Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Earlham College is committed to providing humane treatment and care for all of its animals, and to compliance with applicable federal and state regulations. To this end, our Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) establishes animal care policies and oversees research and teaching with vertebrate animals at Earlham. IACUC is a standing committee with the authority to review, approve, reject, or terminate any or all procedures and studies involving use of live vertebrate animals.
The members of Earlham’s IACUC are as follows:
- Jeff Logue, TLC Pet Hospital Veterinarian
- Ross Bailey, Community Member
- Meredith Edwards, IACUC Convener; Associate Director of Grants and Sponsored Research
- Wendy Tori, Professor of Biology
- Cooper Cox, Assistant director for advancement communications
Protocol approval
All research at Earlham involving the use of non-human vertebrate animals must be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) prior to the start of the project.
To obtain approval, complete the appropriate form. Completed forms should be sent to the IACUC Convener, Meredith Edwards, according to the instructions on the form.
Forms
No research using vertebrate animals may begin prior to official IACUC approval.
While federal regulations pertain only to vertebrate animals and therefore IACUC approval is needed only for research involving vertebrates, the Earlham community recommends ethical consideration of experimental design with all species involved in research.
All Earlham faculty members, staff members and students who work with or come into contact with laboratory animals should have appropriate training on handling the animals and developing research protocols. Training should include humane treatment of the animal, including minimization of pain and distress, researching alternatives and reporting deficiencies.
Earlham’s training expectations for animal researchers are all collected on Moodle under the “Animal User Guide” course, which you can search for and then self-enroll in.
The primary text for understanding the health and safety risks inherent in working with laboratory animals is the text “Occupational Health and Safety in the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.” Most precautions are common sense:
- Practice good hygiene, including washing hands before and after handling animals
- Wear appropriate clothing and use appropriate protective gear
- Dispose of waste properly
- Report any injuries, even minor scratches, and seek appropriate treatment
Concerns involving the care and use of animals at Earlham College that pertain to compliance with the federal guidelines regarding animal welfare may be directed to the IACUC Convener, Meredith Edwards or the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Lori Schroeder. Concerns regarding the ethics of using animals in research may be discussed with Meredith Edwards.
Earlham College will not retaliate, and will not tolerate any retaliation by any person, against a College employee who, in good faith, reports an animal welfare concern. Confidentiality of those who, in good faith, report a concern will be protected to the greatest extent possible.
Earlham’s policies regarding animal welfare are based upon the federal guidelines described in the Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations, both of which are detailed in the “Blue Book.” Further guidance is derived from the Public Health Service Policy on Human Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and The Guide for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) provides guidance and interpretation of the federal guidelines and monitors institutional compliance with federal policies.