Force and DiplomacyRichard 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 presidencyJames HiltyProfessor of historyOffice: 215-204-5581Home: 610-277-6847[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 securityGeoffrey HerreraProfessor of political science Office: 215-204-1471Home: 215-925-1009[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.
Psychological effectsFrank FarleyProfessor of educational psychologyOffice: 215-204-6024Home: 215-881-7776Cell: 215-668-7581
"The country will recover from this very slowly, very painfully and very incompletely," says Farley, a behavioral psychologist and former president of the American Psychological Association. "This is devastating in terms of what it will do to our self-confidence and our can-do attitude, which help define us as Americans."
Marsha WeinraubProfessor of psychologyOffice: 215-204-7183[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."
Economic ImpactBruce 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 today's 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."
Death and DyingLucy BregmanProfessor of religionOffice: 215-204-1746Home: 215-467-1541E-mail: [email protected] 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."
Post Traumatic StressJay 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."
Structural DamagePhilip 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 be reached through Temple's Office of News & Media Relations, 215-204-7476.
bb-480 ***September 11, 2001
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