1. K-State home
  2. »BRI
  3. »Biosketches
  4. »Scott Rusk

Biosecurity Research Institute

Scott Rusk

Scott RuskDirector, Pat Roberts Hall

jsrusk@k-state.edu

Responsibilities and Experience

Scott Rusk, MS, is the Director of Pat Roberts Hall which houses the Biosecurity Research Institute, at Kansas State University. His roles and responsibilities are to provide leadership in administrative and technical management of biocontainment facilities and to maintain oversight in development of policies and operational models to support biocontainment and infectious disease research programs. In his role, he directs operations to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and guidelines pertinent to biocontainment and infectious disease research program and facilities and oversees logistics to coordinate sustainable support of the science mission. He collaborates with the BRI Research Director in the planning, development and execution of BRI research programs and develops partnerships in coordinating and integrating faculty research and training and education efforts across the university and university consortia. Scott participates with university leadership and strategic partners to actively seek research grants and contracts.

Scott has over 28 years of experience in biocontainment laboratory operations and management. Previous positions included technical biosafety and biocontainment activities in support of research programs at the USDA, National Animal Disease Center, and later held the position of Assistant Center Director. In that position he was responsible for managing Facilities Engineering and Management, Environmental Health and Safety, Veterinary Services, Farm Management, Laboratory Services, and Microscopy and Histopathology divisions comprised of over 100 staff members and a $9 million budget to support the scientific research mission of the Center.

Prior to accepting his position at Kansas State University with the Biosecurity Research Institute in August of 2006, Scott was a biocontainment operations and management specialist for Flad Architects. In this role he served as a key biocontainment expert for planning and design of laboratory and vivarium spaces. With knowledge of research activities and biocontainment operations, Scott Interfaced with science and support staffs to combine research program needs and day-to-day operational issues into facility design. Project examples: Mars Sample Receiving Facility (Clean room, BSL-2,3,4) concept study; Battelle Memorial Institute BSL-3 Medical Testing and Evaluation Facility design; University of Chicago and Tuft University Regional Biocontainment Laboratory planning; Ohio State BSL-3Ag Agriculture Research and Development Center concept and feasibility study along with program planning; USAMRIID BSL-4 laboratory renovation design and; feasibility study of the US Department of Homeland Security, National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility.

Education

  • B.A., 1981, Biology, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA
  • M.S., 1992, Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Professional Activity Highlights

  • Consultant; National Bio and Agro-defense Facility, Design, Commissioning, and Operations, Current Steering Committee Member, USDA, ARS International Agricultural Biosafety and Biocontainment Symposium, 2010.
  • NIH, NIAID Peer Review, Special Emphasis Panel, National Biocontainment Laboratories (NBLs) Operations Support Limited Competition, November 2010.
  • Executive Member; International Veterinary Biosafety Group, Current.
  • Member; American Biological Safety Association, Current.
  • Representative designate for Heartland Bio & Agro-Defense Consortia and Kansas State University for campus coordination with NBAF project. 2010.
  • Reviewer; National Research Council, Protecting Building Occupants and Operations from Biological and Chemical Airborne Threats, National Academies Press, 2007.
  • Committee Member; development of Appendix D, Agriculture Pathogen Biosafety, Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 5th Edition
  • NASA peer review panel member for funding research proposals on preventing terrestrial contamination in space, 2004.
  • Location Program Representative; biocontainment facilities planning, program requirements and design for agriculture pathogen research, diagnostic and regulatory programs, USDA, ARS and APHIS, Ames, IA (Ames Modernization Plan), 2000 – 2003.
  • Steering Committee Member; Master Planning and Facility Modernization efforts, USDA, ARS and APHIS, National Animal Disease Center, National Veterinary Services Laboratories and Center for Veterinary Biologics, 2001-2003.
  • NIH Peer Review member for National Biocontainment Laboratory grants submissions, 2001.
  • Risk assessment for release of potentially contaminated waste water from the Canadian Science Center, Winnipeg, Canada prior to treatment, July, 2000.
  • Consultant, design of the Livestock Infectious Disease Isolation Facility, Iowa State University, 1996 - 1997.
  • Tier 2 Review; Facilities and Operations, Federal Laboratories, Health Canada and Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, June, 1997.
  • Reviewer; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Containment Standards for Veterinary Facilities 1st Edition, July 1996.
  • Facility design planning, USDA, ARS / University of Florida, Melaleuca Research and Quarantine Facility, April 1996.
  • Tuberculosis research laboratories set-up, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexicali, Mexico, November and March 1993.

