Points of Pride University scientists established the first
center in the United States to monitor changes in levels of
ultraviolet light. The National UV-B Monitoring Center, funded
by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, measures
the amount of UV light striking the earth’s surface and its
effect on people, plants and ecosystems. Primarily produced by
the sun, UV light is a form of radiation that can damage human
health and plant and marine life. UGA’s Center for Applied
Isotope Studies is one of a few places in the country where a
research machine called an accelerator mass spectrometer is
located. The spectrometer, which allows scientists to obtain
precise measurements from extremely small samples, is used
primarily to count the number of carbon-14 atoms in a chemical
or biological sample. Carbon-14 dating is critical for research
in environmental pollution, drug therapy and fields such as
geology, hydrology and oceanography. UGA’s $43 million Student
Learning Center, located in the heart of c