News Release

With the anniversary of Sept. 11 approaching, you may want to consider some of the following Johns Hopkins researchers, professors and social scientists as potential sources for stories about what happened and what's happened since.

World Trade Center Clean-up Workers Suffering from Acute Respiratory Problems
Many workers who cleared debris from the site of the World Trade Center attack of Sept. 11 reported acute respiratory symptoms, according to recent a health assessment conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The investigators believe the respiratory problems may be associated with exposure to dust and airborne contaminants at "Ground Zero." They said that more research is needed to determine if there is any long-term health risk to the workers, as they only looked at short-term health effects.The assessment was conducted between October 2001 and April 2002 in collaboration with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Contact: Tim Parsons at 410-955-6878

International Security, Terrorism, Targeted Killings
Steven David, professor of political science
For more than 20 years, David has studied issues of international security, weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. He is well-versed in the methods various states have used to combat terrorism and has followed the United States efforts closely since the World Trade Center attacks.

He has served as a consultant to the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense. In a recent paper, which he presented in Israel, David looks closely at the Israeli policy of targeted killing, or going after suspected or known terrorists and killing them for past or intended future acts of violence, without arrest or trial. With the United States now edging towards a similar policy, David would make an excellent source on a topic that is rife with moral, logistic and legal questions.
Contact: Steven David at 410-516-6056 or [email protected]

Bioterrorism and Biodefense
The Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies
Researchers at the Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are on the forefront of efforts to detect and prevent the use of biological weapons and are an excellent source of information on anthrax, smallpox and other threats to public health and safety.

Since its establishment in 1998, the center has been seeking to guide policies and practices that will reduce the likelihood that biological weapons are used, and lessen the suffering and consequences should an attack occur.
Contact: Tim Parsons at 410-955-6878.

Military tribunals, civil rights and the Supreme Court
Joel Grossman, a political scientist and expert on constitutional law
For issues surrounding the constitutional law questions raised by the efforts to fight terrorism -- military tribunals, the new Homeland Security Department, war on Iraq -- consider Joel Grossman, a constitutional law scholar who has studied and taught about the Supreme Court for more than 40 years.

Since Sept. 11, Grossman has written several articles on the slim constitutional basis of President Bush's order establishing military tribunals and says the president's plans to invade Iraq could violate the War Powers Act, which gives the president only a very limited license to use military force without a declaration of war.

One interesting development is the Bush administration has not pursued military tribunals, nor brought any of the Afghan prisoners held in Cuba into federal court, putting those prisoners in a limbo where Grossman says they can be held until the end of hostilities. "And since this war may have no end, these prisoners may spend the rest of their lives in cages," Grossman said.
Contact: Glenn Small at 410-516-6094 or [email protected].

Nuclear explosions and terrorism
Aihud Pevsner, physicist
Aihud Pevsner, professor emeritus and former chairman of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been a leading high-energy physics researcher for more than 30 years. A two-time Guggenheim Fellowship winner, Pevsner is willing to answer questions about the potential effects of the detonation of a nuclear bomb by terrorists in a major metropolitan area.
Contact: Aihud Pevsner at 410-516-7349 or Michael Purdy at 410-516-7906

Foreign Students on American college campuses
Nicholas Arrindell, director, International Student and Scholar Services, Homewood campus
Foreign students were among the 5,000 people the government sought to profile last winter during its investigation into Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Nicholas Arrindell works closely with international students who must now deal with an increased scrutiny concerning the student visas that allow them to study in the United States. Arrindell can address a broad range of Sept. 11-related issues with a direct impact on the lives of foreign students.
Contact: Nicholas Arrindell at 410-516-1013 or Amy Cowles at 410-516-7160

Civility in America in the wake of Sept. 11
P.M. Forni, co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project
In the days immediately following Sept. 11, Johns Hopkins civility expert P.M. Forni says, people across the nation turned to each other for comfort. "In the wake of this unprecedented tragedy, we did what social animals do: We huddled and we helped," says Forni, author of Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct. "I take comfort in that reaction because it means that in a time of crisis, human beings come up with the best of their nature."

Last fall, people were suddenly more disciplined on the road, seemed more tolerant of each other's mistakes, and would smile at a stranger on the street. "Americans say that they think they are kinder, they are more grateful for what they have, and that they express their love more after Sept. 11," Forni says. With the immediate crisis behind us, are we still willing to be civil and kind to those around us?
Contact: P.M. Forni at 410-516-8047 or Amy Cowles at 410-516-7160

Costly Terrorism Insurance Stalls Development
Michael Anikeeff, director of the Johns Hopkins Real Estate Institute
The high cost of terrorism insurance premiums has stalled commercial real estate development, particularly the larger, landmark building projects, said Michael Anikeeff, director of the Johns Hopkins Real Estate Institute. Until Congress passes legislation that provides some relief, many development projects are not getting built, he said.