Presentations

  • "KSU's Operating Assurance Model for Safety and Research Quality". By Scott Rusk. TRADELINE 2012 International Conference on Biocontainment Facilities, May 14, 2012. Download abstract.
  • “Research Animal Facilities & Containment, ABSL-2 and ABSL-3”, 1st - 8th Annual Biosafety and Biosecurity Training Course, Colorado State University, July, 2004 - 2011
  • BSL-3Ag; The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, Instructor, USDA, ARS International Agricultural Biosafety and Biocontainment Symposium, Baltimore, MD, Feb. 2011.
  • “Best Practices for Animal Containment and Research Laboratory Design”, Research Facilities Forum, Craig Michaels, Inc., Sept 21, 2010.
  • Kansas City Area Life Science Institute, Animal Health Symposium, August 30, 2010.
  • “Biocontainment Facilities & Protocols for Large Animals; BSL3-Ag’, Tradeline, International Conference on Biocontainment Facilities, March 2010
  • “Goats and Pigs and Cows…Oh My (Adventures with Livestock in Biocontainment), American Biological Safety Association, 52nd Annual Conference, October, 2009
  • “Applied Biosafety Research Programs”, U.S. Government Public Consultation Meeting, Trans-Federal Task Force on Optimizing Biosafety And Biocontainment Oversight, Dec. 2008.
  • “Operational Planning and Implementation for a New Biocontainment Facility”, Biocontainment Tradeline, March, 2007.
  • “New Thinking, Products, and Solutions for Worker Safety in Large-Animal Operations”, Animal Research Facilities, Tradeline, November, 2006.
  • "Agriculture Risk Assessment vs. Biosafety Risk Assessment", 9th CDC Biosafety Symposium - Current Challenges in Animal Biosafety and Biosecurity, January, 2006.
  • “Space Planning and Fit-Ups for Combination BSL-2 and BSL-3 Use,” Tradeline, April, 2004.
  • “Large Animal Biosafety”, American Biological Safety Association Summer Training Seminar, June 2004.
  • “Biocontainment for Infectious Disease Studies in Large Animals” Keynote, Biosafety and Biosecurity Session, Conference for Researcher Workers on Animal Diseases, S. Rusk*, K. Brogden, T. Bunn, D. Whipple, November 2003.
  • “Developing a Pathogen Inventory at Your Facility,” Canadian Biosafety Symposium 2002: Biosecurity for Laboratories, Canadian Food Inspection Agency,Winnipeg,Manitoba,Canada, May 2002.
  • “Securing High Consequence Pathogens”, 8th International VeterinaryBiosafety Workshop,New   Zealand, March 2002.
  • “Working with Large Animals in Containment”, Agriculture Canada and Health Canada Symposium on Containment Level 3 Facilities - Design and Operation, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, November 2001.
  • “Determinations for Biosafety Classification of Veterinary Pathogens”, International Conference on Emerging Diseases, Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture and Human Health, University of Georgia, August 1999.
  • "Development, Design, Certification, and Use of Biosafety Level 3 Agriculture Facilities”, 38th American Biological Safety Conference, October 1995.
  • "Field Certification Techniques of a High Security Biological Containment System", 32nd American Biological Safety Conference, October 1989.
  • International Veterinary Biosafety Group Workshops, conference coordinator 1998, presenter 2002, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1991.

Publications

  • Kansas State's New BRI Facilitates High-Containment Research - Integrated Training Suite Qualifies Those to Work in Biocontainment Areas, J.S. Rusk,Tradeline, August, 2007.
  • USDA’s Animal Health Facility Keeps Workers Safe: New Large-Animal Research Facility in Ames, Iowa, Incorporates the Latest Design Features for Safe Operations, B. Anderson, J.S. Rusk, April, 2007.  
  • Kansas State's New BRI Facilitates High-Containment Research, J. S. Rusk, 2006.
  • Biocontainment labs: Reconciling operational protocols and life safety codes. J. S. Rusk, L. Welgehausen, J. Adams (2005).  Laboratory Design, from the Editors of R&D Magazine, Vol. 10, No. 4.
  • Biosafety classification of livestock and poultry animal pathogens. J. S. Rusk. (2000). Emerging Diseases of Animals, ASM Press,WashingtonD.C.
  • Recommended biocontainment features for research and diagnostic facilities where animal pathogens are used. Barbeito M.S., Abraham G., Best M., Cairns P., Langevin P., Sterritt W.G., Barr, W., Muelpas W., Shanchez-Vizcaíno J.M., Saraza M., Requena E., Collado M., Mani P., Breeze R., Brunner H., Mebus C.A., Morgan R.L., Rusk S., Siegfried L.M., Thompson L.H. (1995). Revue Scientifique et Technique, Office International des Epizooties, 14 (3), 873-887.