The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee is responsible for ensuring appropriate care and use of animals involved in the University’s research, educational, and training activities. The Committee is also responsible for University compliance with federal policies and procedures governing the care and welfare of animals. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee is comprised in a manner that complies with current federal regulations and that provides the breadth of expertise necessary for adequate review of the range of research involving animals at the University. At the discretion of the Committee, appropriate individuals, including the Environmental Health and Biosafety Officer, are invited to sit with the Committee without a vote.

       The Institutional Biosafety Committee is responsible for the review and approval, if appropriate, of research that involves biological materials, including recombinant and synthetic nucleic acid molecules, pathogenic organisms and viruses, biological toxins and animal tissues that pose zoonotic disease risk. The Institutional Biosafety Committee is comprised in a manner that complies with current federal regulations. There must be sufficient collective expertise on the Committee to conduct an effective review of the full range of projects at the University that involve recombinant DNA, infectious agents, and other biohazardous material. The review should ensure that the project is conducted with appropriate containment levels, practices, facilities, and expertise. The Committee should also have expertise in the risk to the environment and to public health. At the discretion of the Committee, appropriate individuals, including the Director of Environmental Health and Safety and individuals with specific appropriate expertise, are invited to sit with the Committee without a vote.

       By federal mandate, the Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects (the IRB) is responsible for reviewing research projects involving human subjects to ensure that such research activity at the University does not expose any research subject to an unjustifiable risk or unduly invade their privacy. The Board ensures that each research proposal contains provisions for securing the informed consent of participants, free from undue pressure, prior to the start of research. All members of the University community, including students, must obtain approval from the Board before initiating any research project involving human subjects. The Board also ensures that the policies and procedures of the University with regard to research involving human subjects comply with federal and other government requirements. The membership of the IRB is composed in a manner that complies with current federal regulations.  At the discretion of the Board, appropriate individuals, including ad hoc experts or consultants, may be invited to sit with the Board without the ability to vote.

       The Radiation Safety Committee is responsible for oversight of the University’s radiation safety program. It grants authorization to principal investigators and other senior staff members who plan to work with radioactive materials, reviews incidents involving radioactive materials, sets policies for the use of sources of radiation, and gives general supervision for the implementation of those policies. The Radiation Safety Committee is chaired by a tenured faculty member and is composed of various faculty members, the Director of Environmental Health and Safety, the University Radiation Safety Officer, and other relevant personnel.

       The Human Remains Oversight Board (the HROB) is responsible for providing guidance and oversight for research, educational, and training activities involving human remains, as defined by University policy. The HROB will function in a manner consistent with applicable policies, laws, and regulations, including the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).  All members of the University community, including students, must obtain approval from the HROB before initiating any University activities involving human remains. The HROB reviews proposals and makes recommendations for the University’s acquisition, usage, storage, display and deaccession of human remains; and maintains a register of human remains in the possession of the University or used under the auspices of the University. The HROB is comprised in a manner that provides the breadth of expertise necessary for adequate review of the range of possible activities involving human remains at the University. At the discretion of the HROB, appropriate individuals, including external experts, may be invited to sit with the HROB without the ability to vote.