Greeley Hydroponic Farm

Astoria school’s hydroponics lab enhances science education

Students at IS 10 in Astoria are getting a hands-on lesson not only in biology, but in gardening, sustainability and business as well.

That’s because of their new hydroponic lab, which opened this academic school year. The lab allows students to grow different types of plants, keep track of their pH levels, and eventually harvest and sell them to teachers and parents.

The school also boasts a rooftop garden. After seeing how much the kids enjoyed learning at the garden, IS 10 principal Clemente Lopes decided to take the next step. He “did a little squeeze” from the school budget and came up with $50,000 to fund the lab.

Lopes said he’s already starting to see the results. Different classes are already using the lab at different times, and soon, they’ll add desks and chairs.

“They can come here and instead of talking about a leaf and protoplasm, they can actually see it and touch it,” he said. “It makes science fun.”

The hydroponic lab adds to the school’s current engineering science lab, which boasts two 3D printers and other equipment. Lopes said the idea is to make science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) less boring and more hands-on.

“If you don’t make it fun, it’s going to be just another book, just another chapter that children might pursue one day or not,” Lopes said. “You might have at least one kid out of 90 who decides to go one day to an agricultural college. Why? Because he had this experience.

“If we don’t give them this opportunity, they won’t know,” he added.

Rhonda Williams, who teaches 7th and 8th grade science at IS 10, has already assigned students to take care of the hydroponic lab and do all of the necessary pH and electric conductivity readings. She’s also looking forward to begin using the rooftop garden for lessons when the weather gets warmer.

During the summer, Williams runs an internship program for students.

“After I finish teaching summer school, the kids come and we work outside,” she said.

Williams said the next step for the school is to have its own greenhouse.

Students spoke about how the lab has transformed science education for them. Eighth-grader Marwa Hassan is one of the students who helps check the pH levels regularly.

“I didn’t even know that existed until this hydroponics room,” she said.

Syeda Wazaha, also in eighth grade, said learning from a textbook is “pretty boring.”

“But when you come here, it’s pretty interesting to see how it grows,” she said. “I thought you need plants to grow outside in the sun, but in here, they use lights.”

The lab has also allowed educators to add other elements into the curriculum. When the plants are fully grown, the students harvest them and sell them to teachers. Their first sale was during a parent-teacher conference.

“We mostly raise our own money so we can buy seeds so we can grow all this stuff,” said eighth-grader Karma Sherpa.

The success of this hydroponic lab has led another educational institution, the Variety Boys and Girls Club, to look into having its own hydroponic lab.

Nina Fiore, the club’s director of education, said she has been in talks with New York Sun Works, the organization that supplies equipment for the lab, and hopes to open their lab in the next few months.

Fiore teaches the NASA science classes at Variety. She noted that the International Space Station also has hydroponic gardens to figure out how much food they can grow in space.

The education director said scientists have also found psychological benefits to gardening, which would be beneficial for students as well.

The hydroponic lab would ideally be placed between the club’s kitchen and its makerspace. 3D printers would make the bowls and utensils, while the kitchen offers a place where students can learn to cook the food they grow organically.

“A lot of what we do is push cross-curricular involvement,” Fiore said. “I want the film club working with the art club, working with the science club and the tech club on projects.”

Like what IS 10 is doing with the entrepreneurial and business aspects, Variety’s collaboration of different topical programs allows students to bond and work together.

“We definitely want it to be project-based learning and group teamwork,” she said.

Having the hydroponic lab at Variety also fits into the club’s goal of focusing on STEM. With a maker space focusing on technology, NASA and even film clubs, Variety is offering myriad options for students to choose from.

“We’re trying to ignite children’s passions, we’re trying to help them figure out what they want to do in life,” Fiore said. “We’re trying to show them that that path is completely viable. You can be a scientist, a researcher, whatever you want to be. We can help you get there.”