Experts Matter. Find Yours.

Bigly: the effect of Trump's rhetoric on national security

Going against the findings of his own intelligence community, President Donald Trump has called Russian meddling into the 2016 U.S. presidential election a “hoax.” In a recent turn of events, though, the president accused China of interfering with the midterm elections. Has President Trump’s rhetoric on the intelligence community and hesitancy to hold Russia accountable influenced countries, such as China, to also try meddling in U.S. elections? “If people and foreign officials start believing President Trump’s rhetoric, there is a possibility, that we will face issues of doubt and trust concerning U.S. policy and commitments,” said Craig Albert, an expert in U.S.-Russian security affairs, director of the master of arts in intelligence and security studies and associate professor of political science at Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Augusta University. “Also, President Trump’s rhetoric helps prop up Vladimir Putin as being equal in stature to the leader of the free world and gives Kremlin and Putin greater credibility with Russian citizens and the near abroad.” Midterm elections are on the horizon, and Putin will continue election meddling regardless of Trump’s actions or rhetoric, Albert said. “Russia, under Putin’s leadership, will continue to increase its cyber activity against all sectors of the U.S., including and especially into the cognitive hacking of our electoral process,” he said. Cognitive hacking is when fake sources are used to spread fake news on social media. The success of Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election is emboldening other actors, like China. “Non-state actors like ISIS and Al Qaeda feel empowered to engage in both cognitive and source hacking in order to shift American public opinion,” Albert said. “We already believe China and Iran have engaged in similar operations. It won’t be long before ISIS utilizes the same type of intelligence operations because they are low risk, extremely high reward operations. Albert is available to discuss: • How President Trump’s rhetoric affects the U.S. intelligence community • How Trump’s apparent support for Russia empowers Putin and the Kremlin to continue meddling into U.S. elections • How Russia’s actions are emboldening other non-state actors • Why Trump’s denial of Russian meddling into U.S. elections can further damage U.S. relations with its allies Contact us to schedule an interview with Albert or to learn more about his expertise. Source:

Latest push in fake news is pushing fake experts

During the 2016 presidential election, hundreds of fake sources used social media to spread fake news. Many of these posts were traced back to the Internet Research Agency, a Russian troll farm that used social networks to create divides among Americans and influence the election. This is known as cognitive hacking and is the real scandal of the 2016 election, said Dr. Craig Albert, director of the Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies program and associate professor of political science at Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Augusta University. Fake sources using social media to spread fake news are often able to reach a large audience who may never realize the stories are false, Albert said. In some instances, entire organizations and groups have been created under false pretenses and have had millions of social media followers. “When so many people see fake news on their newsfeeds, they become a product of their belief in a fake story,” Albert said. “So, a fake story controls their opinions.” Now, Russia is taking fake news a step farther. The newest trend is creating a false persona to push fake news on U.S. news organizations. “They will have an expert create a story, and they will create credentials and a website to give credibility to this individual,” Albert said. “When media outlets try to ascertain the credibility of a person they typically visit the individual’s website or look at their resume. It appears legitimate, so the source is validated, and news outlets run the story.” In many cases, though, these are false stories by individuals with fake credentials. Albert calls this source hacking. Dr. Albert is an expert on American politics and political philosophy. He has experience with all forms of local and national news organizations and is available to speak to media regarding cognitive and source hacking. Contact us to schedule an interview with Dr. Albert or to learn more about his expertise. Source:

Community is key for those recovering from a mass shooting

The man accused of killing 17 people and injuring 14 more at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February is set to appear in court Wednesday. Meanwhile, survivors of the mass shooting are still grappling with the aftermath of that day. Laura Wilson, co-author and editor of "The Wiley Handbook of the Psychology of Mass Shootings" and an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, recently talked about that struggle in an American Psychological Association article. "Simply by definition, mass shootings are more likely to trigger difficulties with beliefs that most of us have, including that we live in a just world and that if we make good decisions, we'll be safe," she is quoted as saying. According to the article: "The National Center for PTSD estimates that 28 percent of people who have witnessed a mass shooting develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and about a third develop acute stress disorder. "Research also suggests that mass shooting survivors may be at greater risk for mental health difficulties compared with people who experience other types of trauma, such as natural disasters. A study led by former Northern Illinois University (NIU) graduate student Lynsey Miron, PhD, after the 2008 shootings on NIU's campus, found that although a large percentage of mass shooting survivors were either resilient or displayed only short-term stress reactions, about 12 percent reported persistent PTSD, a number that's higher than the average prevalence of PTSD among trauma survivors as a whole (Behavior Therapy, Vol. 45, No. 6, 2014). "What's critical, psychologists' research suggests, is to ensure that victims feel connected to their communities in the aftermath of mass violence and that they have ongoing support available to them." Dr. Wilson is available to speak with media regarding this subject. Simply click on her icon to arrange an interview. Source:

What to expect from the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations?

