra experts insights.
Can political polarization threaten American democracy?
Partisan hostility in the United States is at a fever pitch and is a dominant theme in the 2024 election cycle. But how much does it matter to everyday life in America? What is really at stake? James Druckman, a professor of political science at the University of Rochester who is widely considered one of the country's foremost experts on political polarization and its impact on American democracy, is poised to answer those questions and back up his conclusions with data. His latest book, Partisan Hostility and American Democracy: Explaining Political Divisions and When They Matter, outlines the potential consequences of extreme partisan animus by distilling empirical evidence gathered between 2019 and 2021. The upshot? Partisan hostility alone is unlikely to lead to the collapse of American democracy. But it nonetheless has a deleterious effect on democracy and could erode democratic institutions and functioning over time. In the end, the book concludes, American democracy hinges more on how political leaders respond to the polarization than the polarization itself. Druckman has been cited by The New York Times columnist Thomas Edsall as among the political scientists in the country "working on getting us to hate one another less."
