The construction of the Boston University Level-4 Biosafety Laboratory in the South End has drawn its share of vocal critics who have condemned the project. And BU’s latest administrative pick will take on the brunt of some of the criticism.
Thomas Geisbert, who was named associate director of the biolab Sept. 13, will soon have the task of not only managing the lab, but also facing vocal critics who have made the lab’s construction a keystone for local activism.
According to a BU press release, Thomas will contribute to all major decisions concerning the lab’s opening, including faculty appointment and development of scientific laboratory programs.
BU also appointed Geisbert’s wife, Joan, as the associate director of the Specimen Processing Core Laboratory and associate director of the lab’s training simulator, the release states.
“We did a nationwide search and found the best scientists in the nation,” said Mark Klempner, the lab’s director and BUMC associate provost for research. “Tom brings outstanding scientific skills, and Joan brings vast experience in performing research and training individuals to do work in level-4 labs.”
Thomas Geisbert has 19 years of experience in a specialized laboratory, while his wife has worked in BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs for 32 years, according to another BU release.
Klempner said their decades of combined experience will be a strong asset to the lab’s research capabilities.
“[The Geisberts’] research will address urgent pressing public health problems such as recent outbreaks of Ebola,” he said. “In addition, their research will work toward better understanding diseases and finding cures and vaccines for them.”
The couple will inherit a facility plagued by controversy ever since the National Institutes of Health provided BU with a $150 million grant to build the lab in the densely populated South End in 2003.
Despite extensive reports and research supporting the biolab’s security – including the NIH’s study last month stating the laboratory poses no threat to the community — it has still met strong opposition from community activists and concerned citizens.
During a Sept. 20 town meeting held by the NIH, hundreds of citizens offered their criticisms and concerns and booed supporters and officials as they spoke.
“This could be the biggest mistake we’ve ever made,” said Alisha Sieminski, member of the Stop the Biolab Coalition, at the meeting.
Despite the backlash, Klempner said he is confident the lab will be safe.
“Doing research in a BSL-4 ensures that there will be the highest level of safety precautions for the researcher and the community,” he said. “This includes personal protection for the researcher, redundant systems, negative air pressure and other requirements from the NIH and the Centers for Disease Control.”
“It is normal for people to fear the unknown,” Klempner continued. “Our ongoing task is to inform people about what will take place in this laboratory and that the research can and will be done safely.”
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