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106-540: The NSABB is a federal advisory committee that addresses issues related to biosecurity and dual use research at the request of the United States Government. The NSABB has up to 25 voting members with a broad range of expertise including molecular biology, microbiology, infectious diseases, biosafety, public health, veterinary medicine, plant health, national security, biodefense, law enforcement, scientific publishing, and other related fields. In May 2016,

212-585: A Gothic Revival style. Van Hise Hall is home to most of the languages departments of the university and the upper floors house the offices of the University of Wisconsin System's president and its Board of Regents. At 241 feet and 19 stories, Van Hise is the second-tallest building in Madison and one of the tallest educational buildings in the world. Because of its placement atop Bascom Hill it towers over

318-594: A model organism for rodent species), proving that certain agricultural scenarios carry the risk of allowing H5N1 to cross over into mammals. As in the Fouchier and Kawaoka experiments above, the viruses in this study were also significantly less lethal after the modification. Critics of the 2013 Chen group study (including Simon Wain-Hobson of the Pasteur Institute and former Royal Society President Robert May ) decried this as an unsafe experiment that

424-500: A 2009 H1N1 circulating in humans infected the same cell as an avian influenza H5N1. Importantly, the experiments had been conducted before a research pause on H5N1 experiments had been agreed upon by the greater virologist community. They used these experiments to determine that certain genes, if reassorted in such a dual-infection scenario in the wild, would allow transmission of the H5N1 virus more easily in mammals (notably guinea pigs as

530-489: A Consensus Statement authored by 18 founding members, including Amir Attaran , Barry Bloom , Arturo Casadevall , Richard H. Ebright , Alison Galvani , Edward Hammond, Thomas Inglesby , Michael Osterholm , David Relman , Richard Roberts , Marcel Salathé and Silja Vöneky . Since its initial publication, over 300 scientists, academics, and physicians have added their signature. The statement advocates for all work involving potential pandemic pathogens to be halted until

636-730: A Subject ranking in 227 subject categories. The University of Wisconsin–Madison has the 12th largest research library collection in North America. More than 30 professional and special-purpose libraries serve the campus. The campus library collections include more than 11 million volumes representing human inquiry through all of history. In addition, the collections comprised more than 103,844 serial titles, 6.4 million microform items, and over 8.2 million items in other formats, such as government documents, maps, musical scores, and audiovisual materials. Over 1 million volumes are circulated to library users every year. Memorial Library serves as

742-589: A beer on the terrace are common among students. The Rathskeller serves "Rathskeller Ale", a beer brewed expressly for the Terrace. Memorial Union was the first union at a public university to serve beer. Memorial Union is home to many arts venues, including several art galleries, the Wisconsin Union Theater, and a craft shop that provides courses and facilities for arts and crafts activities. Students and Madison community members alike congregate at

848-734: A collection of approximately 500,000 zoological specimens, which can be used for research and instruction. A special collection contains skeletons, artifacts, and research papers associated with the Galápagos Islands . Since 1978, the UW–Madison Zoological Museum has been one of only three museums granted permission by the Ecuadoran Government to collect anatomical specimens from the Galápagos Islands. The L. R. Ingersoll Physics Museum contains

954-591: A floating colony of sea lilies ( Uintacrinus ), both from the Cretaceous chalk of Kansas , and the Boaz Mastodon , a found on a farm in southwestern Wisconsin in 1897. The Chazen Museum of Art , formerly the Elvehjem Museum of Art, maintains a collection of paintings, drawings, sculpture, prints and photographs spanning over 700 years of art. The university's Zoological Museum maintains

1060-472: A high graduate coexistence. The largest university college, the College of Letters and Science , enrolls approximately half of the undergraduate student body and is made up of 38 departments and five professional schools that instruct students and carry out research in a wide variety of fields, such as astronomy , economics, geography , history, linguistics , and zoology . The graduate instructional program

1166-548: A joint suggestion to expand the role of existing research ethics committees to also evaluate proposals of DURC. From 2014 to 2017, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Department of Health and Human Services instituted a gain-of-function research moratorium and funding pause on any dual-use research into specific pandemic-potential pathogens ( influenza , MERS , and SARS ) while

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1272-497: A mechanism to engage the life sciences community and the broader public and solicit feedback on optimal approaches to ensure effective federal oversight of GOF research as part of a broader U.S. government deliberative process. The Cambridge Working Group was formed by Harvard epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch with fellow scientists at a meeting held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, following a "trifecta" of biosecurity incidents involving

1378-443: A mile from the state capitol , the main campus of the university is situated partially on the isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona . The main campus comprises 933 acres (378 ha) of land, while the entire campus, including research stations throughout the state, is over 10,600 acres (4,290 ha) in area. The central campus is on an urban layout mostly coinciding with the city of Madison's street grid, exceptions being

