6th International Biosafety & Biocontainment Symposium:
Emerging Biorisk Challenges in Agriculture

We are pleased to announce the poster award for the 2021 Symposium.

There were fourteen entrants, with strong international participation. The presentations were excellent and the competition was very tight.

The winning poster was
“Lack of Detection of Airborne Surrogate Agents for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in On-Farm Composting Studies.”

The presenters were
Erica Spackman; Casey Ritz; Brian Jordan; Charles Balzli; Christopher B. Stephens; and David E. Swayne.

They represent the USDA National Poultry Research Center, Athens, Georgia; the University of Georgia; and the Battelle National Biodefense Institute.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all who participated!

---

12:40 – 1:40 pm Exhibits, Posters, and Lunch

---

Session II: Applied Biosafety Research: An International Effort

Moderators: Julie Fischer, PhD, CRDF Global, Washington, DC
Cristine Lawson, PhD, RBP(ABSA), U.S. Department of Defense, Fort Detrick, MD

1:40 – 2:00 pm Overview of 2019 U.S. Workshop: What is Applied Biosafety Research, Who’s Doing It and How Might We Do It Better?
Joseph Kozlovac, MS, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD
Danielle Lohman, PhD, U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC

2:00 – 2:20 pm Department of Defense (DOD) Biological Select Agents and Toxins (BSAT) Scientific Gaps in Biorisk Research Program (SGBRP)
Cristine Lawson, PhD, RBP(ABSA), U.S. Department of Defense, Fort Detrick, MD

2:20 – 2:40 pm Biosafety and Chemical Safety Research
John Trant, PhD, Windsor University, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Dana Ménard, PhD, Windsor University, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

2:40 – 3:00 pm Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)

---

3:00 -3.15 pm Exhibits, Posters, and Break

---

3:15 – 3:35 pm Understanding Human Reliability in the Laboratory: Implications for Biosafety
Rocco Cassagrande, PhD, Gryphon Scientific, Takoma Park, MD

3:35 -3:55 pm Challenges and Innovations in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Decontamination during the COVID-19 Pandemic 
Antony Schwartz, PhD, CBSP(ABSA), Duke University, Durham, NC

3:55 – 4:15 pm Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)

---

4:15 – 5:15 pm Focus Discussion Breakouts

• High Containment Facility Issues
• Applied Biorisk Research Gaps
• Transboundary Animal Disease Issues
• Biorisk Training and Risk Communication

---

Wednesday, February 3, 2021 (all times Central Time Zone)

Session III: Emerging Issues

Moderators: Joe Kanabrocki, PhD, CBSP(ABSA), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
AJ Troiano, PhD, RBP(ABSA), Safer Behaviors, Newton, MA
Shelley Jones, MS, RBP(ABSA), Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ

8:00 – 8:40 am Keynote Speaker
COVID-19
Mark Denison, MD, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

8:40 – 9:00 am Keynote Speaker Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)

9:00 – 9:20 am Feeding the nation during a pandemic – Insights on challenges and triumphs from the food industry
Karleigh Bacon, PhD, The Kraft Heinz Company, Chicago, IL

9:20 – 9:40 am Experimental Transmission Studies of SARS-CoV-2 in Selected Laboratory and Farm Animals
Angele Breithaupt, DVM, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Insel Riems, Germany

9:40 – 9:50 am Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)

---

9:50 – 10:00 am Exhibits, Posters, and Break

---

10:00 – 10:20 am Transmission Studies in Wildlife Species
Mitch Palmer, PhD, DVM, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, IA

10:20 – 10:40 am Legal Issues—Lessons Learned on COVID-19 Response
R. Brooks Moore, BBA, JD, The Texas A&M University System, College Station, TX

10:40 – 11:15 am On Farm Biosecurity Practices as Related to COVID
Russell Plaschka, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, KS

11:15 – 11:35 am Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)

---

11:35 am – 12:35 pm Exhibits, Posters, and Lunch

---

12:35 – 12:55 pm Biosafety Community Outreach During COVID-19
David Gillum, MS, RBP(ABSA), Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

12:55 – 1:35 pm COVID-19 Lessons Learned
Josh Bornstein, MPA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA

1:35 – 1:55 pm DHS S&T NBACC Studies Addressing SARS-Cov-2 Environmental Stability and Disinfection Research Gaps
George Korch, PhD, National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, Fort Detrick, MD
Michael Hevey, PhD, National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, Fort Detrick, MD

1:55 – 2:15 pm Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)

---

2:15 – 2:30 pm Exhibits, Posters, and Break

---

2:30 – 3:30 pm Roundtable Discussion
Managing Research Safety During Pandemic Conditions
Moderator: Bruce Whitney, PhD, The Texas A&M University System, College Station, TX
Joe Kanabrocki, PhD, CBSP(ABSA), University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
George Korch, PhD, National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, Fort Detrick, MD
Michael Hevey, PhD, National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, Fort Detrick, MD

---

3:30 – 4:30 pm Focus Discussion Breakouts

• Agriculture Emergency Risk and Management
• Risk Assessment
• Continuity of Operations During a Pandemic
• International Biorisk Management Challenges

---

Thursday, February 4, 2021 (all times Central Time Zone)

Session IV: Risks and Risk Assessment

Moderators: Robert Ellis, PhD, CBSP(ABSA), Fort Collins, CO
Tammy Bavaret, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), Tulane University, Covington, LA

8:00 – 8:45 am Keynote Speaker
Designing a sustainable future with Plant Synthetic Biology
June Medford, PhD, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

8:45 – 9:00 am Keynote Speaker Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)

9:00 – 9:20 am Wild Rabbits Hemorrhagic Fever
Tanja Strive, PhD, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research, Black Mountain, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

9:20 – 9:40 am Applying HRO Principals to High-Containment Labs
Susan Weekly, MS, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, KS

9:40 – 10:00 am A Standard Method to Inactivate Bacillus anthracis Spores to Sterility via Gamma Irradiation
Henry Gibbons, PhD, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Columbia, MD

10:00 – 10:15 am Questions and Answers
(Moderator led discussion)

---

10:15 – 10:30 Break

---

10:30 – 11:30 am Biosecurity Roundtable
Moderator: Paul Meechan, PhD, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), Biosafety Consultant, Cantonsville, MD

Lori Miller, PE, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Riverdale, MD
Melissa Hersh, MA, Hersh Consulting, Washington, DC
David Hogg, MS, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
Adrian Self, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

11:30 am Closing Comments
Joseph Kozlovac, MS, RBP(ABSA), CBSP(ABSA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD