Professor of Biology Jeff Byrd will give the keynote address at the 2020 Annual Chesapeake Area Biological Safety Association Symposium held virtually this year on Wednesday, June 3. Titled “Service Animals in the Teaching/Research Lab? An Update on the 2019 Revised American Society for Microbiology Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines,” Byrd will highlight community-developed changes to the guidelines and provide practical tips for their implementation.
The ASM first published “Guidelines for Biosafety in Teaching Laboratories” in 2012. Recent developments in technology, college and university policies, and student needs necessitated a revision of the text. The updated publication now incorporates direction for admittance of service animals into the teaching laboratory and includes an increased expectation for risk assessment when developing laboratory exercises.
Byrd serves as the safety editor for the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, and was on the ASM Task Committee that developed the original guidelines and chaired the committee for the revised version.
According to its website, ChABSA is an affiliate of the American Biological Safety Association established in 1987 by local area members with a similar interest in the safety of research using microorganisms and recombinant DNA.