1484-688: A movie theater, a climbing wall, a bowling alley, event spaces, and a hotel. The Wisconsin Union also provides a home for the Wisconsin Union Directorate Student Programming Board, which provides regular programs for both students and community members. One of the most well-known members is the Wisconsin Hoofers , a club that organizes outdoor recreational activities. Henry Mall is a 50-foot wide and 575-foot long landscaped quadrangle that

1590-443: A mutation that would allow influenza B to infect rabbits in a controlled laboratory situation would be considered a gain-of-function experiment, as the virus did not previously have that function. That type of experiment could then help reveal which parts of the virus's genome correspond to the species that it can infect, enabling the creation of antiviral medicines which block this function. In virology , gain-of-function research

1696-486: A new chimeric version of the virus. All of the six mice exposed to the ancestral variant died; eight of the ten mice exposed to the chimeric variant died; and none of the ten mice exposed to Omicron died. This suggests that "mutations outside of spike are major determinants of the attenuated pathogenicity of Omicron 209 in K18-hACE2 mice". According to the preprint, the work was supported by grants from various branches of

1802-655: A quantitative and objective assessment of the risks has been undertaken. It then argues that alternative approaches that do not involve such risks should be used instead. The group engaged in public advocacy, influencing the US government's decision in December 2014 to suspend funding of research that would create certain types of novel potential pandemic pathogens. Shortly after the Cambridge Working Group released its position statement, Scientists for Science

1908-401: A range of exhibits demonstrating classical and modern physics . Many of the exhibits allow for hands-on interaction by visitors. The museum also has a number of historical instruments and pictures on display. The University of Wisconsin–Madison is divided into eight main undergraduate schools and colleges and four main professional schools, some of which have further divisions: UW–Madison

2014-563: A series of investigative articles stating that AMRC was pursuing research directly pursuant to US Department of Defense requests, and supportive of military operations in Vietnam. AMRC became a magnet for demonstrations, in which protesters chanted "U.S. out of Vietnam! Smash Army Math!" On August 24, 1970, near 3:40 am, a bomb exploded next to Sterling Hall, aimed at destroying the Army Math Research Center. Despite

2120-416: A state university, at or near the seat of state government..." and directed by the state legislature to be governed by a board of regents and administered by a Chancellor . On July 26, 1848, Nelson Dewey , Wisconsin's first governor , signed the act that formally created the University of Wisconsin. John H. Lathrop became the university's first chancellor, in the fall of 1849. With John W. Sterling as

2226-489: A total yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 28.9%. On average, UW–Madison accepts about two-thirds of in-state applicants, while its out-of-state acceptance rate is approximately 18%. UW–Madison's freshman retention rate is 94.2%, with 89.2% going on to graduate within six years. The university started test-optional admissions with the Fall 2021 incoming class in response to

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2332-576: A tradition known as "the Wisconsin Idea ", first articulated by UW–Madison President Charles Van Hise in 1904, when he declared "I shall never be content until the beneficent influence of the University reaches every home in the state." The Wisconsin Idea holds that the boundaries of the university should be the boundaries of the state, and that the research conducted at UW–Madison should be applied to solve problems and improve health, quality of life,

2438-499: A two-day symposium to discuss the potential risks and benefits of gain-of-function research. The event was attended by scientists from around the world, including George Gao , Gabriel Leung and Michael Selgelid , Baruch Fischhoff , Alta Charo , Harvey Fineberg , Jonathan Moreno , Ralph Cicerone , Margaret Hamburg , Jo Handelsman , Samuel Stanley , Kenneth Berns , Ralph Baric , Robert Lamb , Silja Vöneky , Keiji Fukuda , David Relman , and Marc Lipsitch . Shortly thereafter,

2544-463: A worrying lack of transparency from oversight panels. University of Wisconsin%E2%80%93Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison ( University of Wisconsin , Wisconsin , UW , UW–Madison , or simply Madison ) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin , United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved statehood and is the flagship campus of

2650-491: Is medical research that genetically alters an organism in a way that may enhance the biological functions of gene products . This may include an altered pathogenesis , transmissibility , or host range , i.e., the types of hosts that a microorganism can infect. This research is intended to reveal targets to better predict emerging infectious diseases and to develop vaccines and therapeutics . For example, influenza B can infect only humans and harbor seals. Introducing

2756-495: Is a college-sponsor of the National Merit Scholarship Program and sponsored 10 Merit Scholarship awards in 2020. In the 2020–2021 academic year, 30 freshman students were National Merit Scholars . UW–Madison's undergraduate program was ranked tied for 39th among national universities by U.S. News & World Report for 2025 and tied for 13th among public universities. Poets&Quants ranked

2862-619: Is also a leading producer of Fulbright Scholars and MacArthur Fellows . As of November 2018 , 14 CEOs of Fortune 500 companies attended UW–Madison, the most of any university in the nation. The Wisconsin Badgers compete in 25 intercollegiate sports in the NCAA Division ;I Big Ten Conference and have won 31 national championships . Wisconsin students and alumni have won 50 Olympic medals (including 13 gold medals). The university had its official beginnings when

