The Lay / Community Member of an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

Hi, my name is Kathy Dierker. When I was in the sixth grade, my family adopted a skinny, frightened little dog from the animal shelter. For the next ten years, "Daisy" was a full member of our family; sharing everything with her two-legged brothers and sisters: Summer camping trips, last bite of a sandwich, all our laughter and even a tear or two. Despite Daisy's antics and affection, the memory of all those other dogs we left behind in the shelter stayed with me. Just as soon as I had a home of my own, I resolved to find a different way to care for the lost and forgotten pets in our community.

My children grew up sharing their lives, bedrooms, and any other spare corner of the house with literally hundreds of frightened, hungry, homeless pets. The "shelter" that began in our kitchen quickly grew to one of the largest, cleanest "adoption centers" in Ohio. And, I am very proud to count over 6,000 dogs and cats who have found new homes because of our efforts.

I am equally proud of my role as a member of Wright State University's Animal Care and Use Committee in Dayton, OH. Every institution that uses animals for research, testing, or teaching is required by federal law to have such a committee. As WSU's community representative, I am the outsider (i.e. I am not an employee and have no ties to WSU) who ensures that the concerns of our community have a voice in the care provided to all animals used for research, testing or teaching. Before any project involving animals begins, there are several questions that must be answered. Is the project important, are we gaining something of value for doing this work? Are animals the only way we can achieve the project's goal; could computer models, mannequins, or other non-animal methods do the same work? How can all pain be reduced or completely eliminated?

For me it is not enough to meet the requirements of the law. I must ensure that every project is one that my next door neighbor, the grocery store manager, and my children could say, "Yes, it is important for us to do this. I'm glad this project can be done here."

For lots more info on IACUCs, go to our Committee Page. If you're new to this, don't try plowing through the regulations and policies links right off the bat. The OPRR tutorial and AWIC newsletter links are more readable and probably better places to start.