From heroism and post traumatic stress to national security and environmental concerns, the following Temple University experts are available to discuss issues related to Tuesday's terrorist attacks:
Heroism-- Frank FarleyProfessor of educational psychologyOffice: 215-204-6024Home: 215-881-7776[email protected]
"In addition to the heroism of the professionals--the firefighters and the police officers and the rescue workers--there are many, many 'situational heroes' coming out of this tragedy,"says Farley, who has studied heroes for years. "People who exhibit this kind of heroism, who act when others are frozen by fear or shock, often act before they think. Many have shown risk-taking tendencies and some have a strong spiritual connection. They also tend to exhibit empathy, sympathy and generosity. Their own upbringing, being told by their parents throughout their lives that they have a duty to help people, also can play a role."
Grief-- Lucy BregmanProfessor of religionOffice: 215-204-1746Home: 215-467-1541E-mail: [email protected]
Bregman has taught the course "Death and Dying" since 1979 and is author of the book Beyond Silence and Denial: Death and Dying Reconsidered. "I'm sure there will be a national day of mourning set aside and we will memorialize the victims in some way," she says. "Fifty years ago, someone would have probably just paved a parking lot over the site. Fortunately, we now know that we need to take steps to have some kind of closure."
Environmental concerns-- Bill MillerAssociate professor of civil and environmental engineeringOffice: 215-204-7814Cell: 215-280-8327
"Certainly, the two World Trade Center Towers, and probably the smaller buildings in that complex, used structural steel as a frame. In the period they were built during the 1960s, there is a possibility asbestos fire-proofing was used in the structural steel, which means asbestos could be in the layers of ash covering the ground. It could become even more widespread by rain flowing over the land surface and by all the vehicles picking it up in their tires and depositing it other places. It's probably all over lower Manhattan. Once you finally pick up the ash and debris, if it's considered to be hazardous because it's bearing asbestos, where do you take it in terms of landfills and disposal sites that would be willing to accept it? That's a problem. We may see some future debates about 'not in my backyard' regarding its disposal."
Post Traumatic Stress-- Jay SegalProfessor of health studiesOffice: 215-204-5107Home: 610-825-0448E-mail: [email protected]
"Most people who are not directly involved will be OK right now because we're all grieving," says Segal, an expert on stress. "It will be three months from now, when we've all gone back to our everyday lives, that the effects of this will really take hold." Segal says we can expect to see people suffering from all kinds of stress-related illnesses. "People will have headaches, sleeplessness, and anxiety." Segal speculates that children will be among those most affected. "This takes away from the basic need to feel safe in the world. The vulnerability issue is at the heart of this tragedy."
-- Denise Walton, Ph.D.Counseling psychologist/Student Counseling CenterOffice: 215-204-3118Home: 610-449-2548
"People need to take care of themselves and, if they start to feel overwhelmed, limit their exposure to the television and radio," says Walton, who recommends that people try to maintain daily routines of eating, exercising and sleeping. "If anything, we all probably need a little more sleep because we're all feeling so exhausted." Walton also cautions people to maintain contact with friends and family and not fall victim to "survivors' guilt." "It's OK to feel other things besides sadness."
Effects on children-- Irwin Hyman Professor of school psychologyOffice: 215-204-6028Home: 215-579-4865E-mail: [email protected]
"Kids will have different reactions to this. Some will brush it off, and some will be deeply affected, even if a member of their family was not involved," says Hyman, who has studied trauma in children and advocates school discussions about the events. "There is no official guideline for how someone should grieve. But if kids begin to make irrational assumptions that go beyond the event and its meaning to their lives, they should receive counseling help."
-- Jennifer Hudson, Ph.D.Coordinator of Temple's Child and Adolescent Anxiety ClinicOffice: 215-204-8423Home: 215-893-0816E-mail: [email protected]
"It's tough for parents to even deal with their own shock and distress over the events, but it's important for them to be able to remain calm, to talk to their children, and to reassure them that they're safe," says Hudson. "The tragedies could trigger an episode in kids who already have a great deal of anxiety." Children with extreme anxiety may have stomachaches, headaches, nightmares, and other sleep difficulties, says Hudson, adding that parents should try to get their children back into their regular routines. "In dealing with this, it's not helpful for children to see images on the news over and over again. Whenever they can, parents should help them keep their regular routines and schedules."
