ADVISORY/IEEE Spectrum Reports On Bioterrorism Detectors; October Cover Story Discusses Technological 'Canaries' That Can Detect Germs In Time To Offer Protection.

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

ADVISORY...

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 2, 2001

WHAT:             IEEE Spectrum's October issue addresses the
                  effectiveness of early-warning sensors against
                  biological warfare attacks. These portable,
                  battery-operated biodetectors continuously collect
                  and prepare air samples and then automatically feed
                  them through diagnostic tests to look for the
                  bioagents. High-tech versions of the coal-miner's
                  canary, these devices are designed to determine the
                  type and concentration of the biowarfare agent
                  within minutes.

WHO:              Christopher Aston, a genomics researcher and adjunct
                  professor at New York University Medical Center,
                  writes in the October issue of IEEE Spectrum, that
                  researchers are hard at work developing new kinds of
                  early-warning sensors to detect an attack in a
                  matter of minutes.

DETAILS:          IEEE SPECTRUM magazine, the flagship publication of
                  the IEEE, explores the development, applications and
                  implications of new technologies. It anticipates
                  trends in engineering, science, and technology, and
                  provides a forum for understanding, discussion and
                  leadership in these areas. With over 360,000 member
                  subscribers worldwide, and a new program of
                  aggressive non-member circulation growth, IEEE
                  SPECTRUM magazine delivers the single largest
                  concentration of high-tech professionals and senior
                  managers of any publication in its niche.