In what is supposed to be a gathering of the world’s leaders to discuss, debate and solve global problems – that spirit of collaboration and thinking might be all but absent this session. It’s expected that President Donald Trump will be pointing both barrels directly at Iran during his speech. His accusations of Iran casing chaos and terror around the world will no doubt please his conservative base leading into November’s elections – but it may be met with resistance and even backlash from leaders from around the world. The tone could even take the unlikely turn that it is Trump and America that are the threat to peace. Times certainly have changed. So, what will come from the upcoming General Assembly? Does the UN have the influence it once enjoyed? And once the meeting is over, does any of it really matter? There are a lot of questions to be answered and that’s where an expert from Cedarville University can help. Dr. Glen Duerr’s expertise and research interests include nationalism and secession, comparative politics and international relations theory. Dr. Duerr is available to speak to media regarding this topic – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

3 measures to improve election security

As hacking attempts to undermine our elections have become the new normal, state governments are rushing to secure their voting systems with a $380-million fund from Congress before the midterms. The big question is, where should they invest that money to protect U.S. elections? “Almost every state today is using a different electronic election system,” said Alexander Schwarzmann, former director of the Center for Voting Technology Research at the University of Connecticut and current dean of the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Augusta University. “While diversity of systems somewhat increases our election security, states can strengthen it by investing in three areas: They should adopt a voter-verified paper ballot system, increase their technological capability to detect and address security vulnerabilities and implement auditing of election results to build public’s confidence in the outcomes.” Schwarzmann, who provided technological expertise to the State of Connecticut in cybersecurity and integrity of electronic election systems and led state-wide technological audits of voting systems, is available to discuss: • How he helped the State of Connecticut become a leader in voting technology cybersecurity • How state governments can improve confidence in their voting systems by investing in three areas: voter-verified paper ballots, technology to detect and counter security vulnerabilities and statistical and technological election audits Schwarzmann is a nationally-recognized expert in voting technology cybersecurity, and distributed systems. His own research programs have been supported by numerous grants totaling over $8.5 million from the National Science Foundation, including NSF Career Award, Air Force Office of Sponsored Research, State of Connecticut, NSF-NATO, and U.S. Election Assistance Commission and other agencies. He has authored three books and more than 150 research articles and has edited a number of scholarly volumes on computer science research. He served on several editorial boards, including IEEE Transactions on Computers and Information & Computation, two of the most venerable and prestigious journals in computer science. Contact us to schedule an interview with Alexander Schwarzmann or learn more about his expertise. Source:

Just how vulnerable are older Americans to getting hooked on opioids?

It’s a problem that most don’t commonly associate with seniors, retirees and older adults – being hooked on opioids. But it is a problem in America and it’s growing at a frightening pace. According the article attached: ‘Researchers involved with the University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging polled a nationally representative sample of 2,000 Americans, aged 50 to 80, about what their health-care providers talked about when prescribing opioid medication to them. In the past two years, 589 said they filled an opioid prescription. This group knew how often to take the medication, but the majority didn’t recall their doctors or pharmacists talking about the risk of addiction, the risk of overdose, or what to do with leftover pills. About 40 percent said their doctors didn’t talk to them about the side effects of opioid use or guide them on when to cut back on pain medications.’ That is a staggering and scary scenario? But what can be done? Is it simply about better communication and information? Or do stronger restrictions and regulations need to be put in place to limit the opportunity for vulnerable seniors to become addicted? As America struggles to battle the opioid epidemic – are seniors another layer of addicts that could compound this situation? There are a lot of questions and that’s where the experts from can help. Dr. Marc Sweeney is the Founding Dean of the School of Pharmacy at Cedarville University and is an expert in the fields of drug abuse, prescription drug abuse and Opioid addiction. Marc is available to speak with media regarding this growing issue. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

Are paper ballots safe?

