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Archive

September 13, 2001

List of UW faculty with insights into terrorist attacks, aftermath, now available on the Web, being regularly updated

www.washington.edu/newsroom/terror/

University of Washington faculty members can help reporters with many issues related to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., both with short-term and long-term impacts. Contact UW media-relations officers Steven Goldsmith, Rob Harrill and Joel Schwarz at (206) 543-2580 for assistance.

Please note that the University of Washington is currently between quarters, with classes resuming Oct. 1; therefore, some faculty members may not always be available.

GRIEF


  • Anna Mari Cauce, professor of psychology, (206) 221-6130 or cauce@u.washington.edu. She can speak about dealing with grief, specifically about helping children deal with their emotions.
  • James Mazza, assistant professor of educational psychology, (206) 616-6373. He researches child and adolescent mental health issues including post-traumatic stress syndrome and can talk about how Sept. 11’s terrorist attack may affect children and how parents and educators can talk to children about the event.
  • Susan Hanson at Harborview Medical Center, (206) 731-6397, can set up interviews with the hospital’s trauma experts. They can deal with the full range of issues involved in dealing with the emotional/psychological side of the disaster.

TERRORISTS


  • Anthony Greenwald, professor of psychology, is currently in Maine but can be reached at (207) 236-3567. He can speak to social-psychological questions involving the attacks: What kind of a person would do this? What will motivate people to lose their lives for a cause? Is it easier to persuade people to sacrifice their lives if they stand a chance to do a great amount of destruction? Are people who would do this normal or crazy?
  • Lis Wiehl, assistant professor of law, (206) 543-7366, (206) 604-1829 (cell) or wiehl@u.washington.edu. She can speak to criminal law and major crimes as they relate to terrorist attacks. Wiehl is a former assistant U.S. attorney and was principal deputy chief investigative counsel to the House Judiciary Committee.
  • Joan Fitzpatrick, professor of law, (206) 543-9368 or fitzp@u.washington.edu. She can comment on international law in relation to the attack and subsequent response by NATO. She says the events illustrate an important development in international relations — the emergence of non-state actors as major players in the international arena.

POLITICAL CLIMATE


  • Daniel Chirot, professor of international studies at the UW’s Jackson School of International Studies and an expert on ethnic conflict, (206) 329-8773 (home) or chirot@u.washington.edu. He says this attack shows that America is at war; other governments had to be involved.
  • Stephen Majeski, chairman of the political science department and a specialist in international relations, (206) 543-2783 or majeski@u.washington.edu. He doesn’t believe this is like Pearl Harbor.
  • Ellis Goldberg, director of the Middle East Center at the UW’s Jackson School of International Studies and associate professor of political science, (206) 543-7197 (office), (206) 329-6619 (home) or goldberg@u.washington.edu. He is an expert on Middle East politics.
  • Robert Burrowes, lecturer in the Jackson School of International Studies and an expert on the Middle East, (206) 543-2467 (office), (206) 782-6965 (home) or burrowes@u.washington.edu.
  • Randolph Hennes, affiliate professor of history and a military historian, (206) 543-7442 (office), (206) 323-1232 (home) or rhennes@u.washington.edu. He can talk about parallels with Pearl Harbor and the nation’s feeling of vulnerability.
  • Richard Kirkendall, professor emeritus of history, (206) 543-7972 (office), (206) 522-7381 (home) or rsk@u.washington.edu. He says it appears these targets are carefully chosen by those who believe the U.S. global empire is fueled by two kinds of power: economic and military. Can make comparisons with Pearl Harbor and how we reacted as a nation then.

ENGINEERING

The following faculty can address structural issues involved in the collapse of the World Trade Center, including what it takes to bring such a structure down and why it collapsed the way it did:


MEDIA TRAUMA


  • Roger Simpson, associate professor of communications, (206) 543-0405, or newsboy@u.washington.edu. He can speak about the trauma experienced by members of the press in covering horrendous events, as well as how reporters who improperly handle crisis situations can compound victims’ trauma. Information is also available on the Web at www.dartcenter.org.

ECONOMIC IMPACT


  • Charles Nelson, professor of economics, (206) 685-1382 (office), (206) 525-6727 (home), or cnelson@u.washington.edu. Among other effects, the attack could spur a reversal of America’s post-Cold War slide in defense spending, which is at its lowest level since before WWII. It also could have consequences for the air travel industry and Boeing.
  • Richard Startz, professor of economics, (206) 543-8172 (office), (206) 525-1556 (home), or startz@u.washington.edu. He says the effect on the American economy will be relatively minor as long as people don’t panic. The national economy produces the equivalent of 100 World Trade Centers a year.
  • Debra Glassman, senior lecturer in international business, (206) 543-8738 (office), (206) 542-3071 (home), (206) 992-2092 (cell), or dg2854@u.washington.edu. An expert on NAFTA, WTO and world trade.
  • Jennifer Koski, associate professor of finance and business economics, (206) 543-7975 or koski@u.washington.edu. She can comment on how the attacks may affect the stock market.

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