A bioterrorism expert who served as chief inspector on past U.N. weapons inspection missions in Iraq will give the next talk in West Virginia Universitys Benedum Lecture Series.

David R. Franz will speak on”Bioterrorismafter September 11, 2001”at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, in G24 Eiesland Hall.

The Benedum Lecture Series brings experts from other universities and institutions to the WVU campus every year to speak on topics related to a specific theme. This years series is”September 11th: One Year Later.”Remaining lecture dates are Oct. 9 and 16.

Franz is vice president of the chemical and biological defense division of the Southern Research Institute in Frederick, Md. He previously served as both deputy commander and later commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and as deputy commander of the Medical Research and Materiel Command. Before joining the command, he served as group veterinarian for the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne).

Franz served as chief inspector on three United Nations Special Commission biological warfare inspection missions to Iraq and as technical advisor on long-term monitoring. He also served on the first two U.S./United Kingdom teams to visit Russia in support of the Trilateral Joint Statement on Biological Weapons and the Trilateral ExpertsCommittee for biological weapons negotiations.

He is deputy director of the Center for Disaster Preparedness at the University of Alabama at Birminghams School of Medicine, where he holds an adjunct appointment as professor. He is also a faculty member in the Department of Justice Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Ala.

Franz has been a guest speaker for national and international organizations, provided expert testimony to the U.S. Senate and been a guest expert on national television and radio news shows.

He has a doctorate in veterinary medicine from KansasStateUniversity and a doctorate in physiology from Baylor College of Medicine.