-- Marsha WeinraubProfessor of psychologyOffice: 215-204-7183E-mail: [email protected]
"Kids may need to be near their parents and loved ones right now and feel that they can find them at any time. So be there for your kids," says Weinraub, who specializes in early childhood development and parenting issues. "Kids have questions. Answer them honestly, say only what you know, and be brief."
'Teaching' a national tragedy-- Christine WoyshnerProfessor of social studies educationOffice: 215-204-6147E-mail: [email protected]
"In the classrooms, teachers, especially in high school, and, to some extent, in middle school, should be looking to acknowledge the complexity of the events. We know about the horror and the loss of life, and the psychological components have to be addressed. But beyond that, they should look at this in terms of its political and social significance. There are really four interlocking aspects of social studies education: knowledge (dates, events), skills (map-reading, etc.), social activism, and social participation. It's not just learning facts, but how these events change attitudes, beliefs and values."
Economic Impact-- Bruce RaderAssistant Professor of FinanceOffice: 215-204-5231Home: 215-283-2593
"My guess is, in the short term, the financial markets will take a pretty big hit" from the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, says Rader. "You have a lot of uncertainty about the situation, and that tends to make the stock market fall. A lot of the key people in the U.S. financial market worked at the World Trade Center. That loss of expertise may hurt in the short term, too." In the long term, people will react as the government does, says Rader. "If the government finds out who did this quickly, the markets will settle down. But if it drags on and on, people may pull their dollars from the market, thinking our country is soft."
Force and Diplomacy-- Richard ImmermanProfessor of historyOffice: 215-204-7466Home: 610-645-5436
"One of the purposes (of the attacks) is to demonstrate that American security is much more lax than people think," says Immerman, director of the Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy at Temple. "These terrorists are saying, 'No one is safe and you cannot defend against us.'" Immerman can discuss possible motives behind the attacks, the political climate leading up to the violence, and possible U.S. responses.
Leadership/The presidency-- James HiltyProfessor of historyOffice: 215-204-5581Home: 610-277-6847E-mail: [email protected]
"There has not been anything of this magnitude that any president has faced," says Hilty, a national expert on American presidents and author of the book Robert Kennedy: Brother Protector. "The attacks are an enormous insult to the United States and were planned for maximum humiliation to the country. There will have to be a proportionate response of some kind. This will not only measure the president, but the whole country."
National security-- Geoffrey HerreraProfessor of political science Office: 215-204-1471Home: 215-925-1009E-mail: [email protected]
Teaches "Post-Cold War Security," which examines the debate over the changing meaning of security and the contemporary international security environment. Topics include the nature of security, the international environment and post-modern terrorism. Participated in "Causes of Future War Seminar" conducted by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments for the Director of Net Assessment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. "The government needs to get away from the idea of this being a 'war' and treat this as a criminal act. The United States and its allies need to work as an international law enforcement entity and bring these criminals to justice."
Travel/tourism industry-- David WestAssistant Professor School of Tourism and Hospitality ManagementOffice: 215-204-1474Home: 215-233-5011E-mail: [email protected]
"Not since the 1988 Pan Am explosion over Lockerbie, Scotland, has the travel and tourism industry been thrown into such a state of shock. The question is, what are Americans willing to accept? Are we willing to show up at the airport two to three hours in advance, have every bag checked, submit to background checks and go through multiple security checkpoints? In recent years, the airline industry has been hammered with customer service issues--long lines, lost baggage, flight delays. The industry, and the nation, have tough decisions ahead."
Structural damage-- Philip Udo-InyangAssociate professor and chair of Civil EngineeringOffice: 215-204-7831Home: 610-789-0232
"The impact of the planes caused excess energy, which was transferred to the World Trade Center buildings. This, along with the heat from the fires caused by the crashes, weakened the internal structures and caused the upper floors of the buildings to collapse onto the lower floors, making it look like an implosion. The foundations of the buildings are still pretty much intact, so they can be used to rebuild on the present site. However, the existing foundations should not be made to support the same 110-story structures, and it would be cost-prohibitive to remove the present foundations."
All experts can also be reached through the Office of News & Media Relations, 215-204-7476. The list of experts, which will be updated regularly, is also available on Temple's website at www.temple.edu/news_media.
***bb-485September 13, 2001
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