Science & Technology Projects & Initiatives
Hydroponics | Junior Master Gardening | GIS Projects | Science & Technology High-School Internship Project
Hydroponics Science Education Initiatives
Youth learn important science concepts from a hands-on curriculum built around a hydroponic growing unit
Creative approaches are needed to address the challenge of graduating scientifically literate youth into college or into the world of work while addressing the gap in learning between different gender groups and races. These programs aim to fulfill that need through hands-on and experiential program delivery.
Hydroponics Learning Model (HLM)
HLM is an intensive, experiential (hands-on) curriculum that uses hydroponics technology (growing plants in a nutrient solution) to increase understanding of scientific and environmental concepts as well as to increase youth's skills related to critical thinking, team building, communication and scientific inquiry.
Grow with the Flow (GWTF)
Building on over 20 years of research in hydroponics, Philson A.A. Warner from Cornell University Cooperative Extension-NYC Programs (CUCE-NYC), in collaboration with Cornell University partners (Charles Mazza and Donald A. Rakow), has developed Grow with the Flow - A hydroponic gardening project. This curriculum/Leader's Guide outlines a hands-on, science-based program targeted to elementary and middle school youth (also useful for high school students) that integrates multiple science disciplines into a comprehensive model that uses innovative, experiential activities to teach science and its application to the real world.
Grow with the Flow is a ten-session curriculum built around a hydroponic growing unit - a system for growing plants in a nutrient solution without soil. In this project, youth construct a hydroponics unit, set plants in the system, watch the plants grow, and harvest them.
Each session includes background information for group leaders/educators and activities for youth. This information, presented in a concise and easily understood manner, serves two purposes: it helps clarify the teacher's/ leader's understanding of the scientific content, and it can be used as an outline for teaching young people. Youth are provided with seeds to grow edible crops such as basil, Chinese cabbage (bok choi, le choi, mein quin) and lettuce, while exploring fundamental concepts in applied and biological sciences, technology, and environmental studies.
The process of designing, building and growing plants in the hydroponics system, monitoring plant growth factors, and harvesting and marketing plants, provides students with an inquiry-based, hands-on experience in topics related to plant biology, sustainable agriculture, environmental and earth sciences, chemistry, physics, mathematics, ecology, computer science, marketing, economics, as well as the social implications of science and technology. The Grow with the Flow curriculum addresses many standards in science education recommended by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Research Council (NRC) and the New York State Education Department.
The Grow With the Flow project requires a minimum of 3 months to be implemented, and can be used as a full-year program to teach science, technology, mathematics, and environmental studies to elementary and middle students within schools or as an after-school science enrichment program. The program is flexible enough to allow formal or non-formal educators to explore topics at a level that is most comfortable for the students. Finally, participants are also encouraged to develop their own research projects that are of interest to them. Currently, the program is being implemented throughout the United States and internationally.
Should you have an interest to support CUCE-NYC's efforts to develop and bring Grow with the Flow to additional educators and students, please contact Philson Warner, Extension Associate, Family & Youth Development Programs, CUCE-NYC, at (212)340-2960 or via email at paw14@cornell.edu.
- Grow with the Flow: A Hydroponic Gardening Project can be downloaded from the Cornell Department of Horticulture Gardening website.
PAL Hydroponics project
In collaboration with PAL, the Police Athletic League, youth learn important science concepts from a curriculum built around a hydroponic growing unit.