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A consortium of researchers dedicated to improving the understanding of the human causes and consequences of terrorism

Crisis Communication and Management

Title Investigators Project Period
Best Practices for Preparing Communities: Citizen Engagement in Public Health Planning Monica Schoch-Spana -
Building Community Resilience through Public Involvement: The Extended Community Assessment of Resilience Tool (CART-E) Betty Pfefferbaum -
Communicating Risk of Mass Casualty Terrorism in Diverse Communities Elaine Vaughan -
Comprehensive Testing of Imminent Threat Public Messages for Mobile Devices (MDP) Brooke Liu, Hamilton Bean, Marcus A. Boyd, Michele Wood -
Computational Modeling of Grievances and Political Instability Through Global Media Gary LaFree -
Effective Organizational Communication During Crises: Learning from the 2001 Anthrax Attacks Caron Chess -
How Forecasters Decide to Warn: Insights on Tornado Risk Communication from the Southeast U.S. Brooke Liu, Anita Atwell Seate -
Managing Chaos through Crisis Communication Leadership Brooke Liu -
Modeling and Simulation of Public Response to Threat and Attacks Dennis Mileti -
Monitor and Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19 on Public Safety Amy Pate, Barnett S. Koven, Nathan Meehan -
Preparedness for Catastrophic Events Dennis Mileti, Hamilton Bean, Kathleen Smarick, Monica Schoch-Spana, Paul Harwood -
School Emergency Public Information and Warning/Information Sharing Brooke Liu, Holly Roberts -
Social Identity and Perceptions of Counterterrorism Demis Glasford -
Social Media Use during Disasters Brooke Liu -
Training in Risk and Crisis Communication (TRACC) Brooke Liu, Elizabet Petrun Sayers, Katherine Worboys Izsak -
Understanding Tornado Warnings, False Alarms, and Complacency, and Proposing Theory-Directed Solutions for Effective Warnings Michael Egnoto, Brooke Liu -
Project Title Publication Date Publication Type
“Death was not in the agenda for the day”: Emotions, Behavioral Reactions, and Perceptions in Response to the 2018 Hawaii Wireless Emergency Alert 2019-02-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
“You Are Here”: Assessing the Inclusion of Maps in a Campus Emergency Alert System 2021-03-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
A Case Study of Climate Change, Extreme Weather Events, and Risk Communication in a Coastal Community 2019-06-01T12:00:00 Book Chapter
A Process View of Crisis Misinformation: How Public Relations Professionals Detect, Manage, and Evaluate Crisis Misinformation 2021-06-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
A Public Health Systems View of Risk Communication About Zika 2020-04-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Advancing Crisis Communication Effectiveness: Integrating Public Relations Scholarship with Practice 2020-12-01T12:00:00 Book
Advancing Understanding of Tornado Warnings, False Alarms, and Complacency 2017-09-01T12:00:00 Research Brief
Alerts and Warnings on Short Messaging Channels: Guidance from an Expert Panel Process 2019-05-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Avalanches and Olive Branches: A Multi-Method Analysis of Disasters and Peacemaking in Interstate Rivalries 2011-04-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Beyond Image Repair: Suggestions for Crisis Communication Theory Development 2014-09-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Blue or Stormy Skies? The Roles of Strategic Risk Communication in Protecting Communities Before, During, and After Severe Weather 2022-12-01T12:00:00 Book Chapter
Centering culture in risk and crisis communication: Current directions and a path forward 2025-10-21T12:00:00 Journal Article
Challenges and Opportunities for Pre-Crisis Emergency Risk Communication: Lessons Learned from the Earthquake Community 2019-02-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Communicating Crisis Uncertainty: A Review of the Knowledge Gaps 2016-04-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Contingency Theory: Evolution from a Public Relations Theory to a Theory of Strategic Conflict Management 2020-09-01T12:00:00 Book Chapter
COVID-19 Topic Dashboard: A Resource For the First Responder Community 2021-04-01T12:00:00 Research Brief
Crisis and Risk Communication Scholarship of the Future: Reflections on Research Gaps 2020-03-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Crisis Information Seeking and Sharing (CISS): Scale Development for Measuring Publics’ Communicative Behavior in Social-Mediated Public Health Crises 2019-04-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Crisis Management Support for the Public and Private Sectors 2020-04-01T12:00:00 Project Fact Sheet
Cry Wolf Effect? Evaluating the Impact of False Alarms on Public Responses to Tornado Alerts in the Southeastern United States 2019-04-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Digital Crisis Communication Theory: Current Landscape and Future Trajectories 2023-02-01T12:00:00 Book Chapter
Disaster as a Social Problem and Social Construct 2018-03-01T12:00:00 Book Chapter
Disaster Warnings in Your Pocket: How Audiences Interpret Mobile Alerts for an Unfamiliar Hazard 2016-03-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Disasters: A Sociological Approach 2019-03-01T12:00:00 Book
Disentangling Social Media Influence in Crises: Testing a Four-factor Model of Social Media Influence with Large Data 2018-11-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Editor's Essay: The Critical Need for Crisis and Risk Communication Research 2019-04-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Enhancing urban resilience: Global expert insights on climate security, mitigation, and adaptive strategies 2024-12-03T12:00:00 Journal Article
