Our Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee(IACUC) strives to facilitate the efforts by our faculty and students to produce quality research and teaching experiences. At the same time, we have been appointed by the University President to monitor and share the responsibility of ensuring that individuals associated with Humboldt who work with vertebrate animals do so in compliance with relevant state and federal laws.

All institutions and agencies that utilize live animals in teaching and research are expected to follow federal and state laws that regulate such use. All such institutions must form an IACUC to oversee vertebrate animal use and to help ensure that vertebrates are treated humanely (please refer to the Guidelines for Use of Animals in Teaching and Research for additional information). A number of federal laws and policies impact the use of vertebrate animals in teaching and research. Most notably, the Animal Welfare Act, the Public Health Service Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and the Good Laboratory Practice Act dictate minimal standards of care. Additionally, several other laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the CITES convention, the Marine Mammal Conservation and Protection Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and the California Fish and Game Commission (Title 14) also regulate the use of specific species of animals. Our IACUC conducts inspections of our animal-related facilities twice per year. The IACUC is also charged with reviewing and approving all protocols for the use of live animals in teaching or research. Additionally, our facilities and animal programs are inspected and reviewed twice per year by a USDA inspector.

Prior to initiating a research project involving animals or incorporating animals in a teaching program, the responsible parties should review the laws that may regulate their work (note that individual students and their faculty advisors are held legally responsible for complying with these laws). The next stage of the process involves obtaining approval, and permits when necessary, from the appropriate governing bodies. Finally, the faculty member or student must submit a completed Section 5 protocol to the IACUC for in-house review. It is illegal to use animals for any purpose without first obtaining the necessary permits from federal and state agencies and without obtaining approval from the IACUC.

The protocol application form used by Humboldt is relatively short and, if sufficient time has been spent planning the research, takes only a short time to complete. The form is updated at irregular intervals.

This site has been designed to provide you information and resources to assist you in successfully completing the IACUC Protocol and supporting your research needs. To get started, review the information links in the column to the left.