2968-574: Is classified by Carnegie as "comprehensive with medical/veterinary." In 2008, it granted the third largest number of doctorates in the nation. The Princeton Review ranked the University of Wisconsin–Madison's undergraduate admissions selectivity a 92/99. The 2022 annual ranking of U.S. News & World Report categorizes UW–Madison as "more selective." For the Class of 2027 (enrolled Fall 2023), UW–Madison received 63,537 applications and accepted 27,527 (43.3%). Of those accepted, 7,966 enrolled, for

3074-521: Is governed by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System , which governs each of the state's 13 comprehensive public universities. The board has 18 members; 16 are appointed by the governor of Wisconsin, while two are students of the system. Furthermore, the elected superintendent of public instruction serves as an ex-officio member. The board establishes the regulations and budgets for

3180-757: Is one of the twelve founding members of the selective Association of American Universities . It is considered a Public Ivy , and is classified as an R1 University . UW–Madison was also the home of both the prominent "Wisconsin School" of economics and diplomatic history . In 2023, UW–Madison ranked sixth among U.S. universities in research expenditures , according to the National Science Foundation . As of March 2023 , 20 Nobel laureates , 41 Pulitzer Prize winners, 2 Fields medalists , and 1 Turing Award recipient have been affiliated with UW–Madison as alumni, faculty, or researchers . It

3286-600: Is the Memorial Union . UW–Madison's campus has been ranked as one of the most beautiful college campuses in the United States by Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler . One unusual feature of the campus is the Babcock Hall dairy plant and store, a fully functional dairy well known for its ice cream. As one of the icons on campus, Bascom Hall, at the top of Bascom Hill, is often considered

National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity - Misplaced Pages Continue

3392-776: Is usually employed with the intention of better understanding current and future pandemics . In vaccine development, gain-of-function research is conducted in the hope of gaining a head start on a virus and being able to develop a vaccine or therapeutic before it emerges. The term "gain of function" is sometimes applied more narrowly to refer to "research which could enable a pandemic-potential pathogen to replicate more quickly or cause more harm in humans or other closely-related mammals." Some forms of gain-of-function research (specifically work which involves certain select agent pathogens) carry inherent biosafety and biosecurity risks, and are thus also referred to as dual use research of concern (DURC) . To mitigate these risks while allowing

3498-554: The CDC , including the accidental exposure of viable anthrax to personnel at CDC's Roybal Campus, the discovery of six vials containing viable smallpox from the 1950s, labeled as Variola but in a box with other samples poorly labeled, at the FDA's White Oak campus, and the accidental shipping of H9N2 vials contaminated with H5N1 from the CDC lab to a USDA lab. On July 14, 2014, the group published

3604-800: The Chief Medical Advisor to the United States Office of the President , senator Rand Paul stated that "the U.S. has been collaborating with Shi Zhengli of the Wuhan Virology Institute , sharing discoveries about how to create super viruses. This gain-of-function research has been funded by the NIH." Fauci responded "with all due respect, you are entirely and completely incorrect...the NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research [conducted at]

3710-678: The NIH lifted the moratorium because gain-of-function research was deemed "important in helping us identify, understand, and develop strategies and effective countermeasures against rapidly evolving pathogens that pose a threat to public health ." During the COVID-19 pandemic a number of speculative theories emerged about the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and links to gain-of-function research . In January 2021, University of Saskatchewan virologist Angela Rasmussen wrote that one version of

3816-513: The University of Wisconsin Law School tied for 29th, and the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs tied for 25th. The Wall Street Journal / Times Higher Education College Rankings 2022 ranked UW–Madison 58th among 801 U.S. colleges and universities based upon 15 individual performance indicators. UW–Madison was ranked eleventh in the nation and second among public universities by

3922-620: The University of Wisconsin System . The 933-acre (378 ha) main campus is located on the shores of Lake Mendota and includes four National Historic Landmarks . The university also owns and operates the 1,200-acre (486 ha) University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the main campus. UW–Madison is organized into 13 schools and colleges, which enrolled approximately 34,200 undergraduate and 14,300 graduate and professional students in 2024. Its academic programs include 136 undergraduate majors, 148 master's degree programs, and 120 doctoral programs. Wisconsin

4028-777: The University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum opened in 1934. The University of Wisconsin Experimental College was a two-year college designed and led by Alexander Meiklejohn in 1927 with a great books , liberal arts curriculum. Students followed a uniform curriculum that sought to teach democracy and foster an intrinsic love of learning, but the college developed a reputation for radicalism and wanton anarchy in which students lived and worked with their teachers, had no fixed schedule, no compulsory lessons, and no semesterly grades. The advisers taught primarily through tutorial instead of lectures. The Great Depression and lack of outreach to Wisconsinites and UW faculty led to