"It's not the 7-11s that aren't getting built," said Anikeeff. "It's the big ones." Congress has a bill (H.R.3210) that would help address the problem, but it hasn't passed yet. Stalled developments are not helping a sluggish economy, Anikeeff said.
Contact: Michael Anikeeff at 410-516-0773.

War in Iraq, International Law, Terrorism, Persian Gulf, Military Power, Peacekeeping, Afghanistan, Oil Politics, Russia, the Middle East, Iran, OPEC, Southeast Asia, Pakistan, India, Japan, Korea, NATO, Tracking Terrorist Assets
The Johns Hopkins Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
For leading experts in the above fields and many others, consider the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. The roster includes Eliot A. Cohen, professor and director of the Strategic Studies Program and author of the recent book, "Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen and Wartime Leadership;" Francis Fukuyama, professor of International Political Economy; Ruth Wedgwood, a professor of international law and director of the International Law and Organization Program; Fouad Ajami, director of the Middle East Studies Program.

Also, Fred Starr, research professor and chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute; Shirin Tahir-Kheli, director of the Foreign Policy Institute's South Asia Institute; Michael Mandelbaum, director of the American Foreign Policy Program; Azar Nafisi, visiting fellow and professorial lecturer in the Foreign Policy Institute; and Roger Leeds, director of the Center for International Business and Public Policy.
Contact: Felisa Neuringer at 202-663-5626.

International Tourism Since 9/11
Waleed Hazbun, assistant professor of political science.
"International tourism remains one of the most overlooked sectors in the vast political science literature on globalization," says Hazbun, whose expertise is international political economy, the global tourism industry, and tourism development in the Middle East.

While international tourism boomed in the 1980s and 1990s, what affect has the war on terrorism had on tourism? If a decrease in international tourism persists, what effects might that have on the global economy and Middle Eastern states which rely on tourism as a major source of income?
Contact: Glenn Small at 410-516-6094 or [email protected].

Congress since 9/11
Joseph Cooper, professor of political science
The increase in bipartisanship that followed the attacks on Sept. 11 still lingers in Congress a year later, but with reduced impact, according to Joseph Cooper, a political scientist and expert on Congress. The aftermath of the terror attacks continues to restrain Democrats from talking much about foreign policy, but does see them poised to exploit political vulnerabilities, such as Bush's stock deal and the economy.

In the upcoming elections, the Democrats cannot run on their own policy proposals. "They are mainly left with negatives: the budget deficit, a weak economy, disarray in administration policy," Cooper said. "But in the right context, negatives can bring gains with greater ease than positives."
Contact: Joseph Cooper at 410-516-4879 or [email protected]

Talking to Children about Tragedy and Violence
Linda Lewandowski, associate professor of nursing
Lewandowski's research focuses on the responses of children and their families to major stressful life events, interventions to decrease the associated psychological trauma, and augmentation of effective coping strategies for the affected children and their family members.

Her current projects focus on several different populations of traumatized children and families including those who have experienced unintentional injury, exposure to family or community violence, sexual abuse, or a serious illness in the family. Lewandowski's background as a pediatric nurse specialist and licensed clinical psychologist makes her an excellent source for offering advice on how to speak with children about the events of Sept. 11.
Contact: Ming Tai at 443-287-2902

Information Security Expert
Gerald M. Masson
Director, Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute
Professor, Department of Computer Science

"The 9-11 attacks exposed how fragile our information technology infrastructure is and how critically dependent we are on this technology in areas such as health, transportation and energy," Masson says. "It's a tragedy that it took an event like this to raise the public awareness about these vulnerabilities, but universities are obligated to respond to the need for more research and education opportunities in this area. Experts in information security are drawing higher salaries today, and more students are seeking an exposure to this field."

Masson played a leading role in founding the university's Information Security Institute, which draws on experts from nearly every Johns Hopkins school and division. ISI pursues an interdisciplinary approach, focusing on issues ranging from confidentiality of computer data and the security of computer systems to health records and e-business transactions. Its experts also address public policy questions related to information technology. The institute promotes research and is preparing to offer a master of science degree in security informatics.
Contact: Phil Sneiderman at 410-516-7907 or [email protected]

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