This slide introduces key concepts about hydroponics and how educators can use hydroponics to promote STEM learning in their K-12 classes.

1. Understanding Environmental Literacy
through Hydroponic and Aquaponic
Plant Production Systems
Laurie F. Ruberg, Ph.D., CEO, PLANTS, LLC
Visiting Assistant Professor, Learning Sciences & Human Development
College of Education & Human Services
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
Email: lfruberg@mail.wvu.edu

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Veggie Machine activated on ISS
Image credit: NASA Space Station Research

3. Why Water is so Important…
• In every glass of water we drink, some of the water has already
passed through fishes, trees, bacteria, worms in the soil, and many
other organisms, including people...Living systems cleanse water and
make it fit, among other things, for human consumption.
--Elliot A. Norse, in R.J. Hoage, ed.,
Animal Extinctions, 1985
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4. The water planet: how much water does Earth have?
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Image credit:
Earth Observatory

5. How can we measure water levels across the Earth?
Only 2.5 percent of the Earth’s
water is fresh (top left). Nearly
one-third of this small percentage
of available freshwater is stored in
underground aquifers (bottom
left), which account for the vast
majority of readily accessible fresh
water. GRACE’s expected ability to
monitor changes in these unseen
water reserves from space will be a
significant addition to hydrological
studies. (Graph by Alex McClung
based on data from the United
Nations Environmental Program.)
Image source: Earth Observatory
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6. How does water cycle through Earth’s atmosphere?
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7. How is Earth’s water distributed?
• Two thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered with water.
• The amount of water on Earth is about 1.46 billion km3.
• 97% of all water on Earth is saltwater found in the oceans.
• Fresh water humans can use is mostly stored as ice at the
poles and as glaciers and in groundwater (aquifers).
• Only a small portion of Earth’s water is in rivers, lakes, and
streams.
• Our area is rich with lots of fresh water.
• In our temperate zone, it rains or snows all year round.
• Rain forest areas of the world have rain almost every day.
• Dry, arid areas of the world have very little water.
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8. Where are the areas with the greatest snowfall / snow cover?
Image credit: Earth ObservatoryPLANTS, LLC 8