4134-498: The V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission. Over time, additional campuses were added to the university. The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee was created in 1956, and UW–Green Bay and UW–Parkside in 1968. Ten freshman-sophomore centers were also added to this system. In 1971, Wisconsin legislators passed a law merging the University of Wisconsin with

4240-631: The Washington Monthly 2023 National University Rankings. In 2023, Money.com gave the University of Wisconsin–Madison 5 out of 5 stars among four-year colleges and universities in their Best Colleges in America list. UW–Madison was ranked 35th among world universities in 2022 by the Academic Ranking of World Universities , which assesses academic and research performance. In the 2024 QS World University Rankings , UW–Madison

4346-566: The Wisconsin School of Business undergraduate program 22nd in the nation, up 10 positions from 2022, and top 10 among public universities. Other graduate schools ranked by USNWR for 2022 include the School of Medicine and Public Health , which was 33rd in research and 12th in primary care, the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education tied for fourth, the University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Engineering tied for 26th,

National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity - Misplaced Pages Continue

4452-668: The Wisconsin Territorial Legislature in its 1838 session passed a law incorporating a " University of the Territory of Wisconsin ", and a high-ranking board of visitors was appointed. However, this body (the predecessor of the UW board of regents ) never actually accomplished anything before Wisconsin was incorporated as a state in 1848. The Wisconsin Constitution provided for "the establishment of

4558-666: The environment , and agriculture for all citizens of the state. The Wisconsin Idea permeates the university's work and helps forge close working relationships among university faculty and students, and the state's industries and government. Based in Wisconsin's populist history, the Wisconsin Idea continues to inspire the work of the faculty, staff, and students who aim to solve real-world problems by working together across disciplines and demographics. During this period, numerous significant research milestones were met, including

4664-598: The "heart of the campus." Built in 1857, a decorative dome that once sat atop the structure was destroyed by fire in 1916. The structure has been added to several times over the years. The building currently houses the office of the chancellor and vice chancellors. Bascom Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing building within the Bascom Hill Historic District. Flanking both sides of Bascom Hall are

4770-492: The "lab leak" theory was unproven, and also stated "citing the 80% figure alone leaves out key context, including that the resulting strain was less fatal than the original, which killed 100% of mice. Experts say this kind of research is not unusual and the experiment was conducted in accordance with accepted safety procedures.") All research funded by the NIH that can make COVID more virulent or transmissible must undergo an extra gain-of-function review. Critics charged that, because

4876-681: The 2014 moratorium, because the experiments involved "naturally-occurring viruses" adding that the moratorium had "no teeth". However, most recently NIH deputy director Richard Tabak clarified in Congressional testimony on May 16, 2024, that the NIH did fund "generic" gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. When asked if the NIH funded gain-of-function research at the WIH, Tabak replied, "It depends on your definition of gain-of function research. If you're speaking about

4982-526: The COVID-19 pandemic and has extended this through Fall 2024. Of the 38% of enrolled freshmen in 2022 who submitted ACT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite score was between 28 and 33. Of the 18% of the incoming freshman class who submitted SAT scores; the middle 50 percent Composite scores were 1370–1500. The average unweighted GPA among enrolled freshman was 3.88. Admission is need-blind for domestic applicants. The University of Wisconsin–Madison

5088-554: The Center for International Security Studies' Biological Research Security System. The document also recommended the aforementioned as potential resources for countries to develop their own policies and procedures for DURC. The European Academies Science Advisory Council has formed a working group to examine the issues raised by gain-of-function research and to make recommendations for the management of such research and its outputs. The possibility for developing common approaches between

5194-797: The Henry Mall area were conceived to be "technical" and geographically close to the science departments and the university farm. The Mall features several notable buildings, including Agriculture Hall , the Agronomy Building, the Agricultural Engineering Building , and the Agricultural Chemistry Building . The Mall is also home to several artworks, including the Hoard statue by Gutzon Borglum , which honors William Dempster Hoard ,

5300-546: The Memorial Union for the films and concerts each week. An advisory referendum to renovate and expand Memorial Union was approved by the student body in 2006, and the university completed the renovation in 2017. Union South was first built in 1971 to better accommodate a growing student enrollment. The original structure was demolished in 2008 and replaced with a LEED -certified building which opened in 2011. The building contains several dining options, an art gallery,

5406-531: The NIH, which claimed no gain-of-function research at all was funded by the NIH. Several scientists have criticized the US government's GoFR regulations as having serious shortcomings (especially with regard to the NIH's funding of the EcoHealth Alliance grant proposal). Ebright has remarked that the process is not applied to all experiments which are implicated in the government's policies, while virologists David Relman and Angela Rasmussen have cited

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5512-517: The NIH. (However, the NIH later denied funding the experiments. The researchers later stated the NIH did not fund the experiments directly.) On 17 October, the Daily Mail ran the headline "Boston University CREATES a new COVID strain that has an 80% kill rate—echoing dangerous experiments feared to have started the pandemic". (The headline was later flagged "as part of Facebook's efforts to combat false news and misinformation". PolitiFact noted

