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Catskill tech students learn hydroponics

By Jim Planck

CATSKILL - One of the challenges of the future for any civilization is always staying abreast of agricultural methods that will provide opportunity for diverse and plentiful crops yields.

At Catskill Central School District, the high school's technology class is combining engineering skills with alternative farming technology to experience that challenge first-hand.

The Principles of Engineering Class is part of the district's Technology Program curriculum, and their most recent effort was an adventure in hydroponics, the science of growing plants without soil.

CSD technology teacher Brian McDonnell notes that the project introduced students to both Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, important skills for the future, when developing methods like hydroponics will help preserve and extend natural resources.

To help the class get a full picture of hydroponics, -- the better to be able to design their own system -- the course covered its history, science, and economic and commercial applications before delving into the actual design phase.

The hydroponic system that the CSD tech students then designed and built is called a Nutrient Flow Technique system, or NFT.

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