For an unprecedented second time in four years, Bergen Community College STEM students have placed first in the nationwide Community College Innovation Challenge. Sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges and National Science Foundation, four Bergen students earned first place honors for their project, "Pop-Up Hydroponic Farming Made from Recycled Materials."
Chemistry Professor PJ Ricatto, Ph.D., who mentored the students, commented, "All five of us were in tears. This was not an easy task."
Students Alejandro Olarte, of Wayne; Derek Gonzalez, of Paterson; Estrella Luna, of River Vale; and Lisandro Martinez, of Bergenfield, along with Ricatto, travelled to Washington D.C. from June 9-12 to participate in the national competition alongside 50 students from 12 community colleges across the United States. Students also participated in an Innovation Boot Camp, providing them with professional development and mentoring meant to develop the teams' strategic communication and entrepreneurial skills.
The first-place project features what the team calls "stacks" – three-tiered towers of reclaimed shipping pallets, hydroponic beds and LED lights for growing plants. The team aims to place the stacks in unoccupied retail spaces, thereby giving the buildings a new purpose as "food-production community centers" to provide local residents with freshly grown produce. Inspiration for the project came from a 2023 Journal of Obesity study that found only 26 percent of New Jersey adults consume the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
Read more at New Jersey Business