Before doing any hands-on work in the lab, Brandon attended UTK's Biosaftey and Bloodborn Pathogen Safety Course per PCRSP and lab requirements. As he began to become more directly involved in experiments, he remained supervised at all times to ensure that proper technique was used, sterile environments were maintained, and experiments were done in the most efficient and safe ways. As he became more skilled in the lab, Brandon was allowed to perform simple tasks without direct instruction. However, his work was consistently monitored closely in order to maintain a standard of safety.