5618-606: The NSABB published "RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE EVALUATION AND OVERSIGHT OF PROPOSED GAIN-OF-FUNCTION RESEARCH ". The NSABB had published 11 reports as of February 2021. The first report on the list was released in December 2006. The NSABB is composed of non-voting ex officio and appointed voting members. As of 2021, the Chair of the NSABB was Gerald W. Parker, Jr., DVM, PhD. As of 2017, the ex officio members were: GoFR Gain-of-function research ( GoF research or GoFR )

5724-579: The NSABB published "Recommendations for the Evaluation and Oversight of Proposed Gain-of-Function Research". On 9 January 2017, the HHS published the "Recommended Policy Guidance for Departmental Development of Review Mechanisms for Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight" (P3CO). This report sets out how "pandemic potential pathogens" should be regulated, funded, stored, and researched to minimize threats to public health and safety. On 19 December 2017,

5830-532: The Netherlands. Both groups had both serially passaged H5N1 avian influenza in ferrets, manually taking the virus from one ferret to another, until it was capable of spreading via respiratory droplets . The normally bird-specific virus, through replication over time in the ferrets' lungs, had adopted several amino acid changes that enabled it to replicate in the mammalian lungs, which are notably colder than those found in birds. This small change also allowed

5936-405: The School of Economics, Political Science, and History at Wisconsin for purportedly teaching socialistic doctrines. This effort failed, with the Wisconsin state Board of Regents issuing a ringing proclamation in favor of academic freedom , acknowledging the necessity for freely " sifting and winnowing " among competing claims of truth. Research, teaching, and service at the UW is influenced by

6042-604: The State Capitol as the building with the highest elevation in the city. Van Hise Hall was constructed in 1967 and its destruction is slated for sometime around 2025 as part of the university's campus master plan. The George L. Mosse Humanities Building, located on Library Mall, was built in the late 1960s in the Brutalist style. Although debunked, the campus myth is that the building (with its poor ventilation, narrow windows, inclined base, and cantilevered upper floors)

6148-529: The US government granted exceptions to the GoFR moratorium to 7 out of 18 research projects that had been affected. On March 10–11, 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held its second public symposium to discuss potential U.S. government policies for the oversight of gain-of-function (GOF) research. The symposium was held at the request of the U.S. government to provide

6254-653: The US, where regulations were previously less strict than in the EU, a new governmental policy and review mechanism was launched for "Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight" (P3CO). In May 2013, a group led by Hualan Chen , director of China 's National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory , published several experiments they had conducted at the BSL3+ laboratory of the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute , investigating what would happen if

6360-491: The Union or the Terrace, it has gained a reputation as one of the most beautiful student centers on a university campus. Located on the shore of Lake Mendota , it is a popular spot for socializing among both students and the public, who enjoy gazing at the lake and its sailboats. The union is known for the Rathskeller , a German pub adjacent to the lake terrace. Political debates and backgammon and sheepshead games over

6466-778: The United States and Europe has been explored. In May 2014, the German National Ethics Council presented a report to the Bundestag on proposed guidance for governance of GoFR. The report called for national legislation on DURC. As of May 2021, the German government has not passed the endorsed legislation. The NEC also proposed a national code-of-conduct for researchers to consent, endorsing which experiments qualify as misconduct and which do not, based on founding principles of public benefit. The German Research Foundation and German National Academy of Sciences made

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6572-519: The Wisconsin land-grant institution in 1866. In 1875, William Smith Noland became the first known African-American to graduate from the university. Science Hall was constructed in 1888 as one of the world's first buildings to use I-beams . On April 4, 1892, the first edition of the student-run The Daily Cardinal was published. In 1894 an unsuccessful attempt was made by Oliver Elwin Wells , Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin to expel Richard T. Ely from his chair of director of

6678-466: The Wuhan Institute of Virology." The Washington Post fact-checking team later rated Paul's statements as containing "significant omissions and/or exaggerations". NIH funding to the EcoHealth Alliance and later sub-contracted to the Wuhan Institute of Virology was not to support gain-of-function experiments, but instead to enable the collection of bat samples in the wild. EcoHealth Alliance spokesperson Robert Kessler has also categorically denied

6784-512: The accusation. The Washington Post also quoted Rutgers University biosecurity expert Richard Ebright 's dissenting opinion about Fauci's testimony, demonstrating that there is disagreement about what qualifies as "gain of function" research. Ebright asserted that experiments conducted under the EcoHealth grant "met the definition for gain-of-function research of concern under the 2014 Pause ." MIT molecular biologist Alina Chan has argued that these experiments would not have been affected by

6890-441: The area, have survived to a greater or lesser degree on campus, depending on location and past building activities. Surviving sites are marked and fenced on the campus, ensuring that they are not disturbed. Wisconsin statutes protect effigy mounds by giving them a five-foot buffer zone. The Lakeshore Nature Preserve Committee is endeavoring to "...safeguard beloved cultural landscapes," through aggressive enforcement of measures for

