Battelle’s Principal Research Scientist-Biologist Vivian Smith has been
named the 2019 recipient of the Dr. Billy Richardson Young NBC
Researcher Award.
For 25 years, Richardson was instrumental in the development of modern
chemical and biological defense programs. He served as the Deputy
Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological
Matters and as the Technical Director of the U.S. Army Chemical
Research, Development and Engineering Center. In these roles he
developed the concept which led to the creation of the Department of
Defense Domestic Preparedness Program, started the Air Force development
efforts in chemical defense, and was a key architect of the concept and
plan for the Army’s chemical and biological defense laboratories.
The award, given by the NBC Industry Group, was established to honor
Richardson by recognizing exceptional young leaders with dedication to
activities involving education and commitment to NBC defense. Smith
accepted her award during a May 16 dinner in Arlington, Va.
Vivian, who joined Battelle in 2016, is a Biosafety and Biosecurity
Subject Matter Expert currently working with the Defense Threat
Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Biological Threat Reduction Integrating
Contract (BTRIC) under the prime contractor Jacobs Engineering. Her
current work involves supporting the Vietnam Ministry of Health and
Department of Animal Health to help bring safer scientific practices to
the country of Vietnam.
While working on the BTRIC contract in Vietnam, Vivian has provided
biosafety and biosecurity practical and academic skills to more than 100
Vietnamese researchers, laboratory technicians, biosafety officers, and
others.
She has traveled the entire country of Vietnam with the purpose of
equipping the various public health research laboratories with the
skills to safely and securely prevent and/or respond to a public health
crisis.
“Vivian’s entire career has been devoted to advancing the field of
nuclear, biological, and chemical defense so I am thrilled to see her
accomplishments honored in this way,” said Scott Robinson, a senior
market manager at Battelle, who was recently elected Chairman of the NBC
Industry Group.
Smith attended Alcorn State University and graduated with a bachelor’s
degree in Biology. She then held a one-of-a-kind fellowship at the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, called the
National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program (NBBTP). During
her tenure, she independently directed the operations of the NIH high
and maximum biocontainment laboratories. She developed hundreds of
standard operating procedures (SOPs) for various biocontainment
laboratories throughout the United States, assisted in biosafety level
(BSL)-3 and BSL-4 program development, conducted risk assessments and
performed program gap analyses focusing on biodefense and biosecurity
related issues.
In 2013, Smith received a Master’s degree in Biotechnology with a
concentration in Biodefense from Johns Hopkins University. In 2018,
Vivian was certified as a Specialist Microbiologist with the National
Registry of Certified Microbiologists by the American Society of
Microbiology.
About Battelle
Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to
solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national
laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and
development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical
services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in
Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle makes the world
better by commercializing technology, giving back to our communities,
and supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
education. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.
For more information contact Katy Delaney at (614) 424-7208 or at delaneyk@battelle.org
or contact T.R. Massey at (614) 424-5544 or at masseytr@battelle.org.
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