Media Relations
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

CONTACT:
Mike Sepanic, Rutgers-Camden communications office
(856) 225-6026

For Immediate Release: June 22, 2007

Moon Jobs May Crater, Suggests Rutgers-Camden Researcher

CAMDEN -- Think your job is tough? Can't wait for summer vacation to "get
away from it all"? Just wait, says a Rutgers University-Camden researcher.
In the not-too-distant future, some jobs will challenge workers placed far,
far away from it all.

On the moon, in fact.

According to Chester Spell, an associate professor of management at the
Rutgers School of Business-Camden, the lunar settlements of tomorrow -- or,
for that matter, the space stations of today -- carry long-term implications
for the mental health of employees working in isolation for extended
periods. Depression and anxiety will reach new levels among those employees,
creating mental and cardiovascular health problems as well as a sharp
decline in productivity.

If it sounds far-fetched, Spell notes that existing research already finds
that workers in earthbound, quasi-isolated work environments, such as remote
Australian mining towns or Antarctic stations, experience higher levels of
depression. Just imagine, observes Spell, what might happen if those workers
were placed in the extreme isolation of a lunar environment, where
interaction with their coworkers may determine their very survival.

Spell presented his research about the mental health implications of working
in a lunar settlement during the Rutgers Symposium on Lunar Settlements,
held in New Brunswick during June 3-8.

One scenario, based on recent research by the Rutgers-Camden management
scholar, suggests that depression experienced by one worker will spread
among the rest of the employee base. "The anxiety and depression of
individuals working in teams relates to what co-workers think about their
working conditions, above and beyond their own feelings," explains Spell.
"In other words, attitudes can spread among group members like a 'social
contagion' and potentially lead to reduced mental health among other team
members."

While Spell's research was not conducted in an isolated environment, he
notes that under such conditions it is likely that social interaction among
team members is even more critical since team members are the only source of
support. "Relatively scant attention has been paid to this issue," says
Spell, who adds that "studies to date suggest that the link between
isolation and worker mental health may be a critical one for a lunar base."

Spell's research in the area of employee health and wellness regularly
appears top scholarly and professional journals worldwide. He teaches
undergraduate and MBA courses related to human resource management at
Rutgers-Camden.
Now maybe they never saw the film Dark Star, where even the smart bomb
became suicidal?
:-)

Brian

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