6996-492: The benefits of such research, various governments have mandated that DURC experiments be regulated under additional oversight by institutions (so-called institutional "DURC" committees) and government agencies (such as the NIH's recombinant DNA advisory committee). A mirrored approach can be seen in the European Union 's Dual Use Coordination Group (DUCG). Importantly, regulations in the United States and European Union both mandate that at least one unaffiliated member of

7102-448: The chimera could have combined Omicron's high transmissibility with the ancestral strain's lethality, the experiment should have undergone the extra review. The researchers deny that the research was funded by the NIH, and also deny that the experiment qualified as gain-of-function in the first place. Significant debate has taken place in the scientific community on how to assess risk-benefit of gain-of-function research, and how to engage

7208-424: The college's closure in 1932. In 1936, UW–Madison began an artist-in-residence program with John Steuart Curry , the first ever at a university. In the 1940s, Warfarin (Coumadin) was developed at UW by the laboratory of Karl Paul Link and named after the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. During World War II, the University of Wisconsin was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in

7314-429: The discoveries of Vitamin A and Vitamin B in 1913 and 1916, respectively, by Elmer V. McCollum and Marguerite Davis , as well as the " Single-grain experiment " conducted by Stephen Moulton Babcock and Edwin B. Hart from 1907 to 1911, paving the way for modern nutrition as a science. In 1923, Harry Steenbock invented process for adding vitamin D to milk and in 1925, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

7420-505: The discovery of unlogged smallpox samples, and injecting a chicken with the wrong strain of influenza . These incidents were not related to gain-of-function research. One of the goals of the moratorium was to reduce the handling of dangerous pathogens by all laboratories until safety procedures were evaluated and improved. Subsequently, symposia and expert panels were convened by the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) and National Research Council (NRC). In May 2016,

7526-427: The disturbance. The struggle was documented in the book, They Marched into Sunlight , as well as the PBS documentary Two Days in October . Among the students injured in the protest was former Madison mayor Paul Soglin . Another target of protest was the Army Mathematics Research Center (AMRC) in Sterling Hall, which was also home of the physics department. The student newspaper, The Daily Cardinal , published

7632-585: The establishment of the Female College Building in 1871 (today the location of Chadbourne Hall). The administrative offices of the College of Letters and Science now occupy the building. The Carillon Tower, erected in 1936, was designed by Warren Powers Laird and Paul Philippe Cret so that the balustrade echoes that on Bascom Hall. The carillon has 56 bronze bells, with the largest weighing 6,800 pounds. An automated system rings bells on

7738-547: The first building on campus. In 1854, Levi Booth and Charles T. Wakeley became the first graduates of the university, and in 1892 the university awarded its first PhD to future university president Charles R. Van Hise . Female students were first admitted to the University of Wisconsin during the American Civil War in 1863. The Wisconsin State Legislature formally designated the university as

7844-437: The generic term, yes we did, because- but this is research, the generic term goes on in many many labs around the country, it is not regulated, and the reason it is not regulated is because it poses no harm or threat to anybody." Tabak did not clarify what "generic" gain-of-function research was or how it differs from normal gain-of-function research, so it is unclear to what extent this testimony differs from previous statements by

7950-746: The global community at large, the ethical acceptability of such experiments depends on the extent to which it is accepted internationally. In 2010, the World Health Organization developed a non-binding guidance document for DURC, summarizing the positions of many different nations as "self-governing" and others as strictly following oversight based on the International Health Regulations, the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) , and

8056-602: The group's founding members, University of Pittsburgh virologist W. Paul Duprex , has argued ( c.  2014 ) that the then-recent few events were exceptions to an overall good record of lab safety, and that these exceptions should not have been a reason for shutting down experiments that may have been of tangible benefit to public health. He and other SfS signatories have argued that these pathogens are already subject to extensive regulations and that it would be more advantageous and effective to focus on improving lab safety and oversight, ensuring that experiments are conducted in

8162-545: The hour, playing songs such as " Varsity " and " On, Wisconsin! ". East of the tower, lies a monument to the Sauk leader Black Hawk , whose flight through the Madison area represented the last armed conflict between the United States Army and native peoples in southern Wisconsin. Several other notable architectural styles are represented in the historic core of the university. Following the 1884 fire that destroyed

8268-430: The information invoked previous gain-of-function work on coronaviruses to promulgate the idea that the virus was of laboratory origin. Rasmussen stated that this was unlikely, due to the intense scrutiny and government oversight to which GoFR is subject, and it is improbable that research on hard-to-obtain coronaviruses could occur under the radar. In a congressional hearing on May 11, 2021, about Anthony Fauci 's role as