The State of Georgia wants to replace its 16-year-old voting machines with paper ballots for fear of Russian election hacking, but are paper ballots safe? “Safe from hacking? Perhaps. Safe from voter error? Not so much,” said Scott Thorp, a user-centered design expert and chair of the Department of Art and Design at Augusta University. “User-centered design for paper ballots is crucial for free and fair elections. Good design should never influence how people vote. A design mistake might actually have cost Al Gore the presidency in 2000. Who is to say it couldn’t cost the governorship in Georgia this year?” Thorp, who also worked as a professor and design coordinator at the Savannah College of Art and Design, is available to discuss: • What user-centered design is • How design can influence people’s behavior • How bad design can lead to human error • Why designing paper ballots with users in mind is crucial for free and fair elections Thorp, who is also associate vice president for research at Augusta University, has worked for more than a decade as an exhibiting artist. His research interests include user-centered design, design thinking, and the psychology of creativity. Contact us to schedule an interview with Scott Thorp or learn more about his expertise. Source:

Father-daughter expert: Steve Jobs’ daughter’s new book offers lessons on forgiveness

In her biting new memoir Small Fry, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, daughter of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, paints a portrait of her father that is far from flattering. Brennan-Jobs’ forgiveness of her father’s flaws and reportedly cruel behavior leaves some perplexed – but not Linda Nielsen, a nationally renowned expert on father-daughter relationships. Nielsen says our reactions to Brennan-Jobs’ memoir may reflect more upon our own family relationships than those of the tech visionary and his oldest daughter. “Forgiving her father is a gift a daughter gives, not just to her father, but to herself. In choosing not to allow her bitterness about his failings as a father to consume her, a daughter is choosing not to deprive herself of whatever pleasure she can still derive from their relationship. She does not deny the past. But she does not dwell in it. Forgiving does not mean forgetting,” Nielsen wrote today for The New York Times. “Ms. Brennan-Jobs’ memoir may provide a comforting message for parents who fear that their mistakes and missteps inevitably will lead to irreparable damage — and for daughters who are grappling with their father’s failures as a parent. Adult children can choose to focus on the dearness or the darkness of their childhood relationships with their parents.” Nielsen is a professor of adolescent and educational psychology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. She has researched and written about father-daughter relationships since 1970. For nearly 30 years, she has taught the only known college class in the U.S. devoted exclusively to the subject. Her latest book, Father-Daughter Relationships: Contemporary Research and Issues, examines what improves or weakens these relationships and their impact on society. Nielsen is available for interviews Wednesday and leading up to the Sept. 4 release of Small Fry. Source:

Is America’s economy about to learn a very hard lesson regarding student debt?

1.5 trillion dollars. That’s an enormous amount of money. And it’s the anchor around the next generation of Americans who have student debt. In fact, we’re now seeing people declaring bankruptcy before they’ve actually started accumulating wealth and participating in the economy. All of this spells bad news for the future. But what can be done? Is this a problem for politicians to solve? Is it up to schools to the schools charging thousands per year in tuition? Do lenders need to be regulated? Or should the onus fall on the student’s themselves who sign on the dotted line for loans they already know will be hard to pay back? There are a lot of questions out there and that’s where the experts from Cedarville University can help. Kim Jenerette is the Executive Director of Financial Aid at Cedarville University and is an expert in student debt, student load default rates and the overall affordability of education. Kim is available to speak with media regarding this growing issue. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:

It used to be a big deal – but has the once mighty blog gone bust?

In the days before Facebook … there were blogs. Blogs written by corporate leaders, academics, foodies, pundits and enthusiasts of every stripe. At one point, a blogger’s opinion could greenlight a film or sink a rising star. Blogs have massive influence. But those days are gone. Where blogs were once a salon for opinion and interest – the role that survived was usually as part of a larger institution’s communications strategy. It blended internal and external engagement – and it was effective. Until now, recently even Harvard acknowledged they were getting out of the blogging realm. But as blogs fade into the sunset – will the information, data and value be preserved? Should archives be created to maintain the history of these online conversations for future generations? Or, is it simply a delete and all that information is gone? Martha Burtis is the director of the digital knowledge center at the University of Mary Washington. An expert on this topic, she recently spoke with media regarding the winding down of blogs at Harvard. She is available to speak to media regarding this topic – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview. Source: