Stevens Institute of Technology Experts Available to Discuss COVID-19

(Hoboken, N.J. - April 1, 2020) -- Even as the Stevens community grapples with the repercussions of COVID-19, faculty members, researchers and experts are available for interviews related to the coronavirus outbreak. Brief descriptions of their relevant expertise are included. To arrange an interview with one of these experts, please contact Thania Benios, director of public relations, at 917-930-5988 or [email protected]

Dr. Joelle Saad-Lessler – Labor Economics, Unemployment and Retirement
COVID-19 is putting Americans’ savings shortfalls in stark relief. A Bankrate survey found only 40 percent of Americans could pay an unexpected $1,000 expense — such as an emergency room visit — and amid the pandemic, many have been laid off, furloughed or are otherwise unable to work. Could a collective approach help forge much-needed safety nets? Saad-Lessler, a labor economist and an authority on the determinants of retirement savings and unemployment, can also speak about how individuals can benefit from a social network of kin and friends, rather than formal institutions, especially as a backup safety net. Select media: NPR

Dr. George Calhoun – Financial Markets, Fintech
The earliest days of the pandemic struck the financial markets for losses of between 30 and 40 percent of their value. What is really happening in the financial markets? What do the signals coming out of the market represent, and what do they mean for investors and the system as a whole? It’s clear the system is being stripped of its myths and “standard explanations” as we gain a better understanding of how markets and economies really work. Calhoun, director of the Hanlon Financial Systems Center, can sort out the knowns, unknowns, and unknown unknowns of the current crisis. Select media: CNN, Money Inc., Fortune, The Washington Post 

Dr. Donald N. Lombardi – Healthcare Management, Leadership in Crisis
Leadership in the healthcare industry is not without its unique challenges — but the qualities that drive a successful leader in crisis are very similar to most other disciplines. Lombardi is an industry professor who has written extensively on healthcare management, including three books and dozens of articles. He can speak to specific management challenges that the healthcare system faces at a time of crisis, and how successful leaders can ensure staff performance is maximized during the COVID-19 crisis, using real-world examples and field-proven methods. 

Dr. Ying Wu – Global Economy and Asset Pricing
The main response to viral pandemic is to flatten the curve — but doing so effectively might require repeated economic shutdowns, a strategy that would send the global economy into recession. Wu, an expert in asset pricing and international finance, can discuss what we can learn for the future in terms of economic planning, both domestically and internationally. Select media: Fortune

Dr. Jose Ramirez-Marquez – Emergency Planning and Resilience
Jose Ramirez-Marquez is an expert on emergency planning and resilience, and is currently working on techniques to visualize communities that have shown resilience in the face of COVID-19. He has traveled around the world to address life-saving disaster response countermeasures, such as medical infrastructure, utilities and resources. He helped analyze New York City's disaster planning for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, proposing new tools to visualize and plan for medical emergencies, including analytic techniques for determining how many emergency medical facilities the city should plan, where they should be located and how they should be laid out and staffed. Select media: The Wall Street Journal 

Dr. Lindsey Cormack – Political Communication and Deceptive Marketing
Using DC Inbox, a repository of over 60,000 official e-newsletters sent from members of the U.S. Congress to their constituents, Lindsey Cormack has been tracking the number of times republicans and democrats have mentioned Covid-19 in their congressional newsletters. What does it mean? Check out Lindsey Cormack @DCInbox on Twitter for daily postings. Select Media: NBC News, Fortune, NBC News

Dr. Theresa MacPhail – Historian of Deadly Global Pandemics
Theresa MacPhail is a medical anthropologist who wrote, The Viral Network: a Pathography of the H1N1 Pandemic and is currently working on a popular nonfiction book examining the rise of allergies in America. She can discuss the epidemiological origins, history and global response to pandemics such as 1918 Spanish flu, H1N1, Ebola, SARS and now, Covid-19. Select media: Vice, Slate, The New York Times, Scientific American, CNN

Dr. Zachary Feinstein – Financial Contagion, GDP Losses and Systemic Risk
Zachary Feinstein is an expert in financial contagion, systemic risk and risk measurement. He has developed an analysis predicting GDP losses based on the susceptible-infected- recovered (SIR) model that incorporates epidemiologic factors such as WHO transmission and recovery rates, number of expected sick days affecting productivity, among other factors. Feinstein writes frequently on his blog Fictionomics, which applies finance phenomena to fiction. Select media: Newsweek, The New York Times, Bloomberg, NPR 

Dr. Wei Zheng – Corporate Leadership and Culture
We’ve been rightfully keeping up at the task of social distancing — but such isolation can threaten our sense of belonging and give rise to exclusionary behaviors, even subconsciously. Wei Zheng, an expert in corporate leadership and culture, can speak to why we need to demonstrate inclusiveness, especially in the current climate; what specific actions we can take to make others feel they are valuable members of the organization; and how inclusiveness empowers us. 

Dr. Ted Lappas – Fake News and Misinformation in the Public Sphere
Online platforms like Facebook can be extremely helpful to exchange information and seek human interaction during times of quarantine and social distancing — but they can also be a source of misinformation. Fake news and unfounded opinions can mislead users, cause panic, and even lead to actions that prevent communities and countries from effectively addressing serious and unprecedented challenges. Lappas, an authority on fake online reviews, can talk about ways consumers can detect online information and protect against it. Select media: The Star-Ledger, NBC News, NBC News