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The unfolding structural emergency at the former Pfizer headquarters on East 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan raises urgent questions issues such as load limits, weight redistribution, structural steel, emergency shoring and in general the challenges of converting older office towers into residential buildings.
As officials and engineers continue to investigate what happened, the incident points to a larger issue facing many major cities: how safely can older commercial buildings be adapted for new uses, especially when vertical additions, new floor loads and major structural modifications are involved?
ExpertFile has a range of structural engineering experts available to help journalists and audiences understand the engineering issues behind this story.
Featured Experts Edward Sippel, P.E., Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Milwaukee School of Engineering
Edward Sippel is an expert in structural engineering at the Milwaukee School of Engineering with a focus on steel structures, stability and structural analysis. His expertise in structural steel, finite element analysis and nonlinear analysis makes him especially relevant to questions about column buckling, steel-frame behavior, temporary reinforcement and how engineers assess whether a damaged steel structure can be stabilized or repaired.
David O. Prevatt Professor, University of Florida
David O. Prevatt is a structural engineer at the University of Florida whose areas of expertise include structural load paths, structural engineering and resilient building performance. His expertise is especially relevant to explaining how loads move through a building, what happens when weight is added or redistributed, and why engineers must understand the full path that gravity loads take from upper floors down to the foundation.
Key Questions Experts Can Address How do added floors or major renovations change the way weight moves through an existing building? What causes a steel column to buckle, and how is that different from other types of structural failure? Why do transition points between older and newer parts of a structure require special attention? How do engineers use temporary shoring, jacks and steel reinforcement to stop movement during an emergency? What should cities, developers and regulators consider as office-to-residential conversions become more common? Additional Structural Engineering Experts Available Beyond load paths and steel mechanics, this story also raises broader questions about structural health monitoring, building inspections, retrofits, aging infrastructure, concrete systems, structural dynamics and resilient design. ExpertFile includes additional experts who can speak to these related issues, including:
For journalists covering the Manhattan high-rise situation, office-to-residential conversions, emergency building stabilization or the future of urban infrastructure, these experts offer relevant structural engineering expertise that may help add context, clarity and perspective to your reporting.
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is giving fans an unusual view of football history: several of the game’s biggest names are still competing long after most elite careers have ended.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are appearing in their sixth World Cups. Ronaldo has scored twice in this tournament and 10 times overall, while Messi has added six goals in 2026 to reach 19 for his World Cup career. Luka Modrić is playing in his fifth tournament. Neymar and Kevin De Bruyne are each appearing in their fourth.
Those numbers say something important about talent. They say even more about durability.
Reaching one World Cup is difficult. Returning four, five or six times means surviving nearly two decades of club schedules, injuries, travel, tactical changes and competition from younger players. It also means finding new ways to contribute when the body no longer responds exactly as it once did. That opens up several timely questions for journalists covering this final stage of their careers. Below, experts in sports science, biomechanics, psychology and sports business offer perspective on what it takes to compete across multiple World Cups—and what allows some players to remain influential long after their physical peak.
What does it take physically to last this long? The World Cup lasts only a few weeks, but the careers behind it are built over thousands of training sessions and matches. For older players, the challenge is not simply staying fit. It is managing fatigue, recovering faster and avoiding the injury that could end the run.
Hofstra exercise physiologist Katie Sell can speak to the less visible work behind these careers: sleep, hydration, nutrition, endurance and the tighter recovery window athletes face as they age.
At the University of Delaware, Tom Kaminski brings expertise in soccer injuries, concussions and player safety. He can help explain how accumulated wear, repeated head impacts and return-to-play decisions influence whether a player can continue at the highest level.
Texas Christian University’s Peter Weyand, an expert in sprint mechanics and running performance, can discuss what happens to speed and acceleration over time—and which physical qualities can still be protected through training.
How do great players change their game? Longevity rarely comes from playing the same way forever.
Ronaldo moved from the wing into a more central scoring role. Messi became more selective with his movement. Modrić continued to control matches through timing, positioning and awareness rather than physical dominance.
These are not signs that aging players have stopped influencing games. They are signs that influence has changed.
