Protocols for review at the Tuesday, September 7, 2021, meeting MUST be received by Friday, August 27, 2021, at 5 pm.

• A reminder for all faculty who use any nucleus acids in their research or classes. Federal guidelines now require that anyone that uses any nucleus acids must register with the Biosafety Committee even if the research is at the BSL-1 level. Initial registration requires the following forms: Registration for the Use of Biological Materials, Registration of Experiments/Activities Involving Nucleic Acids, List of Laboratory Personnel, Researcher Experience Form.

• All faculty planning to conduct research or classroom activity involving any kind of nucleic acids, including genomes, plasmids, or short nucleic acid sequences, or any potentially bio-hazardous material, including pathogens, biological toxins, or human cells, tissues, organs, or fluids must obtain prior approval from the Institutional Biosafety Committee before undertaking that activity. This committee provides federally mandated oversight of activities that present a risk of infection or illness in humans.

PLEASE NOTE: RESEARCH INVOLVING VIRUSES OR EXPOSURE TO PATHOGENIC VIRUSES IS NOT ALLOWED AT ITHACA COLLEGE.

• Faculty who have submitted forms that were approved last year need only to fill out an update form and a new laboratory personnel form.
• Federal guidelines require that applicants possess prior experience with a particular agent or procedure, and those supervising the activity should be familiar with proper safety precautions, procedures involving storage, and disposal. A link to federal guidelines can be found on the Institutional Biosafety website.

Forms and additional information may also be found on the Biosafety website. Please direct submissions and inquiries to biosafety@ithaca.edu.

For additional information, please refer to the following sites: 

• Biosafety, Biosecurity, and Emerging Biotechnology Policy Division
• OSHA Regulations,
• Center for Disease Control, and
• American Biological Safety Association