8374-456: The lake." The regents' building plans called for a "main edifice fronting towards the Capitol, three stories high, surmounted by an observatory for astronomical observations." This building, University Hall, now known as Bascom Hall , was finally completed in 1859. On October 10, 1916, a fire destroyed the building's dome, which was never replaced. North Hall , constructed in 1851, was actually

8480-579: The late hour, a post doctoral physics researcher , Robert Fassnacht , was in the lab and was killed in the explosion. The physics department was severely damaged, while the intended target, the AMRC, was scarcely affected. Karleton Armstrong , Dwight Armstrong , and David Fine were found responsible for the blast. Leo Burt was identified as a suspect, but was never apprehended or tried. In 1998, UW–Madison's James Thomson first isolated and cultured human embryonic stem cells . Located in Madison , about

8586-499: The nine universities and four freshman-sophomore branch campuses of the Wisconsin State Universities System , creating the University of Wisconsin System and bringing the two higher education systems under a single board of regents. UW–Madison's Howard Temin , a virologist, co-discovered the enzyme reverse transcriptase in 1969, and The Badger Herald was founded as a conservative student paper

8692-537: The original, Milwaukee architect Henry C. Koch designed the new Science Hall (built in 1888) in a Romanesque Revival style . The Education Building, originally designed to house the College of Engineering, features a Beaux-Arts style . Structures built in a Neoclassical style include Birge Hall and the Wisconsin Historical Society . Located at the foot of the hill, Music Hall was designed in 1878 by Madison architect David R. Jones in

8798-465: The preservation of such zones and advocating for broader buffers where possible. The Geology Museum features rocks, minerals, and fossils from around the world. Highlights include a blacklight room, a walk-through cave, and a fragment of the Barringer meteorite . Some noteworthy fossils include the first dinosaur skeleton assembled in Wisconsin (an Edmontosaurus ), a shark ( Squalicorax ) and

8904-422: The public and open discussion of the risks and benefits was necessary. Several also wrote that sensationalized headlines and framings of the ongoing process as a "debate" with "opposing sides" had negatively affected the process, while the reality is much more collegial. International outlook and engagement on gain-of-function research policy and regulation vary by country and region. Due to the potential effect on

9010-553: The public in deliberations for policymaking. These concerns encompass biosafety , relating to the accidental release of a pathogen into the population, biosecurity relating to the intentional release of a pathogen into the population, and bioethics , the principles of biorisk management and research review procedures. In December 2014, the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine organized

9116-505: The public interest. Notable signatories are Constance Cepko , Dickson Despommier , Erica Ollmann Saphire , Geoffrey Smith , Karla Kirkegaard , Sean Whelan , Vincent Racaniello and Yoshihiro Kawaoka . Columbia University virologist Ian Lipkin , who signed both statements, said "there has to be a coming together of what should be done". Founders of both groups published a series of letters detailing their discussions and viewpoints. All authors, however, agreed that more education of

9222-502: The public should be "active participants" in the oversight process. Significant debate has taken place in the scientific community on how to assess the risks and benefit of gain-of-function research, how to publish such research responsibly, and how to engage the public in an open and honest review. In January 2020, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity convened an expert panel to revisit

9328-897: The publisher of Hoard's Dairyman magazine. The Henry Boulder, a chunk of gneiss on the mall with a plaque, is dedicated to Dean William Arnon Henry , the mall's namesake, who helped establish the College of Agriculture. Other buildings in the area include the Stovall Lab of Hygiene and the Genetics Building. The Henry Mall Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. UW–Madison claims more distinct archaeological sites than on any other university campus. The campus contains four clusters of effigy mounds located at Observatory Hill, Willow Drive, Picnic Point, and Eagle Heights. These sites, reflecting thousands of years of human habitation in

9434-455: The regulatory environment and review process were reconsidered and overhauled. Under the moratorium, any laboratory who conducted such research would put their future funding (for any project, not just the indicated pathogens) in jeopardy. The NIH has said 18 studies were affected by the moratorium. The moratorium was a response to laboratory biosecurity incidents that occurred in 2014, including not properly inactivating anthrax samples,

9540-605: The relative risks and benefits of this research. At an international technical consultation convened by the WHO it was concluded that this work was an important contribution to public health surveillance of H5N1 viruses and to a better understanding of the properties of these viruses, but that broader global discussions were needed. The European Academies of Science Advisory Council (EASAC) concluded that all required laws, rules, regulations, and codes of conduct are in place in several EU countries to continue this type of work responsibly. In

9646-463: The rules for gain-of-function research and provide more clarity in how such experiments are approved, and when they should be disclosed to the public. In early 2011, two groups were investigating how flu viruses specific to birds could possibly cross over and create pandemics in humans: one led by Yoshihiro Kawaoka at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin, and another led by Ron Fouchier at Erasmus University Medical Center in

9752-547: The same year. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, UW–Madison was shaken by a series of student protests, and by the use of force by authorities in response, comprehensively documented in the film The War at Home . The first major demonstrations protested the presence on campus of recruiters for the Dow Chemical Company, which supplied the napalm used in the Vietnam War . Authorities used force to quell

9858-584: The suburban University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics , and the Department of Psychiatry & Clinics in the West Side research park. The University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum , a demonstration area for native ecosystems, is located on the west side of Madison. The main campus includes many buildings designed or supervised by architects J.T.W. Jennings and Arthur Peabody . The hub of campus life

9964-414: The two oldest surviving buildings on campus. Designed by John F. Rague in a Federal style , the oldest structure in the university, North Hall (built in 1851), was planned to be similar to the dormitories at the University of Michigan . It is still in use as the home of the Department of Political Science. Its opposite twin, South Hall (built in 1855), originally served as the women's dormitory prior to

10070-561: The university also maintains graduate and professional schools in environmental studies , law, library and information studies , medicine and public health (School of Medicine and Public Health) , public affairs , and veterinary medicine . The four year, full-time undergraduate instructional program is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as "arts and science plus professions" with

10176-664: The university and appoints the chancellor . Jennifer Mnookin , former dean of the UCLA School of Law , has served as the chancellor of UW–Madison since 2022. The University of Wisconsin–Madison, the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System , is a large, four-year research university comprising twenty associated colleges and schools. In addition to undergraduate and graduate divisions in agriculture and life sciences, business, education, engineering, human ecology , journalism and mass communication , letters and science, music, nursing , pharmacy , and social welfare ,

10282-423: The university's first professor (mathematics), the first class of 17 students met at Madison Female Academy on February 5, 1849. A permanent campus site was soon selected: an area of 50 acres (20.2 ha) "bounded north by Fourth lake, east by a street to be opened at right angles with King street", [later State Street] "south by Mineral Point Road (University Avenue), and west by a carriage-way from said road to

10388-469: The virus to transmit via droplets in the air made when the ferrets' coughed or sneezed. Proponents of the Kawaoka and Fouchier experiments cited several benefits: these answered the question of how a virus like H5N1 could possibly become airborne in humans, allowed other researchers to develop vaccines and therapeutics which specifically targeted these amino acid changes, and also demonstrated that there

10494-513: The work as "remarkable" and said that it demonstrated the "very real threat" that "continued circulation of H5N1 strains in Asia and Egypt" poses. A preprint by Boston University researchers, published on 14 October 2022, described their experiments splicing the SARS-CoV-2 BA.1 Omicron 's spike protein into an ancestral SARS-CoV-2 variant isolated in the early days of the pandemic, creating

10600-469: Was a linkage between transmissibility in avian viruses and lethality: while the virus had become more transmissible, it had also become significantly less deadly. Various critics of the research (including members of Congress) responded to the publications with alarm. Others called the experiments an "engineered doomsday." Questions were raised by other scientists including Marc Lipsitch of the T. H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University about

10706-474: Was chartered to control patenting and patent income on UW–Madison inventions. The UW Graduate School had been separated in 1904-1905. In 1909, William Purdy and Paul Beck wrote On, Wisconsin , the UW–Madison athletic fight song. Radio station 9XM, the oldest continually operating radio station in the United States, was founded on campus in 1919 (now WHA (970 AM). The Memorial Union opened in 1928, and

10812-427: Was designed by architects Warren Laird and Paul Cret and constructed between 1903 and 1961. The mall contains buildings that represent Neoclassical, Beaux-Arts, Italian Renaissance Revival , and Modern Movement styles of architecture. Laird and Cret were hired to draw up a master plan for future construction at the campus, with the idea of creating a more unified and aesthetically pleasing area. The departments around

10918-405: Was designed to be "riot-proof". Its seven floors house the history, art, and music departments. The most recent campus master plan calls for it to be demolished and replaced with two other buildings, in part because of water damage. The University of Wisconsin–Madison has two student unions . The older, Memorial Union , was built in 1928 to honor American World War I veterans . Also known as

11024-453: Was formed by 37 signatories taking an alternative position, that "biomedical research on potentially dangerous pathogens can be performed safely and is essential for a comprehensive understanding of microbial disease pathogenesis, prevention and treatment." Since its publication, the SfS statement has received 200+ signatures from working scientists, academics, and biosafety professionals. One of

11130-507: Was ranked 102nd in the world. The 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed UW–Madison 63rd worldwide, based primarily on surveys administered to students, faculty, and recruiters. For 2023, UW–Madison was ranked 63rd by U.S. News & World Report among global universities. In 2023, UW–Madison was ranked 28th globally by the Center for World University Rankings , which relies on outcome-based samplings, coupled with

11236-779: Was unnecessary to prove the intended conclusions, calling Chen's work "appallingly irresponsible" and also raising concerns about the biosafety of the laboratory itself. Others (including the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Influenza in Tokyo, Masato Tashiro) praised Chen's laboratory as "state of the art." Jeremy Farrar , director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Ho Chi Minh City, described

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