Sources: Scott Rusk, jsrusk@k-state.edu, 785-532-1333;
and Lisa Freeman, freevet@k-state.edu, 785-532-4542
http://www.k-state.edu/media/mediaguide/bios/ruskbio.html
http://www.k-state.edu/media/mediaguide/bios/freemanbio.html
News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-532-6415, kmayes@k-state.edu
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
MEDIA ADVISORY: K-STATE'S BRI TO BE NAMED A DESIGNATED TRAINING SITE FOR FEDERAL BIOSAFETY TRAINING
MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University's BRI -- Biosecurity Research Institute -- will be officially named a "designated training facility" by National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program officials this week.
A plaque presentation will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 1, at the BRI in Pat Roberts Hall. Speakers will include Ron Trewyn, K-State's vice president for research, and Murray Cohen, president of the Frontline Foundation. The National Institutes of Health will also be represented at the ceremony.
The BRI will be the first in the nation to host the National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program's biosafety and biocontainment curriculum. The designated site training is a recent initiative of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Division of Occupational Health and Safety at the National Institutes of Health. The Frontline Foundation organizes the program, which will provide the latest in professional education to those who handle biohazardous materials in biocontainment laboratories.
The BRI, in Pat Roberts Hall, is the only BSL-3 biocontainment research and training facility in the U.S. that can accommodate high-consequence pathogen research on food animals, food crops and food processing under one roof. This allows for a more comprehensive approach in researching threats to the nation's food supply. Pat Roberts Hall also has advanced training and education space, complete with an integrated training suite and mock lab.
A plaque citing the BRI's official designation will be unveiled at the ceremony. The public is welcome to attend.