Up to five Johns Hopkins biotechnology graduate students will be employed under the Army’s Student Career Experience Program at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, or USAMRIID, at Fort Detrick. “It’s a good way to build new talent and get them interested in this field,” said a USAMRIID spokeswoman. “There’s still relatively few places you can work with some of these diseases.”

Yes, and strengthening the field strengthens our defense in the event of attack with biological weapons.