General Question 3:
AUSTIN:
- The Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research is the closest Level 4 facility to Austin, Texas.
- It is located in San Antonio, TX 78245-0549, about 98.8 miles away from Austin.
- This facility specializes in work with virology, genetics, immunology, and work with nonhuman primates.
- The Level 4 biosafety lab focuses on hemorrhagic fever viruses, such as Ebola and Marburg.
- The research program also studies degenerative and infectious diseases, such as diabetes and HIV.
ATLANTA:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the closest Level 4 facility to Atlanta, Georgia.
- It is located on 1600 Clifton Road Atlanta, GA 30329-4027, about 7.2 miles from Atlanta.
- The CDC focuses on solving outbreaks and keeping public safety through studying STDs, cancers, Ebola, Malaria, Zika, and many other concerning infections. They promote awareness of public health safety and prevention of these diseases.
- The Level 4 biosafety lab focuses mainly on studying the Ebola virus, and they do not hold Marburg.
- The CDC has several other locations across the United States, one of which stores a secure vial of smallpox.
WASHINGTON D.C.:
- The US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, or USAMRIID, is the closest Level 4 lab to Washington D.C.
- It is located on 1425 Porter Street Frederick, MD 21702-5011, around 51.8 miles away from Washington D.C.
- USAMRIID is dedicated to protecting the military from any infectious diseases that may be used to hinder the United States during biological warfare. It specializes in Level 3 and 4 diseases and has much expertise in these areas.
- It has improves vaccinations for diseases such as Anthrax and now performs as the FBI's reference lab.
- USAMRIID specializes in the Ebola virus and focuses on how to target it.
FRANKFURT:
- The Philipps University of Marburg is the closest Level 4 research facility to Frankfurt, Germany.
- It is located in Maburg, close to 300 miles away from Frankfurt, Germany.
- This state university is known for its work with diseases such as tetanus and its contribution to research.
- Its goal is offering students an opportunity to a hands-on science experience, with available Sonderforschungsbereiche (long-term) programs for research.
- It has experience with viruses such as Lassa, yellow fever, the Rift Valley fever, and Marburg.
TOKYO:
- The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research at RIKEN is the closest facility to Tokyo, Japan with a Levl 4 lab.
- It is located at 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan, about 16.4 miles away from the center of Tokyo.
- The institute has a wide array of scientific backgrounds, from biosafety to brain cell research. There are different branches of the organization that cover different topics.
- RIKEN specializes in the yellow fever virus, which is placed in biosafety level 3, but it also contains Level 4 facilities in its organization when encountering a dangerous agent.
LONDON:
- The Health Protection Agency/Centre for Infections (HPA/CIF) is the closest Level 4 lab to London, England.
- The HPA/CIF is located inside of London, England.
- It mainly focuses on highly infectious pathogens that would cause a disruption in the human population. They strive to ensure the safety of citizens of the United Kingdom.
- It specializes in the highly lethal viruses like Ebola, Rift Valley fever, and Chikunguna. This organization contributes many findings to global research efforts each year.
