KINGSTON, R.I. – October 5, 2006 – The interim director of the Canine Detection Research Institute at Auburn University will speak about “Bomb Dogs” Friday, Oct. 6 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the University of Rhode Island.

L. Paul Waggoner’s lecture is part of the URI Forensic Science Seminar Series and will be held in Pastore Hall, Room 124. The talk is free and open to the public.

The original seminar schedule listed Special Agent Jeffrey Norwitz of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as the Oct. 6 speaker. Norwitz will not be speaking during the fall series.

Waggoner works closely with a number of government agencies assessing the training of dogs to detect explosives.

Dogs are used widely by law enforcement for remote detection of contraband, and to distinguish between legal pharmaceuticals and closely related illegal drugs.

Trained dogs can sniff out illegal drugs even when hidden in air fresheners or ground coffee. Waggoner speculates that a dog’s nose is 1,000 to 10,000 times more sensitive than a human’s.

He will discuss his research and training of canines and will discuss the effects of extraneous odors.