Expert Alert
January 2006

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President Bush’s State of the Union address and its subjects
Jan. 30, 2006

Kathryn Pearson, political science professor, can provide an expert analysis of the President’s State of the Union Address. Pearson has been a Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and she specializes in American Politics.

Jason Roberts, political science professor, is also available to comment on and analyze the State of the Union Address. Roberts’ specialties include American politics, the U.S. Congress, elections, and U.S. Supreme Court nominations. He has published articles in the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and Congress and the Presidency.

Alfred Marcus, a professor in the Carlson School of Management, can speak about renewable energy policy. It will take putting good public policies in place to make way for technological advances, Marcus said.

Stephen Parente, a professor of finance at the Carlson School of Management, is available to comment on health savings accounts. He has been researching health savings accounts for the Bush administration. Since 2002, he's been the lead investigator on three of four grants that the University of Minnesota has received from the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Evaluation and Planning, to study Health Savings Accounts.

Dale Carpenter, a University of Minnesota Law School professor, is a constitutional law expert and can speak about the issue of domestic spying and the fourth amendment.

To interview any of the experts above, contact Patty Mattern, University News Service, (612) 624-2801.

Middle East situation in light of Hamas' electoral victory
Jan. 27, 2006

Oren Gross, University of Minnesota Law School professor, is available to discuss Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections and the impact of the situation on the Middle East. Gross is an expert on the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Prior to coming to the University of Minnesota, Gross was a member of the faculty of the Tel Aviv University Law School in Israel.

To interview Gross, contact Patty Mattern, University News Service, (612) 624-2801.

Ground Hog Day
Jan. 27, 2006

Mark Seeley, University of Minnesota climatologist and meteorologist, is an expert on Ground-Hog Day, which is Thursday, Feb. 2. Ground-Hog Day or Candlemas Day, the halfway point of winter, has been recognized in many mid-latitude cultures and countries for centuries, Seeley wrote in excerpt from Minnesota Weather Almanac. “It is founded on anxiety associated with how long winter will last coupled with a belief that some of Mother Nature’s creatures are better at anticipating weather than we are,” he said. Seeley can also speak to the unseasonably warm weather. “It looks like we’ll have the warmest January in modern history.”

To interview Seeley, contact Patty Mattern, University News Service, (612) 624-2801.

Chinese New Year
Jan. 27, 2006

Jennifer Wu Dunn, from the University of Minnesota China Center, can speak about the Chinese New Year, which begins on Sunday, Jan. 29. She can talk about the legends and customs behind the New Year celebration. She can also explain how this year is the Year of the Dog.

To interview Dunn, contact Patty Mattern, University News Service, (612) 624-2801.

Ford plant
Jan. 23, 2006

Alfred Marcus, professor of strategic management and organization, can talk about fuel-efficient vehicles and Ford’s possible production shift to focus on more hybrid vehicles. Marcus an expert in business strategy, business and the natural environment and safety and quality.

John Fossum, professor of human resources and industrial relations, is an expert on the strategic management and production issues facing the St. Paul Ford plant. He's willing to talk about a wide range of topics regarding this issue, including how Ford may be looking at how it will use the St. Paul plant property.

K.K. Sinha, professor of operations and management science, is an expert in management of technology and operations strategy. He studies complexity in manufacturing operations and performance evaluation of manufacturing plants. He would be willing to comment on Ford’s plant closings strategies and how they will affect overall operations.

John Remington, professor of human resources and industrial relations, is a labor management and employment law expert, and can comment on all issues related to worker/management negotiations, layoff notification rules, and labor education.

To interview any of the experts, contact Patty Mattern, University News Service, (612) 624-2801.

Middle East situation in light of Ariel Sharon’s deteriorating health
Jan. 6, 2006

Oren Gross, University of Minnesota Law School professor, is available to discuss the situation in Israel in light of the deteriorating health of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Gross is an expert on the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Prior to coming to the University of Minnesota, Gross was a member of the faculty of the Tel Aviv University Law School in Israel.

To interview Gross, contact Patty Mattern, University News Service, (612) 624-2801.