"People don't realize the power they have as bystanders to make a difference." - Dr. Ervin Staub.

 

A professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Dr. Staub is the founding director of the doctoral program on the psychology of peace and violence. His own experience as a Holocaust survivor has influenced his interest in studying the roots of violence between groups, especially mass killings, genocide, and terrorism.

 

Dr. Staub has worked in the Netherlands to improve Dutch-Muslim relations; in Rwanda, Burundi , and the Congo to promote healing and reconciliation after genocide; and  he has  developed a program for California police in the wake of the Rodney King incident in Los Angeles. He has served as an expert witness at the Abu Ghraib trials and has written numerous books on the source of violence and how to prevent it and heal from it. His talk is sure to provide a new lens through which to view some of modern history's greatest atrocities and tools for communities and individuals to do their part to ensure such acts never happen again.