NBAF

NBAF this stands for national bio and agro-defense facility. Right now k-state is in the selection process to bring such a facility right here onto campus. This would mean there would be research conducted here on biological warfare agents and lethal animal diseases. It sounds like a horrible idea to me to put all the students here at risk of these diseases. Also many of the animal diseases they are going to be researching are not in the United States and if they were to get out it would be a huge disaster. This includes Rift Valley fever (virus)3 which during the outbreak in Egypt in 1977-78, several million people were infected and thousands died. Also did you know lyme disease and west nile came to the US from a similar facility on Plum island off the east coast. That was an island and it got out. As a scientist myself I realize the great potential a facilty such as this one would have to investigate these diseases but I dont think campus is the place for it. You can check out the pros here http://www.k-state.edu/media/nbaf/faqs.html. The cons are a lot harder to find becasue the facility would potentially bring in a lot of money. It would make more sense to study these diseases where they currently exist and not put our environment at risk of infection and spread.