Nearly 500 people participated in tours and educational displays as part of NBAF’s Family Day
Written by Stephanie Jacques
stephanie.jacques@usda.gov
NBAF Office of Communications
Website: usda.gov/nbaf/media
Manhattan, Kansas — The USDA National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, or NBAF, welcomed nearly 500 employees and their family members to the 48-acre campus Aug. 17-18 for Family Day.
Meticulously coordinated to ensure NBAF’s safety and security, employees escorted visitors to the facility’s atrium and main office spaces. Educational booths, displays and a virtual tour of the entire campus were part of the festivities to engage kids and adults to better understand the NBAF mission.
“We were excited to offer this opportunity to our employees and their families as they are extremely important stakeholders while we continue forward in standing up to our mission,” said Katie Pawlosky, NBAF communications director.
NBAF is currently operating at biosafety level-2, which is similar to science work in most universities. As the facility meets goals and passes inspections, the science will gradually advance to biosafety level-3 and -4. Family support for NBAF employees as they work toward these goals is integral to the facility’s progress to protecting the nation’s food supply, agricultural economy and public health.
As a result of the opportunity, Ron Wilson, a family member who is also regionally known as the Poet Lariat, has written a piece about the experience.
Thanks to NBAF for hosting a family day,
So that we could see this facility in this way.
We know our family members work hard at their tasks,
With the demands this amazing new facility asks.
NBAF performs an extremely vital mission,
Protecting animal & public health from disease transmission.
This impressive new facility is state-of-the-art,
With science, safety, and containment at the heart.
If high-consequence pathogens arrive on the scenes,
NBAF scientists will be researching and piloting vaccines.
While animal disease risks may be a surety,
NBAF has a vital role in national security.
So we give thanks for the tremendous capability
Of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.
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The National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, or NBAF, is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.