Sources:
https://fas.org/programs/bio/biosafetylevels.html
https://www.txbiomed.org/research/
https://www.cdc.gov/about/default.htm
http://www.usamriid.army.mil/
http://www.uni-marburg.de/facilities-en
http://www.riken.jp/en/research/overview/
https://www.gov.uk/topic/health-protection/services
https://www.txbiomed.org/research/
https://www.cdc.gov/about/default.htm
http://www.usamriid.army.mil/
http://www.uni-marburg.de/facilities-en
http://www.riken.jp/en/research/overview/
https://www.gov.uk/topic/health-protection/services
Photo Credits
http://www.ttgcorp.com/markets/science-technology/southwest-foundation-for-biomedical-research-bsl-4-lab/
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Proposal-would-retire-many-chimps-for-research-4215522.php
http://projectcontrol.com/portfolio/texas-biomedical-research-institute/
http://amandala.com.bz/news/chik-v-test-index-patient-belize-cdc-atlanta/
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/scientist-conducts-laboratory-research-in-the-biosafety-news-photo/512423410#scientist-conducts-laboratory-research-in-the-biosafety-level-4-ga-picture-id512423410
https://www.shutterstock.com/video/search/cdc/?ref_context=keyword
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Medical_Research_Institute_of_Infectious_Diseases
http://www.biotechniques.com/news/Antiviral-Treatment-for-Ebola/biotechniques-363480.html#.WRqBSuXyvIU
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2787795/into-eye-storm-marines-arrive-ebola-hotbed-liberia-help-stop-spread-deadly-virus.html
https://www.myeducation.bg/en/offers/93-philipps-universitt-marburg-
https://studyabroad.umasscs.net/index.cfm?FuseAction=programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=11459
http://www.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp/materials/e/lab_txt/maeda.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riken
http://www.nichicon.co.jp/english/pr/topics_x_fel.html
http://theehp.com/tag/health-protection-agency/
http://www.suggest-keywords.com/Y29saW5kYWxl/
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47480#.WRqSROXyvIU
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Proposal-would-retire-many-chimps-for-research-4215522.php
http://projectcontrol.com/portfolio/texas-biomedical-research-institute/
http://amandala.com.bz/news/chik-v-test-index-patient-belize-cdc-atlanta/
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/scientist-conducts-laboratory-research-in-the-biosafety-news-photo/512423410#scientist-conducts-laboratory-research-in-the-biosafety-level-4-ga-picture-id512423410
https://www.shutterstock.com/video/search/cdc/?ref_context=keyword
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Medical_Research_Institute_of_Infectious_Diseases
http://www.biotechniques.com/news/Antiviral-Treatment-for-Ebola/biotechniques-363480.html#.WRqBSuXyvIU
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2787795/into-eye-storm-marines-arrive-ebola-hotbed-liberia-help-stop-spread-deadly-virus.html
https://www.myeducation.bg/en/offers/93-philipps-universitt-marburg-
https://studyabroad.umasscs.net/index.cfm?FuseAction=programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=11459
http://www.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp/materials/e/lab_txt/maeda.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riken
http://www.nichicon.co.jp/english/pr/topics_x_fel.html
http://theehp.com/tag/health-protection-agency/
http://www.suggest-keywords.com/Y29saW5kYWxl/
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47480#.WRqSROXyvIU
General Question 4:
(Bonus) General Question 2:
Though several characters appeared very important to me in the book, only one of them stood out unlike the others. Though Nobel Prize winners usually have accomplished something extravagant or amounted to an exciting discovery, the character that I have chosen did neither of these things. However, he proved to me that his drive to succeed and undeniably great character traits are worth noticing. On that note, I would like to recognize his thoughtfulness about the experiment, care for the environment, and unbelievable push for discovery. For these reasons, I chose to award the Nobel Prize to Eugene Johnson for his work in Kitum Cave.
While first reading The Hot Zone, it was difficult not to notice how meticulous and careful Johnson seemed during his work. He demonstrated that he was, indeed, very responsible and detail-oriented in his process of planning, executing, and analyzing his experimental results. Johnson, of finding out recently about the aerotranmittive properties of Ebola, took extra care of the safety of himself and his compatriots, "wanting the members of the expedition to wear breathing apparatus inside the cave" (Preston 143). He took the time to assess the situation at hand and always monitored safety during his experiment. In addition to his excessive planning tendencies, he explored the dangerous Kitum Cave "and made a map of it" (Preston 143) in order to better understand the environment that he was to face. Therefore, a few of the key factors that led me to applaud Johnson were his undying efforts to ensure a safe and efficient experiment and his appreciation for control.
Continuing on, I really appreciated his constant awareness for the well-being of the environment and creatures around him while his experiment was in progress. Though the main purpose of his experiment was that one of the collected animals would break down with a virus from the cave, Johnson was always careful about maintaining a level of ethical morality. His team put the sacrificed monkeys down with heavy sedatives, to ensure that they wouldn't experience pain for the sake of the scientists. This part of the experiment "began to torment Gene Johnson" (Preston 149) because "he could not bring himself to euthanize them... and couldn't stand the idea of killing them" (Preston 149). From this instance in The Hot Zone, I know that Johnson is willing to think of people and animals other than himself and that he is deserving of the Nobel Prize.