Escalation Management in International Crises: The United States and its Adversaries 2023-02-16T12:00:00 Book
Examining Signs of Recovery: How Senior Crisis Communicators Define Organizational Crisis Recovery 2014-12-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Examining the Role of Social Media in Effective Crisis Management: The Effects of Crisis Origin, Information Form, and Source on Publics' Crisis Responses 2017-08-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Executive Summary: Understanding Risk Communication Best Practices and Theory 2012-05-01T12:00:00 START Reports
External Interventions: Bluffing and Adaptive Learning in Civil Wars 2024-10-18T12:00:00 Journal Article
Facilitation of Risk Communication During the Anthrax Attacks of 2001: The Organizational Backstory 2007-10-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
False Alarms, Real Challenges - One University's Communication Response to the 2001 Anthrax Crisis 2006-06-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
From the Periphery and toward a Centralized Model for Trust in Government Risk and Disaster Communication 2020-06-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
How communication theory can help counter-terrorism stakeholders 2017-09-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
How Disaster Information Form, Source, Type, and Prior Disaster Exposure Affect Public Outcomes: Jumping on the Social Media Bandwagon? 2015-01-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
How Mobile Home Residents Understand and Respond to Tornado Warnings 2019-04-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
How Publics’ Active and Passive Communicative Behaviors Affect their Tornado Responses: An Integration of STOPS and SMCC 2019-08-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Influence of Community and Culture in the Ethical Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources in a Pandemic Situation: Deliberative Democracy Study 2020-03-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Information Sharing During the University of Texas at Austin Active Shooter/Suicide Event 2014-09-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Integrating Authorities and Disciplines into the Preparedness-Planning Process: A Study of Mental Health, Public Health, and Emergency Management 2007-05-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Interpreting the Interpersonal: Crisis Communication Insights for Pandemics 2023-02-01T12:00:00 Book Chapter
Introducing the ICBe Dataset: Very High Recall and Precision Event Extraction from Narratives about International Crises 2022-07-26T12:00:00 Report
Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? The Effects of Maps and Warning Messages on How Publics Respond to Disaster Information 2017-04-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Keeping Hospitals Operating During Disasters Through Crisis Communication Preparedness 2018-06-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Machines, Monsters, and Coffin Corners: Broadcast Meteorologists’ Use of Figurative and Intense Language During Hurricane Harvey 2020-04-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Measuring and Achieving Equity in Multiperiod Emergency Material Allocation 2019-06-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Mediating International Crises 2006-11-01T12:00:00 Book
Mediation Style and Crisis Outcomes 2006-02-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Milling and Public Warnings 2017-05-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Mobile Technology and the Transformation of Public Alert and Warning 2019-10-01T12:00:00 Book
Monitor and Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19 on Public Safety: Literature Review 2021-03-01T12:00:00 START Reports
Perceived Media Influence, Mental Illness, and Responses to News Coverage of a Mass Shooting 2017-04-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Powers and Problems of Integrating Social Media Data with Public Health and Safety 2015-09-01T12:00:00 Conference Paper
Reaching Vulnerable Populations in the Disaster-Prone US Gulf Coast: Communicating Across the Crisis Lifecycle 2019-08-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Research Highlight: U.S. Attitudes toward Terrorism and Counterterrorism Before and After the April 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings 2013-10-01T12:00:00 Research Brief
Retweeting Risk Communication: The Role of Threat and Efficacy 2018-08-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Risk and Crisis Communication in Schools: Understanding Current Challenges and Opportunities 2019-06-01T12:00:00 Book Chapter
Routledge Handbook of Risk, Crisis, and Disaster Communication 2024-05-29T12:00:00 Book
Rumor Response, Debunking Response, and Decision Makings of Misinformed Twitter Users during Disasters 2018-05-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Social Media Use during Disasters: A Review of the Knowledge Base and Gaps 2012-12-01T12:00:00 START Reports
Social Media Use During Disasters: How Information Form and Source Influence Intended Behavioral Responses 2016-06-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Social-Mediated Crisis Communication Research 2023-01-01T12:00:00 Book Chapter
Speaking with One Voice: Risk Communication Lessons from the US Anthrax Attacks 2006-06-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Strategic Communication and U.S. National Security Affairs: Critical-Cultural and Rhetorical Perspectives 2017-07-01T12:00:00 Book Chapter
