Dr. Magdy Hefnawy, a Greene County resident, this spring will present a study he and a colleague have done on "Advances in Food Security and Safety against Terrorist Threats and Natural Disasters."

Hefnawy, a U.S. citizen who was born in Egypt, will deliver the paper at a conference on April 13-15 in Cairo, Egypt.

The conference has been organized by Ag-Tech International Inc., a company Hefnawy owns.

The conference speakers will include Americans, Egyptians and other food security experts from Turkey, Germany, France, Spain and Jordan.

The Advisory Panel on Chemistry/Biology/Physics of NATO's Science for Peace and Security Section scheduled the presentation by Dr. Hefnawy and a colleague, Dr. Sameeh Mansour, of the National Research Centre in Cairo.

The workshop's objective is to "allow scientists and industry experts from various countries to make critical assessment of existing knowledge on food security and safety as a defense against terrorist attacks," and to develop strategies to counter such risks.

Decades ago, Hefnawy came to the United States as an employee with The Austin Company, a major tobacco company then based in Greeneville.

He studied at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, from which he earned a doctorate in food technology and science.

Dr. Hefnawy and his wife, Laura, reside on a Greene County farm.