The Food For Thought Project
The goal of this project was to create a fully sustainable garden that the school and everyone in it could enjoy for years to come. We addressed the science and politics of farm fresh food, and built a 100% sustainable aquaponics system.
Chemistry
In Chemistry this semester we learned all about food! The science of food, the fats in certain foods, how different types of food effect our bodies, and how chemicals in certain foods react with other foods. All of the chemistry we previously learned before this project was applied in a completely new way. Instead of just learning how to complete certain problems, we had to apply our skills to a new problem. As well as learning about the chemistry of what we put into our bodies, we also had the amazing chance to build an aquaponics garden. Aquaponics is "a system of aquaculture in which the waste produced by farmed fish or other aquatic animals supplies nutrients for plants grown hydroponically, which in turn purify the water. |
How it Works:
1. The fish are fed food to produce ammonia, algae and other waste. The ammonia-rich water is toxic to fish in high concentrations, but is essential for plant growth. 2. The water is pumped to the grow beds where the bacteria is cultured and begins to break down, which results in nitrogen rich soil for the plants. 3. The plant roots filter the water which now contains nutrients for the fish, and is pumped back down to their tank. Then the cycle repeats itself! |
Humanities
In Humanities we read books on the politics of food. I read The Urban Food Revolution by Peter Ladner. This book was so interesting, and it explained many food problems that we have in America about being healthy. After I read the book I wrote an Opinion Essay on why we can't afford to lose fresh produce. We also watched many documentaries in class like , OMG GMO. Which was all about how most of our food has unhealthy GMOs in it. ![]()
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Reflection
This has been one of the most memorable projects of my entire High Tech career. I had the idea for this project with some of my fellow members of the High Tech High International Science club. We pitched the idea to our chemistry teacher, Mariah Mellinger, about possibly doing the project in Science Club and she took our idea a step further by proposing it to our team of 56 students. After that the project was just a whirlwind of activity and learning. I felt personally responsible for the project and how it turned out because it was originally my idea, so I was a bit crazy and really excited about how successful it would be. In the end I couldn't be any more proud of all of the kids that helped with the project and worked so hard to make it a huge success!
This has been one of the most memorable projects of my entire High Tech career. I had the idea for this project with some of my fellow members of the High Tech High International Science club. We pitched the idea to our chemistry teacher, Mariah Mellinger, about possibly doing the project in Science Club and she took our idea a step further by proposing it to our team of 56 students. After that the project was just a whirlwind of activity and learning. I felt personally responsible for the project and how it turned out because it was originally my idea, so I was a bit crazy and really excited about how successful it would be. In the end I couldn't be any more proud of all of the kids that helped with the project and worked so hard to make it a huge success!