Hoboken Teacher Gets Aquaponics Grant

Hoboken, NJ – A local teacher is helping to bring aquaponics to the Hoboken Junior / Senior High School.

Juliana Addi, a teacher at HJSHS, recently earned a $25,000 grant from Cognizant’s “Making the Future” program to develop the school’s Urban Farm Engineers Club, according to school officials.

The grant “seeks to inspire young learners and future leaders to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines by creating fun, hands on learning opportunities,” a release stated.

Addi plans to have her students design, build and maintain an urban farm composed of an aquaponics system and a farmers market, school officials reported.

If all goes according to plan, water used to raise aquatic animals will be transferred into a hydroponic system, where plants are raised in water. The animals’ byproducts will then be broken down by bacteria to nourish the plants, and the water will be recycled back into the aquaculture system.

The urban farm will be used to teach biological cycles and interdependent systems, which are part of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), school officials stated.

“Our students can create a true farm to table experience, eating the food directly, providing produce and fish for our school cafeteria and selling food to the local restaurants and community members,” Addi stated.

Addi was recently named one of Hoboken’s 2014-15 Teachers and Staff of the Year.

• See related article: Patch Series: Meet Your Local Educators

Photo courtesy of Hoboken Junior / Senior High School

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