2017
Articles
Healthy gut, healthy mind
How can maintaining good gut health improve the lives of people with schizophrenia and their ability to function in the world?
The importance of finding your tribe
How finding your tribe is much deeper than playing tennis, dressing up in costumes or discussing books over glasses of wine.
The urban farmer
Food. It's the primary way we engage with the environment, whether knowingly or not. Yet currently there is a lack of support and security for farmers.
After the game
It is often said that an athlete dies twice. Once when they take their last breath, and the other when they retire from the sport.
Moving far away from home for university
From the country to the coast, what moving away from home for study is like and how it also affects parents.
What it takes to get a condom on the shelf
We've all seen the news reports that claim researchers may have found a miraculous cure for a disease or invented a medical device that will help millions, only to be told at the end of the report that the product is still many years from being a commercial reality. But why, when there are so many people suffering, does it take so long? What goes on behind the scenes?
The psychology of exams
Exams put your brain under pressure, and the way it reacts can be the difference between a clear answer and a blank page.
The long journey home
From the battlefields of Afghanistan to the battles with his own mind, law student and former special forces soldier Mick Bainbridge is fighting on.
The future of housing: building with steel
Standing seven storeys high are two identical apartment blocks; the same in size, look, feel and layout. They are exactly the same, but different. One has a concrete frame, the other cold-formed steel. This difference could change Australian apartments and help expand the country's steel industry.
The future of housing
It might be a squeeze on space, but for many families apartments are the housing of the future.
Why we believe what we believe
Post-truth, fake news, false amplifiers, silos, alternative facts, information operations - it's hard to know who and what to believe anymore.
Fifty shades of green
Celebrated for its medicinal properties but recognised as a trigger for mental illness.
Let's talk about sex
How should we approach some of the pressing issues facing adolescents?
Professor Cook and his fantastic voyage
Professor Chris Cook has seen the University of Wollongong transform from “a carpark, an oval, a pond and a couple of buildings” into a world-class institution.
Get up and move to improve children's learning
What if increasing the amount of physical activity each day could improve children's learning?
Cleaning up our oceans
More than 70 per cent of our planet is covered by ocean. What is it that drives people to explore the deep blue, and why do they feel the need to protect it?
Born from the ocean, bound for Antarctica
PhD student Rachelle Balez is ready to take her place and journey to Antarctica in the Homeward Bound leadership initiative for women in science.
A garden to call home
For years, the block in Mildura sat unused. A mess of weeds and unruly plants was slowly consuming the land.
Timbers with a sustainable timbre
From concert halls and recording studios to factories, sawmills and forests, University of Wollongong (UOW) researchers Professor Chris Gibson and Dr Andrew Warren have been documenting this change by following guitar timbers back to the tree.
Why true crime captivates
On 17 June, 1994, Dominos Pizza sales hit a then record high. Not because of a genius marketing campaign or a special offer - it was because of our fascination with crime.
The rise of competitive parenting
Back at the start of her career, Dr Elisabeth Duursma used to visit low-income families in rural Vermont, in the United States. She would watch how the mothers and children played together, but then she noticed that the fathers would be hovering at the back. They were curious, but not taking part.
Empires built on health and fitness
The health and fitness sector has been booming and rapidly evolving over the past decade. As more and more people seek out information on how to hit their goal weight, achieve a fitness aspiration or make lifestyle changes for the better, the industry has responded.
Who we are: multiculturalism in the home
Boyd and Denise could not have been on more different paths in life. Boyd was an electrician who'd grown up in Shellharbour. Denise was living in the UK, working and studying and trying to find healing, peace and forgiveness.
Worlds collided
Shawn Burns began his foray into journalism at a small newspaper on NSW's far South Coast. He worked his way around regional NSW for 16 years, finding his way into television as a reporter and chief of staff for WIN TV Wagga Wagga, before moving across to head up the Wollongong bureau.
Out to sea
Jack Simmons shares his most daring seafaring journey to East Antarctica on the $120 million state-of-the art CSIRO marine research vessel, the RV Investigator.
The baby-making business
Imagine a world with a growing international trade in eggs, sperm, embryos and genetic material to create designer babies. Where young women are flown across the globe to donate fresh eggs. Where frozen sperm is transported from one side of the world to the other and spare embryos are gifted to couples desperate to conceive.
Smart cities at the crossroads
Are smart cities another fad that benefits only big tech companies, or can the power of citizen sensing help make life better for all who call the city home?
Passion for the job
From being left at a bus garage to helping companies leverage automation technology, Professor Valerie Linton is breaking new ground for women in engineering.
Up in smoke
Still there are lessons to be learnt from these bushfires
My first month living on campus
For most students, living on campus or in student accommodation is the highlight of their university experience and it all seems to come down to that sense of community. Whether it's heading out to different places in the Gong with massive groups of friends, finding a study buddy, or lending your neighbour a frypan - we asked two students about their first time living on campus.
Food waste leaves energy production much to digest
The smell is unmistakably that of beer. Though it's over-fermented beer, with a pungent aroma akin to rotten fruit filling the nostrils.
Sleep on it
Why sleep is more important than ever.
The baby boomer legacy: building dementia-friendly communities
It is time we rethink our approach to aged-care policy and create dementia-friendly communities.
Fight or flight?
Our ability to maintain focus and make effective decisions under pressure and in the face of adversity is influenced by our mental toughness.
