Concerns aired at bio forum

A panel of research experts acknowledged the UW made a mistake in not letting the public know about its plans for a new Level 3 biocontainment research lab during a public forum held last night in Kane Hall to discuss the proposed facility.

"We made a mistake," said John Coulter, the executive director of the UW Health Sciences Administration, in response to repeated questions about why the proposal for the new BSL-3 facility was not openly discussed sooner.

The public forum was moderated by Steven Olswang, interim chancellor at UW Tacoma, and was attended by more than 75 community members, including faculty and students.

The event was organized in an effort to help rectify the mistake and address concerns, panelists said.

The UW applied for a $25 million grant with the National Institutes of Health in December to help build the biocontainment lab, an estimated $64 million project.

While many who attended praised the ongoing research conducted by the UW, several expressed concerns about the intended location of the facility, which would be housed on south campus, across the street from the new bioengineering building currently under construction.

Location concerns were summed up by Faculty Senate Chair Ross Heath, who pointed out the proposed lab would be placed in a densely populated location with three public roads and in proximity to Portage Bay.

Alternatives proposed by community and faculty members ranged from area military bases to the Hanford reservation, located 200 miles southeast of the UW.

Panelists countered these suggestions, saying many top researchers of infectious diseases were based at the UW and needed to be nearby in order to see patients at the UW Medical Center on a daily basis.

In addition, the research process was highly collaborative, and the researchers themselves needed to be in contact with colleagues, one panelist said.

Another concern posed by several citizens was how the UW would maintain control of a facility built using federal funding.

"If the federal government wants to study the effects of biological weaponry pathogens ... I don't think the UW is going to have anything to say about it," said Matthew Fox, president of the City University Community Advisory Committee.

The facility may be used for classified research, which would not be available for public scrutiny, Fox said.

Overall security of the facility was also questioned. Panelists assured the audience the building would be "bomb-proof" and the strictest security measures would be followed.

Coulter openly admitted these precautions would not help businesses located across the street in the event of a terrorist attack. Panelists noted the likelihood of such an attack was up for debate.

But community members stressed the need for communication between administrators and themselves.

"I think a lot of this [frustration] is a sense that we sort of understand what you're doing, but we don't have a lot of communication," said Sharon Dunn, who has been a teacher and resident in the U-District for more than 20 years. "The residents of the U-District don't have a sense of being in a partnership with the university."