|
|
News Archives - October 2002
|
October 14th, 2002
Contact: Karen Helgeson, University Editor
Expert On Iraq's Nuclear Weapons Program To Lecture At UT Martin
Martin, Tn. - The former Iraqi Director General of Weaponization will lecture Monday, Oct. 21 at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Nuclear physicist Khidhir Hamza, a 20-year expert on Iraq's nuclear weapons program, will present the lecture "Gas, Germs, and Other Bad Things: Iraq's Program for Weapons of Mass Destruction" at 7:30 p.m. in the Boling University Center's Watkins Auditorium.
The lecture, part of the UT Martin's Academic Speakers Series at UT Martin, is free and open to the public.
Hamza played several key roles in Iraq's nuclear weapons program for more than 20 years. As Director General of Weaponization, he headed the research program to find military uses for highly enriched uranium. He lived in President Saddam Hussein's presidential compound in Baghdad for several years prior to defecting to the United States in 1994.
Hamza has written about his experiences in his book, "Saddam's Bomb Maker: The Terrifying Inside Story of the Iraqi Nuclear and Biological Weapons Agenda." He recently testified before a U.S. Senate Committee investigating Iraq's weapons program. Hamza holds a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Baghdad, a master's in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a doctorate in theoretical nuclear physics from Florida State University.
Hamza's appearance is co-sponsored by the Student Activities Council, the Office of Student Life and Honors Programs.
The Academic Speakers Program annually brings distinguished scholars, writers and performers to the UT Martin campus. The final speaker in this year's series, also scheduled to present at 7:30 p.m. in the Boling University Center's Watkins Auditorium, will be:
- Martin Marty, Monday, Nov. 18, 2002, "Religious Pluralism as Threat and Promise
- Hali Jilani, Monday, Feb. 3, 2003, "From Kabul to Baghdad: The Rise of Radical Islam
- Ambassador Walter Cutler, Thursday, March 3, 2003, "The Middle East: Crisis, Conflict and Change
- Gail Charnley, Monday, March 24, 2003, "Protecting the Children: Risk Assessment, Risk Management, and Children's Environmental Health"
- Terry Collins, Monday, April 10, 2003, "Green Chemistry: Sustaining a High Technology Civilization."
|
|
