Low level scientific activity begins at NBAF

Nearly a year after officials cut the ribbon on the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility (NBAF), science is starting to begin within the facility.

In an interview with KMAN this week, NBAF Deputy Director Dr. Ken Burton said those activities are moving forward in phases, beginning with the lowest risk common science practices, with research to ramp up to more advanced, mission focused science later on.

“Scientific activities at NBAF are at what’s called a biosafety level 1 and 2, which basically includes clean, non-infectious materials as well as some moderate-risk microbes, so pretty low-level work that’s being done, but definitely starting to make some progress,” he said.

Rather than following a timeline for when research eventually gets up to biosafety level 3 and 4 containment, Burton says that progression will happen as safety and science goals are achieved.

“Right now in addition to the science that I mentioned, we’re preparing the facility and its procedures for inspections and reviews by the federal regulatory agencies which are required by law for us to move up into those upper phases of research,” he said.

The Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York continues to be operational until NBAF is ready to assume the center’s full mission.

Even as science gets stood up at the facility, NBAF officials are continuing to welcome in tours of the facility and conducting more community outreach in Manhattan.

“We’ve hosted more than 60 tours, with just right around 823 stakeholders that have come through. It’s really great to be able to bring those people in and to show them our facility and what we do here,” Burton said.

As part of its outreach efforts, NBAF officials participated in the Kansas Science Festival this past weekend and will take part in summer stem activities at Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 in June.

“NBAF scientists will not only participate in a week of the program, but the entire program on those subjects will run from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. June 10 through June 28,” he said. “Our scientists really enjoy having the chance to get out and visit with the community and share what they’ll be doing.”

Burton adds that feedback from the stakeholder surveys who have toured the facility has been helpful to the research team, with 96% of visitors saying they consider themselves a continued or even stronger supporter of the NBAF mission. One anonymous response noted that the tour refreshed a “sense of pride in the U.S. technological and scientific leadership on the global stage.”