TIFTON — The University of Georgia Tifton Campus held a rededication ceremony for a recently renovated building Apr. 4.

The building, originally constructed in 1937, was renamed the Agricultural Research Building. It was previously called the Animal and Dairy Science building.

“We are a campus that prides itself on groundbreaking research that impacts the world. Being able to renovate one of our original buildings will only enhance that research,” said Joe West, assistant dean for UGA Tifton. “We strive to make this community and the state of Georgia proud of who we are. We want the UGA Tifton campus to truly reflect the image of the University of Georgia. I feel like we’re accomplishing that.”

It was the second structure built on the Tifton campus. It was constructed as a Works Progress Administration project during the Great Depression and “suffered years of weathering and wear, leading to significant deterioration and its closure in 2006,” according to the program detailing the history of the building.

The building will house the Animal and Dairy Science Department and Entomology Department, which are both part of UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

The 12,000 square foot building has office spaces and labs with updated technology. It also features new wet laboratory space. The college’s animal and dairy science department takes up the first two floors, and the first floor includes new laboratories. The third floor houses the entomology department.

Graduate student Kaylyn Groce was one of the students giving tours of the building after the ceremony. She showed off the new Near Infrared Reflective Spectroscopy system, which she uses to determine the best grazing time for cattle.

“You’re able to look at the digestibility of that forage and tell when is the best time to graze your cattle on that particular forage,” she said. This technology allows for more consistent results than what she calls “wet chemistry.”

Renovations to the building include the addition of high-efficiency LED lighting, extensive fiber-optic cable and wireless internet capabilities. The building retains many of its original features, including the windows, according to a press release from the UGA Tifton campus.

The interior window sash improves energy efficiency throughout the building. It acts like a storm window and creates an additional thermal barrier for air leaks and temperature conductivity through the old metal windows, the release states.

Renovations to the building concluded in early March and were made possible by $5 million in state support.

UGA President Jere W. Morehead spoke at the rededication ceremony, which was held at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center.

“This facility helps ensure that UGA faculty, staff and students have the space they need for our critical agricultural research and education programs,” Morehead said. “I would like to thank the state and the University System Board of Regents for their investment in this project, which ultimately is an investment in both the future of the UGA Tifton campus and the vitality of Georgia’s number one industry.”

Samuel L. Pardue, dean and director the the college of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and Kelly Paulk, a student of Agriscience and Environmental Systems at UGA, also spoke during the ceremony.

Follow Eve Guevara on Twitter @EveGuevaraTTG.