PERSPECTIVES
“ I believe this insight is not only valuable for my current graduate studies, but also for my aspiring future career...”
I collected data at the KC Current stadium( CPKC Stadium) and training fields( The University of Kansas Health System Training Center). I used a variety of tools and technologies such as the time domain reflectometer( or TDR, which measures soil moisture), Clegg hammer( surface hardness), DelTec FieldTester( force reduction, energy restitution and vertical deformation), and DelTec rotational resistance tester( shear strength) to assess surface conditions. I also had the chance to work with tools I hadn’ t used before, including the POGO( soil moisture), TurfRad( Portable L-band Radiometer that measures soil moisture) and CropCircle( leaf density and nitrogen content). The TurfRad and CropCircle sensors had just arrived when I started this summer, so it was a great learning experience not only getting to use them, but also setting them up and gaining a deeper understanding of how they work. I analyzed the data I collected and shared results with Jerad and Mira, who sometimes used it to inform management decisions, which is an incredibly rewarding experience that reinforced to me the practical value of research.
Specifically, the TurfRad has most commonly been used on golf courses to map soil moisture variability for irrigation efficiency.
Collecting TurfRad data while sampling ground-truth measurements with a TDR to compare soil moisture readings between the two devices.
Ava Veith presenting“ The Science Behind the Pitch: Surface Testing at CPKC
Stadium and Training Grounds” for the MoKan SFMA Summer Field Day. sportsfieldmanagementonline. com September 2025 | SportsField Management
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