Zachary Dortzbach
Pronouns: he/him
Research Mentor(s): Yarden Katz
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Digital Studies Institute / LSA
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 6 – 4:40pm – 5:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Zachary Dortzbach, Yarden Katz
Presenter: 86
Abstract
The United States has a tragic history of weaponizing bacteria in public settings and employing microbial warfare. Universities are becoming an increasingly common site for biological weapons research with many laboratories across the US which often devastate their surrounding communities. The militarized use of biology is an under-researched subject, but there are consistent activist efforts protesting the construction of bioterror labs. This study tracks the locations of projects and funding across the US, with a focus on understanding the patterns in the community demographic and response at the University of Michigan. Graphical analysis is completed on the funding obtained from the US Department of Defense via a FOIA request. Data about the funds from DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office (BTO) since 2014 is retrieved. The programs receiving funding are mapped out across the US and examined over time in an effort to understand and expose the trends in what and where the major contributors to biological terror are located. An analysis of the data, alongside recovered historical academia, shows that bioweapons labs disproportionately affect Black and minority urban communities. Not only is there destruction to the surrounding environment, but also the Department of Defense continues to prioritize increased research in bioterror in these areas. From the findings, it is important to expose the environmental impact bioweapons research has on different communities and publicize the harmful effects of DARPA’s BTO projects going on in research institutions across the country.
Arts and Humanities, Interdisciplinary, Public Health, Social Sciences
