REPORTERS: Penn Experts on Japan, the Earthquake and the Tsunami, Including Video
Dr. Benjamin P. Horton on the science of tsunamis
Dr. Stephen Phipps on the science of earthquakes
Dr. Barbie Zelizer on journalism’s coverage of crisis and our fascination with images of death
Dr. Linda Chance on Japanese civilization
Expert:
Dr. Benjamin P. Horton
Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Science
University of Pennsylvania
Credentials:
Dr. Horton is a widely published expert on hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes and is the director of Penn’s Sea-Level Research Laboratory.
He can discuss the geophysical mechanisms behind earthquakes and tsunamis and the history of both in the context of Japan and the greater South/East Pacific.
He is a passionate advocate of the importance of new research in this area, which will lead to a better understanding of the frequency of earthquakes and tsunamis and of the connection between sea-level rise and such natural disasters.
Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Science
University of Pennsylvania
Credentials:
Dr. Phipps is a geologist who teaches the “Structural Geology” and “Earth System and Hazards” courses in Penn’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
His areas of expertise include plate tectonics, the mechanics of faulting, seismic focusing and the response of structures during earthquakes.
“The constant and continuous picture of the disaster in Japan helps us make sense of the event by connecting it to other events that were similarly depicted.”
Expert: Dr. Linda Chance Associate Chair, East Asian Languages and Civilizations Department, Associate Professor Japanese Language and Literature University of Pennsylvania
Credentials: • Dr. Chance teaches courses on Japanese civilization, medieval Japanese literature and classical and modern Japanese language
• She has taught at Tsukuba University in Japan and is a frequent resident of Japan.
Quote:
“I'm especially interested in the representation of Japan in western media, which sometimes verges on implying it is a docile culture, or not quite human in its quiet order. Japanese behavior is rational. We should be careful not to assume that the seeming acceptance of these disasters is the product of a strange culture to which others cannot aspire. Japanese have crafted their responses to disaster through much experience, and through practicing not just stoic indifference, but concern for one another."
Media contact: Jacquie Posey at 215-898-6460 or jposey@upenn.edu
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