UF sources available for stories on Sept. 11 terrorist attacks

October 9, 2001

The following sources at the University of Florida are available to speak to the news media today regarding the apparent terrorist attacks in Washington and New York City:

Swapna M. Banerjee – An asistant professor of history specializing in South Asia. (352) 392-7187, e-mail banerjee@history.ufl.edu.

Joe Delfino — Professor of environmental engineering sciences, can discuss the environmental impact of the destruction of the World Trade Center towers. He can be reached at (352) 392-9377, e-mail jdelf@eng.ufl.edu.

Dennis Jett – Dean of UF’s International Center, Jett is a career diplomat with some 30 years experience in the Foreign Service. His area of specialty if international peacekeeping, but Jett also has knowledge of U.S. foreign policy and issues related to the Middle East. (352) 392-5323, ext. 501.

Garret Evans – Professor of clinical and health psychology. Can talk about the psychological effects of the disaster on children an how to help them cope. Contact: Health Science Center Communications, (352) 273-5810.

Joe Feagin — A graduate research professor at UF and an expert on racial and ethnic relations, Feagin can speak about anti-Arab and anti-Muslim prejudice. He is the author of “Racial and Ethnic Relations,” in press, which has a chapter on Arab-Americans. He also wrote “Racist America,” published last year.

Mark Flannery — NationsBank eminent scholar of finance. Can address the effect on foreign exchange and bond trading; he also believes that the credit losses will not threaten the stability of the banks. Flannery served as editor of the Journal of Money, Credit and Banking and on the Editorial board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York Quarterly Review, as well as consultant to the Fed. (352) 392-3184.

Michael Gannon — Distinguished service professor emeritus in history. Gannon is the author of the book “Pearl Harbor Betrayed,” released this week. Home: (352) 377-0962.

Arnold Heggestad – Finance professor and director of UF’s Center of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Heggestad can talk about consumer confidence – the recession effect after the Gulf War, how even in the event of war now, we won’t experience a war economy. Office (352) 392-2610, Cell (352) 284-4795.

Marc Hoit — A professor of civil engineering with knowledge of the design, engineering and construction of skyscrapers.

Joel Houston – Finance professor. Can discuss financial markets and the impact of the losses at large companies such as Morgan Stanley and Citibank. (352) 392-7546.

Robert J. McMahon — A professor of history specializing in the history of American foreign relations, Asian-American Relations, the Vietnam War and the Cold War (352) 392-0271, ext. 271, e-mail rmcmahon@history.ufl.edu.

Winston Nagan – Law professor with expertise in international law. Office: (352) 392-4971. e-mail: nagan@law.ufl.edu

Michael Ryngaert – Finance professor. Can address instability in world markets – how stocks tend to suffer as people flood into bonds and t-bills in such situations. When the markets open, expect to see a 3-4 percent decline in stocks and see interest rates go down. There’s also a concern in certain industries with large liabilities and for people exposed to the New York City market, such as companies with large real estate holdings in the city and insurance companies. Travel industry will also be hurt and airlines and hotels will suffer. Office: (352) 392-9765.

Anthony Oliver-Smith — An anthropologist specializing in disaster relief. Oliver-Smith has devoted more than 30 years to researching how communities re-emerge from disasters, including the recovery of South Florida from Hurricane Andrew in 1992. (352) 377-8359

Ido (pronounced EE-do) Oren – Assistant professor of international relations in UF’s political science department. Oren grew up in Israel and can discuss U.S. foreign policy in general. Office: (352) 392-0262, ext. 252. Home: (352) 384-9521.

Michael Rabens — Assistant professor of architecture and an expert on the history of skyscrapers. He’s familiar with the 1945 accidental crash of a military airplane into the Empire State Building. He can be reached at . (352) 392-0205, ext. 213.

Ronald Rozensky – Professor and chairman of clinical and health psychology department. Can discuss psychology of disasters. Contact: Health Science Center Communications, (352) 273-5810.

Samuel Sears – Associate professor of clinical and health psychology. Specializes in the psychology of disaster aftermath. Contact: Health Science Center Communications, (352) 273-5810.

Ronald J. Spitznagel – Professor, department of rehabilitation counseling. Can discuss the spiritual dimension as related to physical rehabilitation. Contact: Health Science Center Communications, (352) 273-5810.

Alan Stewart — Assistant professor in the department of psychology. Can talk about psychological care after trauma, loss, death notification, sudden death and other mental-health issues related to tragedy and death. Contact: Health Science Center Communications, (352) 273-5810.

Henry Tosi – Professor of management who can talk about how firms operate and manage their employees under conditions of stress. Phone: (352) 392-6147.

Berta Esperanza Hernandez-Truyol – Law professor with expertise in international law. (352) 846-0934. e-mail: Hernandez@law-ufl.edu.

Dr. Herbert E. Ward Jr. — Associate professor of psychiatry. Can talk about post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues related to coping with a disaster, including the importance of early mental health intervention. Contact: Health Science Center Communications, (352) 273-5810.

Patricia Woods – An assistant professor in political science and Jewish studies who has her degree from the Middle East program at the University of Washington. She teaches a variety of courses about the Middle East. She can be reached at (352) 392-0262, ext. 240, e-mail pjwoods@polisci.ufl.edu.