Chris Regini is a New York State Master Teacher that holds a degree in physics from the University of Connecticut. He has spent 20 years in the Half Hollow Hills school district, where he uses hydroponic farming to teach students about horticulture, AgTech, and engineering. We recently spoke with Chris to learn about his journey with CEA and his experiences bringing AgTech into the classroom.
Hi Chris, thanks for making some time to speak. To start off, would you tell me a little about your journey into CEA growing?
Absolutely. I've been teaching middle and high school for twenty years, but about ten years ago, I got a bug to bring my physics and engineering background into the classroom in a more engaging way. I realized that the easiest way to do this while really engaging students was to work with plants. I built a simple DIY hydroponics setup in the back of the classroom, then guided my students as they applied engineering to improve the operation. You know, how can we reduce the footprint? How can we automate this? How can we increase production?
This started out as a very small vertical hydroponic farm, and part of what made it so engaging was that we were growing real food out of practically nothing. The kids would take some home to their parents, the faculty would take some. It was a common space that brought people together, and we really wanted to scale it up so that even more kids could get involved.
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