The Chronicle

12/02/05

At many colleges, students flash a photo ID at a food-service worker to get into a dining hall. Things work differently at the University of Georgia, where Gavin Beck, a senior, places his hand on a sensor that determines if the person waiting to eat really is Gavin Beck. The process, which measures the size and shape of the hand, takes only a few seconds. 'No system is foolproof, but this is far more efficient for us than a photo-based system,' says J. Michael Floyd, director of food services at Georgia. The university is among the first to use the biometric technology widely, having relied on it in one form or another in its dining halls since 1974. Hand scanners, electronic fingerprint readers, even retina scanners are not just for super-spies in Hollywood movies anymore. The technology is increasingly being used by colleges to allow students, professors, and staff members to gain access to dining halls, laboratories, gyms, and other facilities on their campuses...

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Informant: Thomas L. Knapp