SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/433388
www.stma.org December 2014 | SportsTurf 29 Facility & Operations University of Maryland Dr. J. Kevin Mathias reports: As the winning 4-year school at the 2014 STMA Student Challenge, the University of Maryland is using the $4,000 award from SAFE to enhance student instruction for the lab component of a course titled "Surveying and GPS Applications in Agriculture." Currently the University of Maryland offers a 2-year academic certificate and a baccalaureate program in Turfgrass Management. The two-year program added a Sports Turf Management option in 2009. The major e m p h a s i s o f t h e 2 0 1 4 SAFE award was to further enhance field labs for assessing field hardness and field moisture conditions on athletic fields using GPS and GIS technology. In order to accomplish this, we purchased an additional Field Scout pen- etrometer and soil moisture meter that will be used to assess intramural field conditions on the University of Maryland campus. One of the major goals of this course is to expose students to different instruments that can assess field conditions and then tie these devices to GPS units. GIS software is then used to allow a visual display of data that provides important insight for field manage- ment decisions. For example based on student field studies on several of the intramural fields this past year a geo-spatial map was developed which showed excessive field compaction at the 4-inch depth. Based on this lab activity field manager Alex Steinman, Sports Turf Manager for Intramural Fields, used this information to schedule a sub- soil aerification using a Verti-Quake unit. Alex commented that the GPS-GIS data logging and visual data display of this student lab exercise allowed him to make an informed decision on the type of aerification equipment needed to solve their sub-surface compaction problem. As an educator it is extremely rewarding to see how new technology is introduced to stu- dents in various course work at the University of Maryland and then implemented within the workplace. The commitment of SAFE to promote safe, playable, and sustainable athletic fields by awarding such grants has enhanced our sports turf educational program at the University of Maryland over the past 2 years and we are extremely thankful for this support. Update on the 2014 STMA Student Challenge winners Mt. san antonio College Brian Scott, professor of horticulture, reports: We are in the process of pur- chasing and installing a nice storage shed beyond center field of Dr. Kent Kurtz Stadium. Our existing "storage" area for all of our turf equipment is beyond repair; it leaks when it rains and it is located quite a distance from the field, making it a huge logistical issue. That is not very exciting but hous- ing your equipment is a huge part of getting the job done correctly and in a timely manner. Some new things in our pro- gram: We have modified nine certificates to require fewer, more specific skill set oriented classes that took effect July 1. We also started an internship program with USC. We have six stu- dents working at the Coliseum part time and as part of the game day crew. We also do the same thing at UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium, where for- mer student Chris Romo is the sports turf manager. Another student, Cody Chavez, was hired full time as Scott Lupold's assis- tant at UC-Irvine working on the baseball and soccer fields. Another graduate, Giovanni Murillo, is now an assistant sports turf manager at Oklahoma State University. And we are getting ready to begin irrigation intern- ships with Valley Crest, one of the largest landscape contractors in the country. ■ Students enrolled in the "Surveying and GPS Applications in Agriculture" class take field hardness data on the intramural fields at the University of Maryland.