Lastly, Eugene Johnson's incredible drive to discover is awfully inspiring to anyone who is in pursuit of a dream. He fought to earn enough money and attract enough people to kick off the experiment of his lifetime, a visit to Kitum Cave, Kenya. His main goal was to find the origin of the deadly virus that claimed so many lives, and Johnson was willing to take risks in order to find out what he wanted to know. Despite several failed explorations of Ebola and Marburg in the past, he felt as if "he was closing in on the virus" (Preston 144). Even though he knew the challenge of even finding out if it lived in the cave, "he felt he was getting too close to fail in his quest" (Preston 144). He had so many painful experiences in the past with the virus, so it was clear to him what he needed to do: "he was going in [Kitum Cave] to find it" (Preston 144). Because of his incredible method of encouraging a fiery drive inside of himself and inspiring those around him, I believe that he is worthy of this award.
Overall, Eugene Johnson has shown me not only his handiwork in the field of pathology, but also his character traits and motivated persona. Though he hasn't accomplished anything astounding, he exhibited key factors that guarantee potential in the future, including an extremely diligent and meticulous personality, undying love and care for the people, animals, and environment around, and a bottomless sense of adventure and discovery. These traits are essential to the development of a successful and admirable person and scientist, which is why I award the Nobel prize to Eugene Johnson for his incredible showcase of abilities during his expedition to Kitum Cave.
While first reading The Hot Zone, it was difficult not to notice how meticulous and careful Johnson seemed during his work. He demonstrated that he was, indeed, very responsible and detail-oriented in his process of planning, executing, and analyzing his experimental results. Johnson, of finding out recently about the aerotranmittive properties of Ebola, took extra care of the safety of himself and his compatriots, "wanting the members of the expedition to wear breathing apparatus inside the cave" (Preston 143). He took the time to assess the situation at hand and always monitored safety during his experiment. In addition to his excessive planning tendencies, he explored the dangerous Kitum Cave "and made a map of it" (Preston 143) in order to better understand the environment that he was to face. Therefore, a few of the key factors that led me to applaud Johnson were his undying efforts to ensure a safe and efficient experiment and his appreciation for control.
Continuing on, I really appreciated his constant awareness for the well-being of the environment and creatures around him while his experiment was in progress. Though the main purpose of his experiment was that one of the collected animals would break down with a virus from the cave, Johnson was always careful about maintaining a level of ethical morality. His team put the sacrificed monkeys down with heavy sedatives, to ensure that they wouldn't experience pain for the sake of the scientists. This part of the experiment "began to torment Gene Johnson" (Preston 149) because "he could not bring himself to euthanize them... and couldn't stand the idea of killing them" (Preston 149). From this instance in The Hot Zone, I know that Johnson is willing to think of people and animals other than himself and that he is deserving of the Nobel Prize.
Lastly, Eugene Johnson's incredible drive to discover is awfully inspiring to anyone who is in pursuit of a dream. He fought to earn enough money and attract enough people to kick off the experiment of his lifetime, a visit to Kitum Cave, Kenya. His main goal was to find the origin of the deadly virus that claimed so many lives, and Johnson was willing to take risks in order to find out what he wanted to know. Despite several failed explorations of Ebola and Marburg in the past, he felt as if "he was closing in on the virus" (Preston 144). Even though he knew the challenge of even finding out if it lived in the cave, "he felt he was getting too close to fail in his quest" (Preston 144). He had so many painful experiences in the past with the virus, so it was clear to him what he needed to do: "he was going in [Kitum Cave] to find it" (Preston 144). Because of his incredible method of encouraging a fiery drive inside of himself and inspiring those around him, I believe that he is worthy of this award.
Overall, Eugene Johnson has shown me not only his handiwork in the field of pathology, but also his character traits and motivated persona. Though he hasn't accomplished anything astounding, he exhibited key factors that guarantee potential in the future, including an extremely diligent and meticulous personality, undying love and care for the people, animals, and environment around, and a bottomless sense of adventure and discovery. These traits are essential to the development of a successful and admirable person and scientist, which is why I award the Nobel prize to Eugene Johnson for his incredible showcase of abilities during his expedition to Kitum Cave.