A voice to be heard
She didn’t know a word of English when she arrived in Australia, but through work, volunteering and taking a chance, Angie has made the most of her time as an international student.
The march of the robot economy
UOW's Dr Eduardo Pol sheds light on the robot economy and its future.
Wearable tech. Powered by happiness
Imagine a renewable energy source that doesn’t switch off when the sun goes down or when the wind stops. An energy source that is with us wherever we go.
How to find success as a woman in science
As children we are encouraged to dream big, and many young people – including young women and girls – aspire to a career in science.
This is everything you need to do in Wollongong
In a prime location between the mountains and the sea, Wollongong is an adventurer's dream, filled with trails that lead to waterfalls, wildlife and breathtaking lookout points.
Q&A with Marlee Silva
Resilience and a determination to never give up are traits that have been passed on through generations of Marlee Silva's family - and she is no different.
The bridge to university
Sulata Fetui didn't always think she could go to university, but after overcoming challenges and taking a bridging course to prepare herself, she now studies at UOW in South Western Sydney.
Why preschoolers make awesome uni students
They may fail a university chemistry exam, but preschoolers are super-efficient learning machines who can teach us a thing or two.
ATAR adjustments explained using chicken nuggets
There's nothing better than opening a six-pack of nuggets to find a bonus seventh has made its way into your meal. Here’s how you can get the same feeling with your ATAR.
A bee's life
Can the humble honeybee teach us how to live longer?
The future of your future job
Gone are the days when it was a given that we would simply pursue the same career as our parents or take over the family business. We now have more choice than ever.
IRL: My tech internship at Westpac
The In Real Life story about a first-year student's internship at one of the biggest banks in Australia.
3D printing: from science fiction to science fact
Meet the UOW researchers who are using materials science and 3D printing to turn science fiction into medical fact.
(Anti) social media?
Is being constantly connected via social media destroying our sense of self and ability to communicate?
Fish for life: Food security in the South Pacific
As declining stocks in coastal fisheries threaten the food security and health of South Pacific nations, UOW researchers are working with island communities to ensure they have fish for life.
Appease, submit or resist
Luis Gómez Romero on human rights, decency and the law in the age of Trump.
Eco disruption
Climate change is rearranging life on Earth, disturbing ecosystems and threatening human food security, prosperity and health.
For the love of law
When it comes to the law, sometimes you just need to think outside the box.
Friday essay: The cultural meaning of wild horses
Australia has the largest wild horse herd in the world and their presence is deeply controversial. Human geographer Michael Adams explores the cultural meanings.
Immerse yourself
Associate Professor Michael Adams explores the fine line between life and death through freediving.
IRL: My solar powered internship at CSIRO
Madelyn Robertson loved maths in high school and it was physics that sparked her interest in solar energy. But she also loved to be creative. Now she’s studying an Electrical Engineering and Computer Science double degree and has experienced life in the real world through a CSIRO internship.
Indigenous storytelling finds new voices
From ancient dreaming stories to Indigenous youth of today, Kirli Saunders is giving back to community through Indigenous storytelling.
The tech of success
We spoke with Nick Lazaridis, president of HP Inc’s business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa about succeeding in a global career, exciting tech developments and what inspires him.
Using the brain on the bench
Electromaterials pioneer and NSW Scientist of the Year, Professor Gordon Wallace has discovered an innovative way to read your mind.
All care, great responsibility
"Something I learned very early in my career is that one letter to a politician is worth much more than a New England Journal of Medicine publication."
Queen Ita: Still ruling with style
First of all it would be helpful if we could get over the sensitivity in admitting, ‘I’m a feminist’.
2017 Alumni Awards
Each year, UOW Alumni Awards uncover exceptional alumni making an impact in diverse fields of endeavour right across the globe.
Gilly goes to Google
UOW Brand Ambassador and Aussie cricketing legend Adam Gilchrist AM had an inspiring message for Google’s staff when he visited recently.
Home and away
The Alumni Relations Team’s mission is to connect with as many UOW alumni as possible, no matter where they are in the world. Considering there are over 140,000 UOW alumni worldwide, this is no small feat. Luckily we love what we do and are always looking for new ways to reach out and offer you a reason to stay in touch with us.
Tangling with Tertangala
The Tertangala has been UOW’s student magazine – by students for students – since 1962. In the intervening decades it has been a forum for political, controversial, subversive and just plain funny commentary. We bring you five former editors, and the two current editors, of the Tert to talk about what the magazine meant to them and what the big issues have been over the years.
The gift of innovation
Dr Roland Bigg’s uncle taught him what the big things in life were about. Now his gift will have a big impact on the lives of many others.
Answering the call
On the 10th anniversary of the Learning and Development Scholarship Fund, Randi Morris looks back on what it has achieved.
Paying it forward
Five young graduates spoke to Julie-Ann Jeffery about how you can make a difference at any age.
The year at UOW
UOW has continued to strengthening our ties with the community, invest in global impact research, and support society domestically, all while enriching and inspiring students with an unforgettable experience.
Start-ups igniting the world
Bernie Goldie spoke to the UOW graduates taking on the world as global entrepreneurs.
Making an impact in 2017
Celebrating alumni who are establishing themselves as the leaders of tomorrow.
The ones to follow
UOW alumni are ambitious, creative and connected and they’re gaining quite a following. Here are just a few we like to follow.
Susan Zhang holds up a torch
Susan Zhang describes her role as holding up a torch to all the scary and exciting possibilities the future holds.