UAB Light Pollution is Being Tackled Through New Lab, Campus SHINE

By Micah Hardge | UAB News The University of Alabama at Birmingham is addressing light pollution via the Campus Safe and Healthy Illumination for the Nighttime Environment at UAB. Light pollution is the poor management and distribution of artificial lighting released into the natural environment. Michelle Wooten, Ph.D., assistant professor of astronomy in the Department of Physics, is the lab director for Campus SHINE at UAB. Wooten says this project illuminates the necessity for targeted lighting that promotes the overall safety and wellness of UAB students and campus environment preservation. Proper lighting practices improve the visibility of one’s surroundings by reducing glare. Well-designed lighting can save the campus money through eliminating energy expenditure in unnecessary directions, supporting visibility of the stars, and protecting human and environmental health. “Untargeted lighting can negatively affect our well-being and our natural environment,” Wooten said. “Excessive lighting at night can disrupt melatonin production and throw off our circadian rhythm.” In addition to having negative effects on on-campus students, light pollution can largely impact the natural wildlife and environment. Light pollution can impact the ecosystem, for example via the disruption of biological processes in plants and pollinators. Excessive untargeted lighting is also a global factor in...