At a time when the issue of chemical weapons has never been more prominent, the US armed forces have enlisted the help of the University of Dundee in educating their senior decision makers about biotechnology and key advances in biomedical research.
Eighteen high-ranking military students from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF) in Washington DC will visit the University's Wellcome Trust Biocentre today, May 12, to learn about biotechnology and its industry, thereby providing a background to understanding the relationship between the biotechnology industry and US national security.
Joseph E. Goldberg, Director of Research at the ICAF, said, "As senior decision makers, these students will be required to reflect upon issues which most probably will involve dimensions of biotechnology. It is vital that more of our future strategic leaders in the Department of Defence not only have an understanding of the nature of the biological threat but have a familiarity with the roots of biological warfare: biotechnology, its industry, and the relationship between the industry and our national security."
The students will receive a presentation on Biotechnology in Scotland and Dundee from Kevin Bazley of Scottish Enterprise Tayside, and an overview of the School of Life Sciences and the Wellcome Trust Biocentre by Professor Sir Philip Cohen. They will then visit research laboratories and learn about the work being carried out on tropical diseases, immunobiology and cell developmental biology.
The ICAF is a United States Department of Defence education institution established to study national resource management, whose students comprise officers from all branches of the services (at the rank of Lt. Colonel, Commander to Colonel and Captain) or government officials from other agencies.
By Jane Smernicki, Press Officer 01382 344768 j.m.smernicki@dundee.ac.uk