Using aquaculture and especially aquaponics for STEM education has the potential to energize the way we approach learning about food production and sustainability. Our experience with the LSSU aquaculture club demonstrates the multifaceted benefits of this innovative approach to education. Aquaponics serves as an excellent platform for interdisciplinary learning, combining elements of biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science.
Specifically, in the classroom, students have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with water chemistry and system monitoring, fish behavior and health management, plant growth and nutrition, insect pest control and integrated pest management (IPM), microbiology and ecosystem dynamics. Aquaponics also reinforces mathematical concepts through calculations of fish and plant densities, determining growth rates and feed rations, and analyzing system parameters such as temperature, pH, TDS or conductivity. Students can also gain a holistic view of ecosystem interactions by understanding fish-microbe-plant relationships, nutrient and energy flows, and environmental factors that limit system boundaries. Aquaponics also provides a foundation for diverse upper level research projects. Some examples of LSSU projects are: multi-trophic mariponics, aquaponic silviculture, microbiome DNA sequencing, indicators of environmental pollutants, nitrogen cycle dynamics.
The LSSU aquaculture club oversees our aquaponics facilities, and their club activities foster essential skills such as teamwork and leadership, responsibility and time management, problem-solving and critical thinking. The club also learns valuable lessons in marketing and sales through campus plant sales, upcycling and repurposing through creative projects and financial management to use revenues for conferences and field trips. The club’s initiatives extend beyond the campus as their system are available for K-12 tours that promote STEM education. Beyond academic knowledge, aquaponics teaches a respect for living organisms, sustainable food production practices and resource management and conservation.
In conclusion, aquaculture education through aquaponics offers a unique and engaging approach to learning that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. It equips students with practical skills, fosters environmental awareness, and provides a platform for innovative research and entrepreneurship. This hands-on, fun learning environment not only produces food but also cultivates a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of life and the importance of sustainable practices.