A bit about the Malone Middle School Going Green with a Food Computer Project
Hydroponics is an agricultural system that uses nutrient rich water as a medium for growing plants. It can be used in small areas that don’t have access to arable land. It could help alleviate the negative impacts that traditional farming techniques place on the land while still improving food production. It also opens up a sustainable alternative to traditional farming where individuals everywhere can participate!
The Malone Middle School Going Green with a Food Computer project will introduce the latest in agricultural technology to the classroom environment. Through an engaging educational BETA project with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab Open Agriculture (OpenAg) Initiative, students at the Malone Middle School will be given the opportunity to learn innovative methods of technology in agriculture.
Overall Purpose: The purpose of our project is to give students an opportunity to research, design, build, manipulate, analyze, and evaluate a hydroponic system. This project will promote environmental awareness and sustainability through the use of innovative advances in technology.
In conjunction with the OpenAg Initiative, students at the Malone Middle School will have the opportunity to work alongside teachers and peers at the Malone Middle School and two Boston-area schools. This collaborative educational BETA program with MIT OpenAg, NYSCATE, Boston Science Museum, and students in two Boston-area schools, will give students an opportunity to engage in the design and programming process—while giving them an opportunity to tinker, hack, and learn during this hands-on innovative project.
History of the Project at the Malone Middle School: During the 2015-2016 school year, 8th grade students at the Malone Middle were awarded an earth-day grant through Air & Waste Management Association of New York - Eastern Chapter to be used toward a hydroponics project during the Spring Semester. The results and pictures of that project can be seen in THIS SLIDESHOW.