Fenn received a bachelor of arts degree in history ( with honors ) from Duke University in 1981 , then attended Yale University , finishing her masters in 1985 . Fenn originally planned to write her dissertation on millenarianism in Native American culture , but left her doctoral program at Yale before it was finished , as she was " bored " with academia . Fenn entered the auto mechanic program at Durham Technical Community College and worked as a mechanic around the Durham , North Carolina area for eight years before returning to Yale in 1995 to complete her studies . '' Pox Americana '' , her dissertation about the 1775 – 82 North American smallpox epidemic , was written while working part-time , and completed in 1999 . Fenn was interviewed on multiple national news outlets about biological warfare after the September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Elizabeth A. Fenn