As the nation prepares itself for future terrorist
attacks, the questions are endless and the answers elusive. How
can American cities prevent or, if need be, respond to a man-made
smallpox epidemic, a sudden outbreak of tularemia, a bomb studded
with radioactive material, or a poisoned water supply? After Sept.
11 and the fall anthrax attacks, Dean Alfred
Sommer dedicated the School's science and collective expertise
to help a nation stunned by terrorism. School faculty, students,
and alumni have taken up the challenge. Long a proponent of biopreparedness,
the Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies is counseling government
officials and guiding the national preparations with science-based
advice. The Hopkins Public Health Scientists Working to Address
Terrorism (SWAT) team has united School faculty in the pursuit of
research and policy that can blunt terror's power. This Special
Report chronicles their contributions to the science of security.