14. The FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Program
and Safeguarding the Bioeconomy

A distance learning opportunity
November 9 and 16, 2023
1:00 – 3:00 pm (CST)

Free webinar for ABSA Members

Registration for this webinar must be completed 1 business day prior to the start of the training.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the nature of the presentation and rules set by the FBI, this webinar will NOT be recorded nor will slides of the presentations be shared.

The FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Program and Safeguarding the Bioeconomy webinar will demonstrate how the FBI’s WMD Program interfaces with biosafety officers. This information can be helpful especially as biosafety offices deal with the evolving threat that biotechnology can pose. With its rapid growth, the U.S. bioeconomy increasingly serves as a critical foundation for American competitiveness in a global environment. When it comes to security, biological threats have historically focused on emerging infectious diseases or the possibility of engineering a virus that could start a zombie apocalypse. As biology continues to converge with cyber, new security challenges will arise. This presentation will highlight the need to radically redefine what we consider biological and cyber threats.

Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Define the FBI’s role in biosecurity
• Better identify potential threats to biological research and biotechnology
• Expand their awareness of future biosafety/biosecurity challenges
• Identify biosafety/biosecurity risk mitigation measures

All biosafety and biosecurity professionals

Supervisory Special Agent Ed You, Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate, Washington, DC
Ms. Dione Mazzolini, WMD Coordinator, FBI Seattle Division
Mr. Nicholas Paquette, CBSP(ABSA), Operational Microbiologist, FBI Laboratory Division, Quantico, VA

This course has been approved for 0.5 CM points toward RBP/CBSP recertification. ABSA International is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.^® Program. This course is approved for 4.5 P.A.C.E.^® contact hours. The links to the various invitations for the course will be unique to the user and cannot be shared. The links are for single, individual use only. If more than one occurrence of an individual’s name is on the attendee list for the webinar through Zoom platform, all instances of that person’s name will be removed from the webinar with no refund. The webinar and its associated links are for single, individual use only.