On Friday, a large steel beam became more than part of a building frame at Michigan State University. It now carries the signatures of leaders, researchers and construction partners added during a beam-signing ceremony, a tradition as old as Scandinavian folklore and as modern as MSU’s vision for world-class research.
“It’s almost like a time capsule,” said Douglas Buhler, associate vice president in the Office of Research and Innovation and program advocate for the project. “You get to leave a little bit of yourself in the building. It’s an important milestone that recognizes the people who’ve put their time and energy into making this project happen.”
The Plant and Environmental Sciences Building is no ordinary facility. When complete in 2027, the $200 million project will house state-of-the-art labs for photosynthesis, plant resilience, regenerative agriculture and environmental science. It will include 90 growth chambers, the relocated Center for Advanced Microscopy and a rooftop phytotron — a highly specialized greenhouse — that will enable MSU scientists to study how plants respond to changing carbon dioxide levels and other climate stressors.
“World-class science requires world-class facilities to support new discoveries,” said MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D., during the groundbreaking ceremony last October. “With the investments we’re making in infrastructure, MSU has the opportunity to provide global solutions in plant and environmental science while significantly expanding our leadership.”
Once completed, the building will consolidate MSU’s top-ranked plant researchers into a new hub, attract leading scientists from around the world and expand the university’s role in tackling a range of challenges in food and environmental systems.
The building also carries symbolic weight in its design. A striking glass corner, dubbed “the lantern,” will serve as a gateway to campus from Farm Lane, glowing green on game days or for special occasions.
“This isn’t like building an apartment complex,” Buhler said. “In many ways there’s probably no other building in the world exactly like this, with this set of features. It’s a unique facility that keeps MSU on the cutting edge of plant sciences.”
The tradition of signing or “topping out” a beam dates back centuries. Scandinavians once placed pine trees atop framed-out buildings as an offering to Odin’s horse, Sleipnir, hoping to secure good luck for the structure and its occupants.
When Norwegian ironworkers came to the United States in the late 1800s, they brought the practice with them. The Empire State Building famously held three topping-out ceremonies during its construction.
Today, the custom lives on in capital projects around the world. In the U.S., the final steel beam is often painted white, signed by workers and project leaders, and hoisted into place with a small evergreen tree and flag. At MSU, the practice is becoming standard operating procedure as a symbolic way to celebrate construction milestones for signature facilities like the Henry Ford Health + MSU Health Sciences Research Center, where there were confetti cannons and fireworks to punctuate the festivities.
Friday’s ceremony was more subdued. The site is an active work zone with heavy equipment, so safety comes first. But there was still plenty of heart behind the Sharpie strokes.
Those invited to sign included members of the Board of Trustees, President Guskiewicz, Provost Laura Lee McIntyre, Vice President for Research and Innovation Doug Gage and other key officials and faculty. The beam will remain available for a few days so other project partners and staff can add their names. In the end, as many as 40 to 50 signatures will be sealed into the structure.
Buhler was one of the signees, a first for the 25-year MSU veteran. “I’ll probably just keep it simple,” he said before the ceremony. “It’s been an honor to be part of this project. I’m closer to the end of my career than the beginning, so it’s a pretty cool project to be involved with — maybe one of my last big ones. That makes it special.”
For the construction crews, topping out is also a badge of pride. Buhler noted that the steel company responsible for the frame already held its own ceremony, with workers autographing a separate beam in much the same way artists sign their paintings. “For them, this is a really big deal,” Buhler said. “It’s a nice pat on the back for people who are working pretty hard.”
By early fall, the signed beam will be hoisted into place and disappear from view as the building is finished. But even hidden, the signatures represent an ongoing commitment to MSU’s future.
“This has been like a 20-year dream for some of our faculty,” Buhler said. “It’s the kind of feature that sets MSU apart and positions us to keep leading in the plant sciences.”