The MSU team, lead by professor John “Trey” Rogers, gained prominence by first introducing portable turf at the 1994 World Cup at the Pontiac Silverdome ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The current, months-long project has involved building and managing more than 5,500 modules of Kentucky bluegrass about five miles away from the new Beijing stadium. Immediately after the Aug. 8 opening ceremonies, the modules ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Rogers, an international expert on athletic turf and golf courses, said the knowledge gleaned from this and other major MSU turfgrass projects can benefit athletes all over the world. “It has a wide range of applications,” he says. “If they were going to do a renovation at a high school field in Lansing, for example, we would use these same principles.”

Joining Rogers on the team are James Crum, fellow professor of turfgrass management, doctoral student Alec Kowalewski and Weijun Zhao, director of MSU’s Office of China Programs.

Kowalewski has been in China since May to manage the turf-growing process. He and Rogers will help install the field after the opening ceremonies.

Zhao said his role in the project was that of a “bridge” ?EUR??,,????'?????<

“To host the Olympic Games in China is a 100-year-long dream of the Chinese people and as a native of China, I wished to do something for this great event,” Zhao says. “To MSU, this is the best chance to showcase its expertise and talent in front of millions of Chinese people.”