Reporters may contact:
SMU News and Information
newsinfo@smu.edu
(214) 768-7650

September 13, 2001

SMU AVAILABLE TO SPEAK ON ATTACK ON AMERICA

The following scholars and the student representative at Southern Methodist University are available to speak to reporters on a variety of issues surrounding the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. These people may be reached at the numbers listed below.

BIOTERRORISM

  • John Easton, assistant professor of environmental engineering in the SMU School of Engineering, can talk about biological agents such as anthrax and smallpox, the history of biological warfare, the estimated healthcare and economic costs that could result from modern use of bioterrorism and what we can do to protect ourselves from a bioterrorism attack. Professor Easton may be reached in his office at 214-768-3110.

ECONOMICS

  • Mike Davis is a lecturer in economics and finance at SMU’s Cox School of Business He is available to talk about the potential economic implications of Tuesday’s attack on America and how it may affect the stock market. He may be reached at his office, 214-768-2632.
  • Tom Fomby is an economics professor in SMU’s Dedman College and is available to talk about the long-term effect on the American economy that we can expect from this attack. He may be reached at his office, 214-768-2559.
  • Marc Reinganum is a finance professor in SMU’s Cox School of Business and is an expert in investments, stock market analysis, the meaning of risk in finance, corporate finance and financial market structures. He is available to speak on the possible effect this attack is likely to have on the stock market and trading, as well as the importance of the physical location of a place of trading and whether expertise in the future should be so heavily concentrated in one location as it has been in the past. He may be reached at his home, 214-692-1116, or at his office, 214-768-2260.

LAW/CONSTITUTION

  • John Attanasio, dean of the SMU Dedman School of Law and the William Hawley Atwell Chair in Constitutional Law, can talk about civil liberties, the war powers of the federal government, international law regarding the hunt for fugitives and the pursuit of justice, the NATO resolution and other potential legal implications. He may be reached at his office, 214-768-2621.
  • Joseph Koblyka, associate professor of political science, can talk about civil liberties and the war powers of the federal government. He may be reached at his office, 214-768-2525.
  • Kent Krause, adjunct professor of law at SMU Dedman School of Law, is a specialist in aviation law. He can talk on airline and airport security, including what needs to be done inside the airplanes to improve safety; passenger rights at airport security check points; the federal law requiring airlines to provide victim assistance; and potential legal claims that may arise from the attacks. He may be reached at his law firm Speiser-Krause at 214-752-4664 or by calling SMU Office of News and Information at 214-768-7650.

MEDIA

  • Ralph Langer, interim director of the SMU Journalism Department in the Meadows School of the Arts, is available to talk about the media’s handling of Tuesday’s attack on America. Langer is the former editor and executive vice president of The Dallas Morning News. He may be reached at his home, 972-771-5418, or his office, 214-768-3395.
  • Rita Whillock, a specialist in political communication, is an SMU professor of public affairs and corporate communications in the Meadows School of the Arts. She is available to talk about crisis communications from the perspectives of the Bush administration and the airlines, as well as their efforts to calm public fears. She may be reached at her SMU office, 214-768-2123, or at her home, 817-540-3627, or by cell phone, 817-975-0686.
  • David Sedman, a cinema-television professor in the Meadows School of the Arts, is a pop culture expert and is available to talk about how the surreal images the American public has seen of news footage of these events have the appearance of movies. He may be reached at his office, 214-768-3375.

POLITICS /HISTORY

  • Jim Hollifield, director of the John G. Tower Center for Political Studies in Dedman College, is available to talk on issues of national security and international relations. He may be reached at his SMU office, 214-768-2825.
  • Dennis S. Ippolito, chair of the Department of Political Science in Dedman College and the Eugene McElvaney Professor of Political Science, can talk about defense policy, defense strategy and the federal budget. Since 1990 Ippolito has presented annual lectures at the U.S. Army War College. He may be reached by calling 214-768-7650.
  • Cal Jillson, political science professor in Dedman College at Southern Methodist University, is available to talk on foreign policy, national security, the Bush reaction to the attack on America, the war powers of the federal government and the mobilization of the crisis. He may be reached at his SMU office, 214-768-4321, or at home, 972-307-8422.
  • Thomas Knock, associate professor of history in the SMU William P. Clements Jr. Department of History in Dedman College, is an expert on politics, diplomacy and the American presidency. He may be reached at his SMU office, 214-768-2972.
  • Michael Provence, assistant professor of history in SMU’s William P. Clements Jr. Department of History in Dedman College, can talk about 20th-century Middle Eastern politics, the history of the Middle East and American perceptions of Arab-Americans. He was a Fulbright Scholar from 1998 to 2000 and lived in Damascus. He may be reached at 214-768-7650.
  • Dennis Simon, associate professor of political science, can talk on the presidency, public opinion and the Congress. He may be reached at his office, 214-768-2527.

PSYCHOLOGY

  • Marjorie Hatch-Woodruff is a psychology professor who can talk about the psychology of fear and anxiety disorders. She may be reached at her office, 214-768-1863.
  • Ken Springer is a psychology professor who can talk about how parents and teachers should discuss Tuesday’s events with their small children. He may be reached by calling his office, 214-768-3829.

RELIGION

  • Virgil Howard, professor of Supervised Ministry and a New Testament scholar at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology, is available to talk about the Book of Revelations and concerns about the apocalypse. He may be reached at his office, 214-768-2405.
  • Robin Lovin, dean of the Perkins School of Theology and the Cary M. Maguire University Professor of Ethics, is available to talk about religion and politics, the ethics of war and the “Just War” theory. He may be reached at his office, 214-768-2534.

ENGINEERING

  • Bijan Mohraz, professor of civil engineering in the SMU School of Engineering, can talk about construction of the World Trade Centers, what caused the buildings to collapse, and what architects and engineers may do differently in rebuilding the structures. “Structural engineers will analyze this for years to come,” Mohraz says. Professor Mohraz may be reached in his office at 214-768-3123.

MILITARY TECHNOLOGY AND OPERATIONS

  • Geoffrey Orsak, associate dean of the SMU School of Engineering, spent two years participating in an elite national security program called the Defense Science Study Group that exposes young scientists and technology leaders to national security issues. Orsak can talk about cryptography, defending against biological weapons, protection of the nation’s energy infrastructure, protection of critical data, the technology behind new weapons such as smart bombs, how the Pentagon communicates with soldiers in the field, and Battle Damage Assessment (how the government assesses how well bombs are placed). Professor Orsak may be reached in his office at 214-768-3979.

STUDENT RESPONSE

  • Jodi Warmbrod, a senior from Edmond, Okla., is president of the SMU Students’ Association. She is available to talk about how the tragedy is having an impact on this generation of students and how students at SMU are responding with a fund raising drive to collect money for American Red Cross and a future blood drive. Warmbrod may be available at her office, 214-768-4448, or on her cell phone, 214-793-5334.
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