1.

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded Kansas State University a $792,185 cooperative agreement under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care federal grant program (CFDA 10.025) for the period of February 1, 2023 through January 31, 2026. The award will support Kansas State University's delivery of a formal online course and hands-on training program to introduce students to the basics of high containment facilities, regulations, operations, and technical skills relevant to the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF). The training will cover diagnostic laboratory protocols, animal husbandry and care, and basic arbovirology. It aims to promote safe work practices for high containment environments. Students will receive certificates of completion after presenting on what they learned from the training. The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility and other federal BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories are expected to benefit from students gaining this experience.

Purpose

The mission of the national BIO and agro-defense facility (nbaf) is to provide state-of-the-art biocontainment for the diagnosis and study of foreign animal diseases including emerging, and zoonotic pathogens (transmitted from animals to humans) that threaten animal agriculture and public health. Completion of this mission will require highly trained diagnosticians, animal care technicians, and insectary technicians to support the nbaf researchers. These technicians must understand the high containment environment and understand and perform standard laboratory, animal, and insectary procedures. The primary goal of the formal online course will be to introduce students, who would like to work at nbaf, to the basics of high containment facilities, regulations, operations, and technical skills. The hands-on portion will include training on basic diagnostic laboratory protocols, animal husbandry and care, and basic arbovirology. This training program will promote safe work practices, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), laboratory entry and exit procedures, emergency procedures, and other essential practices to ensure safety and security in the high containment environment. The course will also provide an overview of common diagnostic, animal handling, and arbovirology techniques. The seminars will take place primarily at the biosecurity research institute on the kansas state university campus in manhattan, kansas using the BRI integrated training laboratory and a laboratory located in containment using mock BSL-3 practices on a BSL-2 agent for the diagnostic portion with no agent for the animal and mosquito portion of this seminar. Fellows may also have access to the larc for some of the animal handling procedures in a BSL-2, or lower, environment. PAT roberts hall, the location of the BRI, is an ideal training venue for students interested in working at nbaf. The BRI is a unique biocontainment research, training, and educationfacility. The BRI supports comprehensive "field-to-fork" infectious disease research programs that address threats to our food supply as well as animal, human, and plant health. The facility was designed and constructed for BSL-3, biosafety level-3 agriculture (BSL-3AG), and arthropod containment levels-1 and -3 (ACL-1 and-3) capabilities. The BRI provides k-state scientists and collaborators with a safe and secure location to study high consequence pathogens. Research conducted at the BRI aims to ensure a safe food supply, protect public health, and help prevent major economic loss to U.S. Agriculture. The facility is located adjacent to the nbaf campus in manhattan, KS. 2.

Activities

The primary goal of the formal online course will be to introduce students, who would like to work at nbaf, to the basics of high CO ntainment facilities, regulations, operations, and technical skills. The hands-on portion will include training on basic diagnostic laboratory protocols, animal husbandry and care, and basic arbovirology. This training program will promote safe work practices, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), laboratory entry and exit procedures, emergency procedures, and other essential practices to ensure safety and security in the high containment environment. The course will also provide an overview of common diagnostic, animal handling, and arbovirology techniques. 3. Deliverables and expected outcomes: written and oral presentations by the student fellows detailing what they learned from their training. Certificate of completion awarded at the end of the course. 4. Intended beneficiary(IES): the national BIO and agro-defense facility (nbaf), as well as other federal BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories will benefit from undergraduate students coming out of college with hands on laboratory and safety experience in BSL-3 labs. 5. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award: not applicable.