9. Where are the areas with the greatest and least rainfall?
Image credit: Earth ObservatoryPLANTS, LLC 9

10. Image credit: Earth Observatory
Where are the areas with the greatest vegetation?
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11. How much water does the average person
consume?
• Research studies conducted have repeatedly shown that hydroponic
lettuce production saves water, nutrient solution, and can increase
plant productivity while reducing the risk of insect infestation.
• How much water is conserved depends on the type of growth system
used, plant growth practices, and environmental conditions.
Find out more:
Play with Water Activity
Plant Plumbing
GLOBE Water Quality Testing Protocols
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12. What is hydroponics?
Growing plants hydroponically means that:
Plants grow without soil…
…in a water-based nutrient solution
…in materials that give plants the support they need…to thrive in a
growth chamber with a delivery system that gets the nutrient solution
to the plant roots…
…with either natural or artificial lighting.
We will learn that hydroponics and aquaponics provide engineered
systems for growing plants that require much less water.
Hydroponics has been around for over 2000 years…
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13. But technologies give it a new spin today!
Image credit: Grow-It-To-Go project, South Fayette School District, PA
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14. Hydroponic Benefits
• Healthier plants – having a near-perfectly balanced diet
• Healthier consumers – less need to use herbicides, fungicides, and
pesticides
• Higher Yields – without water and nutrient stresses, plants grow
faster and can be grown more compactly
• Conservation – preventing evaporation and runoff
• Year-round production schedule
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15. Disadvantages of Hydroponics
• Initial set up costs can be high
• Because plants share nutrient fluids, diseases and pests can quickly
move from plant to plant
• Maintenance requirements can increase, depending on the system
used and crop
• A power outage can destroy a crop
• Initial set up requires technical knowledge, time, and commitment
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16. Here’s One Example…
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17. Plant mineral requirements
• The primary mineral nutrients plants require are nitrogen
(N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).
• Secondary mineral nutrients include calcium (Ca),
magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S).
• Plants also need these micronutrients boron (B), copper
(Cu), iron (Fe), chloride (Cl), manganese (Mn),
molybdenum (Mo), and zinc (Zn).
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18. What Nutrients do Plants Need?
• The science of hydroponics began with experiments to determine the
elementary nutrient requirements of plants and how plants
processed those elements (Progressive Gardening Trade Assn.,
Manassas, VA, 2008. Downloaded from http://www.pgta.org)
• See interactive periodic table of plant nutrients at:
http://www.cropnutrition.com/nutrient-knowledge
• See Plant Nutrition Activity
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20. Plant Fertilizer Salts
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21. Types of Hydroponic Systems
• Passive
• Active
• Water Culture
• Media-Based
Information and diagrams from KidsGardening.org
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22. Teacher-friendly hydroponic systems
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27. Teach plant
functions and
structure with
this online
game.
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31. How can I set up the NFT system?
• Prepare seedlings
• Analyze water
• Prepare nutrient solution
• Install seedlings
• Monitor plants, nutrient solution, lighting
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32. Hydroponics,
Technology, and
Food Security
Issues
Harvest of Fear (A NOVA
Frontline Interactive Website)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/har
vest/
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33. How can hydroponics enhance environmental
literacy?
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34. Teacher Professional Development Logic Model
Inputs
Professional Learning
Activities I
Interim Outcomes
Indicators
Benchmarks
Professional Learning
Activities II
Interim Outcomes
Indicators
Benchmarks
Professional Learning
Activities III
Outcomes/
Indicators
Engage students and teachers in a multi-dimensional, STEAM approach to:
Investigate Earth and
Human Activity: ESS3
Use satellite imagery of
Hobet Mountain to show
Earth's surface changes
over time
Use appropriate ESS3.C
endpoints.
Examine human impact
on Earth systems in a
food production context
Use appropriate ESS3.A
endpoints. Review human impact
on Earth systems to
introduce the cross
cutting concepts of
stability and change:
How does use of
hydroponics change
human impact issues?
Students understand that things
that people do to live
comfortably can affect the world
around them. But they can make
choices that reduce their impacts
on the land, water, air, and other
living things.Define the problem in an
engineering framework:
ETS1.A
Compare and contrast
the features and benefits
of hydroponic vs.
aquaponic systems
"Tell me everything you know about plants." Launch
the K-W-L strategy by showing a portion of the
video:
Roots, Shoots, and Wood
by Kathleen M. Vandiver
<http://blossoms.mit.edu/videos/files/english/roots
_shoots_and_wood_0>
to elicit students’ prior knowledge of the topic,
establish a purpose for seeking information; and
helps students to monitor their comprehension.
Develop possible
solutions: ETS1.B
Link to cross cutting
concepts of scale,
proportion, quantity.
Select a hydroponic
system for classroom use
from the five presented
Show data and
rationale for
system
selected
Increase
student
familiarity with
the role of
math,
technology and
art in science
Optimize the Design
Solution: ETS1.C
Show Hydroponic
Lettuce video to give
students ideas for
optimization:
http://vimeo.com/97339013
Use appropriate ETS1.C
endpoints.
Comparing hydroponic
systems for their ease of
use, productivity,
reliability, and cost
Link from Engineering,
Technology, Science and
Society to core science
concepts: ETS2.A
Use appropriate ETS2.A
endpoints.
Link to energy in
chemical processes and
everyday life (PS3.D)
The energy released by burning
fuel or digesting food was once
energy from the sun captured by
plants in the process of
photosynthesis
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35. Studies of plant response
to different types of light
spectrums.
The image at left shows
how four types of lettuce
seeds respond to red, blue
and white LED lighting.
The next image compares
lettuce grown under
florescent lighting on the
left and red, blue, and
white LED lighting on the
right.
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37. Experiment
with using
different
materials to
support
plant
growth.
For example,
compare
Vermiculite
and Perlite
as materials
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38. This comparison
includes 4 types of
salad greens:
Plant1 - Brasica
rapa var chinensis
Plant2 - Brassica
rapa var. perviridis
Plant3 – Lactuca
sativa var.
longifolia
Plant4 – Lactuca
sativa ‘Grand
Rapids’
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39. Plants
at Day6
viewed
in
natural
light…
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40. Plants
at Day6
viewed
in
under
LED
(high
energy)
lighting
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41. Learning
how to
conduct
water
quality
analysis
using
simple
and/or
more
complex
technology
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42. Studying the
unique
characteristics
of different
plant species
and varieties.
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43. OUTREDGEOUS Romaine Lettuce
Lactuca sativa
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44. DEFENDER MT0 OG
Romaine Lettuce - Lactuca sativa
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45. CELINET OG MT0
Summer Crisp Lettuce - Lactuca sativa
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46. ARUGULA - Arugula Rocket
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47. Grand Rapids (leaf)
Lactuca sativa (heirloom variety)
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48. Forellenschluss -Austrian Heirloom Romaine-
LECHUGA Forellenschluss
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49. NFT System
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50. DIY Bucket Bubbler
System: Read more
at
http://e-learningtalk.com
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51. Aquaponics
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52. Aquaponics
Aquaponics combines the
hydroponic production of
plants and the aquaculture
production of fish into a
sustainable agriculture
system that uses natural
biological cycles to supply
nitrogen and minimizes the
use of nonrenewable
resources, thus providing
economic benefits that can
increase over time.
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53. Aquaponics Sustainable Opportunities:
• biological nitrogen production rates
of 80 to 90 g·m−3 per day,
• nitrate nitrogen from trickling
biofilters, and
• plant uptake of aquaculture
wastewater.
Yielding improved water, nutrient use
efficiency, and conservation
Challenges:
• balancing the system to optimize
growth for 3 organisms,
• maximizing production outputs, and
• minimizing effluent discharges to the
environment.
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54. Introduction to DIY Aquaponics
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55. A simple DIY
Aquaponics
system to
introduce key
elements of
successfully
integration of
• Plants
• Fish and
• Healthy bacteria
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56. Earth Science and Hydroponics (University of HI)
http://www.kohalacenter.org/archive/HISGN/pdf/Lesson7EarthSci
encesinHydroponicsdocwcolumns%282%29.pdf
Using free Tools to Document Your DIY System (PLANTS, LLC)
https://imgflip.com/gif/mvq5q
• Gus on the move! https://imgflip.com/gif/mvqqx
• Six lettuce seedlings, 25 days out in water
https://imgflip.com/gif/mvqn2
The World Pizza Game (EcoKids)
http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/games_activities/land_use/index.cfm
The Great Plant Escape
http://extension.illinois.edu/gpe/gpe.html
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