Membership in BRIRC

Criteria for appointment to the Biosafety and Radioisotope Institutional Review Committee (BRIRC) and how meetings of the Committee should be conducted follow the recommendations of the Office of Biotechnology Activities of the National Institute of Health. The Committee must consist of at minimum of 5 members, with at least 2 members that are not affiliated with the University who shall represent the environmental and public health interest of the surrounding community. Members affiliated with the University shall include persons with experience and expertise in recombinant DNA technology, biological, radiological, and chemical safety and physical containment, physical, physiological, and pathological characteristics of nanoparticales and radionuclides, agronomy, and the use of laboratory animals. Members must also have knowledge of institutional policies, applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations, standards of professional conduct and practice, community attitude and environmental considerations. They must have the capacity to assess the safety of these types of activities and to identify potential risks to public health and safety.

Responsibilities of the committee are detailed, in part, in Section IV-B-2-b-(1-9) of the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules.

Members of this Committee are appointed by the President, Louisiana Tech University for a term of 3 years. Members are eligible for re-appointment to consecutive terms. Current Members of the BRIRC are:

Mr. Don Braswell- Dir, EHS-Chair Ms. Emily Born - Animal Care

Mr. Danny Eddy - Chemistry Mr. John Mc Donald- IFM

Dr. Zeno Greenwood- Director, Nuclear Center Dr. Patrick O’Neal- Biomed. Engr

Dr. David Mills, Biology and IFM Ms. Melissa Hughes- Director, Purchasing

Dr. Ed Griswold- EHS Safety Specialist Dr. Larry Thomas - Outside Member

Dr. William Green- Agricultural Sciences Mr. Charles Killgore- Outside Member

Dr. Jay White - Biology Dr. Patrick Hindmarsh – Biological Sciences

Dr. Ramu Ramachandran- COES

Dr. Neven Simicevic- Physics