December 2005 TOPICS:
BIOTERRORISM AND HUMAN HEALTH
Bioterror Agents and Viruses
Biological and Chemical Warfare; Herbal and Chemical Poisoning
Chemical Terror; Nerve Gas, Sarin and Other Poisons
Epidemics; Smallpox, Vaccines and Public Response
Emergency Preparedness and Response
Terrorism, Society and Behavior
FOREIGN POLICY AND TERRORISM
Deterrence and Terrorism; U.S./Korean Relations
Latin America and National Security
HOMELAND PROTECTION
Protecting the Urban Infrastructure
Protecting the Virtual World; Privacy vs. Security
Technology and the Search for Terrorists
TERRORISTS AND TERRORISM
The Roots of Terrorism
BIOTERRORISM AND HUMAN HEALTH
Bioterror Agents and Viruses
Dr. Donald Forthal is a virologist and the chief of the Division of Infectious Disease in UCI’s Department of Medicine. Forthal has worked at the Centers for Disease Control as an epidemic intelligence service officer and has international experience with viruses in the developing world. His research interests include immune system responses to viral infections, and he can speak about viruses that can be used as bioterror agents. Contact: Donald Forthal, 714-456-3223, dnfortha@uci.edu
Additional contact: Tom Vasich, 949-824-6455, tmvasich@uci.edu
Biological and Chemical Warfare; Herbal and Chemical Poisoning
Dr. Jeffrey Suchard is an expert in medical toxicology, with a particular interest in biological and chemical warfare agents. He deals with toxic chemical issues of all kinds, including teaching physicians to recognize herbal and other toxic poisonings. Contact: Jeffrey Suchard, 714-456-5239, jsuchard@uci.edu.
Additional contact: Tom Vasich, 949-824-6455
Chemical Terror; Nerve Gas, Sarin and Other Poisons
Dr. Tareg Bey specializes in chemical poisonings, especially poisonings from organophosphates. These chemicals are the basic ingredients of household pesticides but can be made into more dangerous chemical weapons like phosgene and sarin, the nerve gas used by the Aum Shinrikyo cult in Japan. Contact: Tareg Bey, 714-456-5239, tbey@uci.edu
Additional contact: Tom Vasich, 949-824-6455
Epidemics; Smallpox, Vaccines and Public Response
Luis P. Villarreal is the director of UCI’s Center for Virus Research. Villarreal can discuss smallpox and efforts promoting the national vaccine, and he is an internationally recognized expert on coronaviruses such as SARS. In addition, Villarreal and colleagues recently received a $3 million grant to study tularemia, a virulent bacteria that also be turned into a weapons-grade aerosol and used in biological warfare. Villarreal speaks Spanish. Contact: Luis Villarreal, 949-824-6074, lpvillar@uci.edu
Additional contact: Tom Vasich, 949-824-6455, tmvasich@uci.edu
Emergency Preparedness and Response
Dr. Carl Schultz, professor of emergency medicine, is a nationally recognized expert in bioterrorism and medical responses to disasters. He is a member of the State of California Disaster Advisory Group, serves on two national task forces on terrorism and is a consultant to the national ANSER Institute for Homeland Security. He has published several papers on hospital preparedness both for incidents of bioterrorism and earthquake preparedness. He has commented frequently on the similarities between responses to earthquakes and preparations for a bioterrorist attack. Contact: Carl Schultz, 714-456-5239, schultzc@uci.edu
Additional contact: Tom Vasich, 949-824-6455, tmvasich@uci.edu
Terrorism, Society and Behavior
Elaine Vaughan, associate professor in psychology and social behavior, studies how individuals respond to situations of risk and uncertainty. She has written numerous articles on the topic and has a forthcoming book titled Understanding Risk: The Cultural and Social Basis of Risk Perceptions. She is currently coordinating a pilot survey in New York and Washington, D.C. to help examine people’s decision-making, reasoning strategies and emotional reactions when receiving ambiguous information about an ongoing terrorist incident. Contact: Elaine Vaughan, 949-824-7184, evaughan@uci.edu
Additional contact: Lori Brandt, 949-824-5484, lbrandt@uci.edu
FOREIGN POLICY
Deterrence and Terrorism; U.S.-Korean Relations
Patrick M. Morgan, Tierney Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies and a professor of political science, specializes in foreign policy and national and international security concerns, including terrorism, deterrence theory and strategic surprise attack. He has spent nearly two decades examining and writing about U.S.-Korean relations and hosts an annual event at UCI on Korean security issues. His new book, Deterrence Now, assesses and questions the state of modern deterrence theory in light of current nuclear proliferation conditions. Contact: Patrick M. Morgan, 949-824-3187, pmmorgan@uci.edu
Additional contact: Lori Brandt, 949-824-5484, lbrandt@uci.edu
Latin America and National Security
Caesar Sereseres, associate professor of political science, has expertise in U.S. foreign policy strategy and national security issues related to Latin America, including revolution, guerrilla insurgency and terrorism. He is currently examining Colombia’s three dimensional war — drugs, guerrillas/terrorists and paramilitary groups — and America’s presence in Colombia. He is also studying the impact of the new homeland security organization and policies on U.S.-Mexico relations. Sereseres has worked at the State Department’s Office of Policy Planning, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs. Contact: Caesar Sereseres, 949-824-6334, cdserese@uci.edu
Additional contact: Lori Brandt, 949-824-5484, lbrandt@uci.edu
HOMELAND PROTECTION
Protecting the Urban Infrastructure
Masanobu Shinozuka specializes on the impact of a crisis on roads, bridges and power systems. Chair of the UCI civil and environmental engineering department, he can also talk about the steps Caltrans and major utilities take to prepare for disasters. Shinozuka is currently working with Southern California Edison to use satellite and Geographic Information System technologies to monitor the power grid. This will help the power company respond better to earthquakes or terrorist attacks. Contact: Masanobu Shinozuka, 949-824-9379, shino@uci.edu
Additional contact: Iqbal Pittalwala, 949-824-3969, iqbal@uci.edu
Protecting the Virtual World; Privacy vs. Security
Gene Tsudik is an expert in computer and network security and applied cryptography. He is available to discuss Internet and other security/privacy issues, including: e-mail, spam, anonymity, worms/viruses, and protection and monitoring technologies. An active researcher since 1987, Dr. Tsudik is associate dean of research and graduate studies and associate professor in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences. He is currently leading several research efforts that will result in increased privacy for the Internet and consumers. He also is involved in a major research effort to provide privacy for out-sourced databases and other sensitive information. Contact: Gene Tsudik, 949-824-3410, gtsudik@uci.edu
Additional contact: Iqbal Pittalwala, 949-824-3969, iqbal@uci.edu
Technology and the Search for Terrorists
Glenn Healey, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, is an expert in an emerging photo recognition technology called “hyperspectral imaging.” He currently is exploring a way to identify people in photographs by measuring the color spectrum reflected by their skin or hair. The technology could someday enable security screeners to catch known terrorists by comparing faces to their photographs. Contact: Glenn Healey, 949-824-7104, ghealey@uci.edu
Additional contact: Iqbal Pittalwala, 949-824-3969, iqbal@uci.edu
TERRORISTS AND TERRORISM
The Roots of Terrorism
Richard Matthew is an associate professor of international and environmental politics and director of UCI's Center for Unconventional Security Affairs. He has spent considerable time conducting on-the-ground research into the roots of terrorism. He most recently spent time in northern Pakistan (a breeding ground for political extremism) and has done fieldwork in Nepal, Cambodia, Russia, South Africa and Jordan. Matthew has published widely on transnational security threats and environmental security and sustainability issues, arguing that we have to examine the root causes creating terrorists in order to stop them. Contact: Richard Matthew, 949-824-4852, rmatthew@uci.edu
