The dedication, which will take place Nov. 6 at noon on the Nevada Test Site, heralds the beginning of what is considered to be one of the largest research projects in the state.

The project uses FACE technology (Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment) to create 21st century atmospheric conditions in an otherwise natural environment 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. This project is one of only five such operating facilities in the world and is the only one situated in a natural ecosystem.

UCCSN faculty and students from the Desert Research Institute, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the University of Nevada, Reno, will use this state-of-the art facility to study the impact that rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide will have on the project's 200- acre local ecosystem.

"The dedication of the FACE facility adds another arrow to the quiver of our university system's research capabilities," said Chancellor Richard S. Jarvis of the UCCSN. "This cooperative effort between UNR, UNLV, DRI and the DOE sets in motion our efforts to understand the affects of global change and its relationship to the world's environmental problems."

Comprised of two doctoral-granting universities, four comprehensive community colleges and one environmental research institution, the University and Community College System of Nevada serves the educational and job training needs of the nation's fastest growing state. As Nevada's only system of higher education, the UCCSN provides educational opportunities to more than 76,000 students.