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July 2, 1998 JOURNALISTS: Here's a story idea and a Purdue event during the next two weeks. Watch out for sun's rays even in shade Don't go ducking into the shade to avoid unwanted ultraviolet exposure. Cancer-causing ultraviolet-B (UVB) light can snake its way around the shade, according to Purdue University agronomist Richard Grant. People commonly -- and mistakenly -- equate the amount of UVB exposure to the amount of visible light they see, Grant says. "But unlike visible light, UVB doesn't shine down in a straight line from the sun. It bounces around in the atmosphere." He says a better indication of how much UVB you're getting is to observe how much sky you can see. "If lots of the sky is obstructed, you're getting a lot less UVB." In other words, if you're in a grove of trees or surrounded by tall brick walls with direct light hitting you, you're probably better off than you would be in the dense shade of a lone tree in a field. CONTACT: Richard Grant, (765) 494-8048; e-mail, rgrant@dept.agry.purdue.edu Events Sunday-Saturday, July 5-11. Twenty-five high-school juniors and seniors will participate in Purdue's Minority Summer Science Program, designed to foster the interests of African-American, Hispanic American and Native American students in science. The theme for this year's program is "The Genome Project -- What's Genes Got to Do With It?" Students will hear lectures in a variety of disciplines and participate in laboratory experiments designed to understand the biology of DNA, and how DNA is related to the human genome project and human diseases. CONTACT: Regina Todd Hicks, director of minority programs, School of Science, (765) 494-1760, e-mail, hicks@science.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page