OCC Horticulture cultivates lettuce and fish, allowing environmental science and marine science students to partner with the Culinary Arts Department in bringing campus-grown food to the table. Sustainability is the end goal of the project.
Biological sciences instructional assistant Magali Martinez focuses on greenhouses, aquaponics and aquaculture, which she has been in charge of for two years. The project is meant to teach students the science behind aquaculture and the business side of things.
"Learning how the crops are scheduled, learning how the fish maintenance is scheduled, we coordinate with culinary also so they use our products: our lettuce, our veggies, and also our fish," Martinez said. The marine science students are in charge of maintaining the tilapia fish, such as "hatching the eggs, raising the fish, feeding the fish, cleaning everything, [and] building the systems."
The horticulture students are in charge of "sowing the seeds, growing them out, tending to the pest and making sure the quality is consistent." "When it's all ready, we're collaborating with culinary, we don't just take it to them," Martinez said. "The students get to see it, see the plant the moment it's pulled out to the moment it's on the plate."
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