Taking Effective Risk and Crisis Communication for Granted? 2013-08-01T12:00:00 Discussion Point
Terse Message Amplification in the Boston Bombing Response 2014-05-01T12:00:00 Conference Paper
The Benefit of Interventions to Reduce Posttraumatic Stress in Youth Exposed to Mass Trauma: A Review and Meta-Analysis 2019-08-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
The Frontiers of Uncertainty Estimation in Interdisciplinary Disaster Research and Practice 2019-05-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
The Handbook of Communication and Security 2019-06-01T12:00:00 Book
The Role of Communication in Healthcare Systems and Community Resilience 2017-09-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
The Role of Homeland Security Information Bulletins within Emergency Management Organizations: A Case Study of Enactment 2007-07-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
The Scared, the Outraged, and the Anxious: How Crisis Emotions, Involvement, and Demographics Predict Publics' Conative Coping 2016-04-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
The Social-Meditated Crisis Communication (SMCC) Model: Identifying the Next Frontier 2020-12-01T12:00:00 Book Chapter
The SPARS Pandemic 2025–2028: A Futuristic Scenario to Facilitate Medical Countermeasure Communication 2020-03-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
The Study of Mobile Public Warning Messages: A Research Review and Agenda 2015-02-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Too Many Patients…A Framework to Guide Statewide Allocation of Scarce Mechanical Ventilation During Disasters 2018-10-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Tornado Warning: Understanding the National Weather Service’s Communication Strategies 2020-01-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Toward More Audience-Oriented Approaches to Crisis Communication and Social Media Research 2018-01-01T12:00:00 Book Chapter
Training in Risk and Crisis Communication Modules: Project Fact Sheet 2013-12-01T12:00:00 Project Fact Sheet
U.S. Emergency Management in the 21st Century: From Disaster to Catastrophe 2019-12-01T12:00:00 Book
Understanding Motivated Publics during Disasters: Examining Message Functions, Frames, and Styles of Social Media Influentials and Followers 2019-10-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Understanding Risk Communication Best Practices: A Guide for Emergency Managers and Communicators 2012-05-01T12:00:00 START Reports
Understanding Risk Communication Theory: A Guide for Emergency Managers and Communicators 2012-05-01T12:00:00 START Reports
Understanding what violent street crime, globalization, and ice cream have in common 2025-01-29T12:00:00 Journal Article
Universal Preventive Interventions for Children in the Context of Disasters and Terrorism 2014-04-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
What it Takes to Get Passed On: Message Content, Style, and Structure as Predictors of Retransmission in the Boston Marathon Bombing Response 2015-08-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Willingness to Click: Risk Information Seeking during Imminent Threats 2017-08-01T12:00:00 Journal Article
Title
‘Best practices in crisis communications’
Call for Posters: Emergency Pre-Event Communication
Communication during coronavirus
Discussion Point: Taking Effective Risk and Crisis Communication for Granted?
Elliott Participates in White House Conference on School Safety
Enacting best practices in risk communication
Focus groups yield insight into complacency in emergency situations
Freshmen add a spark to risk communication and resilience research
Inter-American Defense Board uses ICONS platform for disaster response exercise
Kurt Braddock’s ‘Weaponized Words’ teaches how to outtalk a terrorist
New NOAA project aims to improve all hazards risk communication
Prepare, respond and recover with TRACC training
Professor Brooke Liu is second UMD professor on prestigious board
Research begins on Crisis Leadership project with help from FIRE students
Researcher Spotlight: Dennis Mileti and the sociology of disaster
Researcher spotlight: Hamilton Bean
Risk Communication Research Roundtable: Methodology and Impact
Risk communication researchers earn top paper awards
Scouting out risk communication field research
START Announces Fellowships for 2005-06
START Launches Research Brief Series
START participates in risk communication conference
START Releases 2011 Research Review
START Research Team to Develop Risk Communication Training Program
START researchers awarded nearly $1 million to improve effectiveness of emergency alert text messaging
START strengthens ties to private industry with strategic partnership, publications, events
START undergraduate wins second place at international conference
START’s TRACC receives FEMA approval
Study shows longer emergency text alerts improve safety
UMD researchers receive NOAA grant to improve crisis communication
Understanding Risk Communication Best Practices and Theory
Title Job Title Institution
Liu_Brooke Brooke Liu Professor of Communication and START Affiliated Faculty Member University of Maryland
person-default Devin Ellis Researcher, ARLIS University of Maryland
Egle Egle Murauskaite Senior Researcher & Simulation Developer, ICONS Project, START University of Maryland
Robert_Holly Holly Roberts Affiliated Faculty, Strategic Communications Lead at Akoya
Panyan Karina Panyan Research Assistant, Global Terrorism Database (GTD), START University of Maryland
Romm madeline Madeline Romm Faculty Specialist University of Maryland
person-default Michael Egnoto Affiliated Faculty, Clinical Informaticist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research