Carnegie Mellon biomechanics researcher Eni Halilaj can speak to how athletes adjust their movement patterns, conserve energy and reduce physical strain as they get older, while her colleague Eric Yttri, who studies motor control and decision-making, can explain how anticipation and experience allow veteran players to act earlier and more efficiently.
Texas Christian University’s Peter Weyand can also add context on why older players often change positions, reduce repeated sprinting or become more selective about when they make high-intensity runs.
Why keep coming back? By the time a player reaches a fourth or fifth World Cup, money and recognition are unlikely to be the main reasons for continuing. The harder question is what keeps an athlete committed after years of success, injuries and public scrutiny—especially when their role may be smaller than it once was.
TCU sport psychology expert Robyn Trocchio can speak to motivation, focus and how accomplished athletes continue setting meaningful goals late in their careers.
Hofstra’s Genevieve Weber can address performance anxiety, media pressure and the emotional weight of entering what may be a final international tournament.
Georgia Southern sport psychologist Brandonn Harris can discuss resilience, confidence and the mental discipline required to recover from injury, disappointment and changing expectations.
How should an aging superstar be judged? Goals are easy to count. Leadership, timing and influence are not.
A veteran player may no longer dominate every match, but may still shape how teammates prepare, how opponents defend and how supporters respond. For coaches, that creates a difficult balance between reputation, current performance and what an experienced player brings in moments of pressure.
At Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, Michael Lewis can discuss the value of global stars beyond the score sheet, including fan interest, brand strength and the attention they bring to a national team.
Carnegie Mellon University’s Eric Yttri can speak to the on-field contributions that statistics often miss, including positioning, anticipation and decision-making.
Texas Christian University’s Robyn Trocchio can address the leadership side of the story, including the difficult transition from automatic starter to mentor, substitute or situational player.
A generation nearing the end The 2026 World Cup may be remembered not only for the players who emerged, but for the ones who were leaving.
Ronaldo, Messi, Modrić, Neymar and De Bruyne have played through different tactical eras and alongside multiple generations of teammates. Their longevity was not built on talent alone. It required adaptation, recovery, discipline and a willingness to accept that staying great sometimes means becoming a different kind of player.
For reporters, their careers offer a timely way to examine how elite athletes age—and why some remain relevant long after the normal limits of the game suggest they should.
Throughout 2026, the United States will commemorate the 250th anniversary of its founding, a milestone that is prompting reflection on the nation's history, its defining moments, and the people and ideas that continue to shape its future. From the founding principles of democracy and constitutional rights to social movements, innovation, and overlooked stories from America's past, Carnegie Mellon University scholars and experts offer timely insight into the issues and events driving the national conversation. Whether reporting on anniversary celebrations, historical milestones, or the enduring impact of America's past on today's challenges, CMU experts are available to provide informed analysis and historical context.
What CMU Experts Can Help You Cover From founding documents to untold histories, CMU experts can speak to the full range of topics for America at 250.
The Document in the Archive One of only five known copies of the 1792 Bill of Rights is held at Carnegie Mellon University. As America marks its 250th anniversary, this rare artifact is on public display -- and the story behind it connects directly to debates about rights, citizenship, and constitutional interpretation that are as live today as they were in the founding era.
The Constitution on Trial For 250 years, the Supreme Court has been the ultimate interpreter of America's founding documents. But how justices write those decisions -- the rhetoric, the emotion, the moral grandstanding -- shapes how law is understood and applied for generations. What does the language of fundamental rights decisions tell us about American democracy?
The History That Was Left Out Official celebrations tend to center on the founders. But historians have spent decades recovering the stories of enslaved people, women, immigrants, and communities whose contributions shaped the nation and whose experiences complicate the triumphant narrative. Dr. Edda Fields-Black's 2025 Pulitzer Prize-winning book on Harriet Tubman and the Combahee River Raid is a reminder of just how much of that history is still being uncovered. What does a fuller American history look like at 250?
Suffrage, Memory, and the Myth We Tell The story of how American women won the right to vote is one of the most retold in the country's history -- and one of the most mythologized. As the nation reflects on 250 years of democracy, what does the suffrage movement really tell us about how America progresses, and how it remembers its own progress?
Covering America at 250? Carnegie Mellon University's historians, legal scholars, archivists, and subject matter experts are available for interviews, background briefings, and commentary on the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States over the past 250 years - and what that history means today.
