Progress 04/01/21 to 01/17/25
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience in this grant were 9th to 12th grade students from four different public urban (city) high schools in Kentucky and the majority of these population groups were underrepresented minority students who fall under an economically disadvantaged category. Two of the four urban (city) high schools were located in Louisivlle, while the remaining two schools were located in the city of Lexington. KSU's 4-H Youth Development Team also collaborated with additonal schools from cities of Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort teaching youth audiences about aquaponics, system design, and STEM-related concepts through the field of aquaculture. Summary of the student population includes the following: Locust Trace AgriScience High School in Lexington contained approximately 80 students total from four separate classes with the majority being minority and underrepresented students each year of the project; Henry Clay High School in Lexington contained approximately 70 total from three separate classes with the majority being minority and underrepresented students each year of the project; and smaller size student population groups were reached in the city of Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort by the 4-H team. Similarly, a high percentage at these schools were underrepresented students and were middle school and high school age. In summary, approximately 250 students in total were reached and particpated in the aquaponics program each year of the grant project. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Project Director (PD) met with each teacher individually during each semester of the grant to discuss the curriculum. Teachers learned about the benchmark lessons and how to implement hands-on aquaculture in the classroom effectively. Teachers were informally trained by KSU STEM specialists on a regular basis when visiting the classrooms on-site and through virtual meetings. KSU STEM specialists knowledge and skills were shared with the teachers so that the program was implemented efficiently. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our newly developed Aquaculture Teacher Manual Curriculum Booklet (Objective 4) has been disseminated across the country to STEM and 4-H Educators/Specialists. KSU's Communications Team has shared it to multiple media outlets and there has been a high number of downloads and cross-sharing across the state of Kentucky and the United States. This includes the STEM/STEAM and Education Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii, whereby Dr. Thompson (Project Director) presented the curriculum to participants and also shared the positive impacts/outcomes (i.e., results) of the project. Our newly developed 10-week project-based unit with benchmark lessons have been disseminated to numerous teachers across the state of Kentucky. This is helping to increase the academic pipeline between KSU and secondary schools in Kentucky. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Students in the program were exposed to hands-on project-based investigations in the high school classroom (objective 1). Teachers were guided by KSU aquaculture/aquaponics STEM specialists and they (i.e., the teachers) facilitated the curricula on a weekly basis. KSU STEM specialists visited the classrooms reguarly to share their time, knowledge, experiences, and resources that were funded by this grant. A huge accomplishment was our summer STEM Day Events (objective 2)! The outreach events invited community members (i.e., parents, grandparents, farmers, teachers, students, etc.) to KSU's Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm. Between 150 to 200 guests attended the event and learned about STEM disciplines, STEM career pathways, and what KSU has to offer in these exciting areas of study. The biggest accomplishment was our published Aquaculture Teacher Manual Curriculum Booklet that is being shared to Educators, including 4-H educators, here in Kentucky and across the country (Objective 4). It should be noted that Objective 4 is completed and the Aquaculture Curriculum Booklet is being distributed to diverse audiences throughout the country as well as specifically agriscience teachers and 4-H educators. Our National Aquaculture Curriculum Education booklet allows 4-H Educators to teach aquaculture and aquaponics to younger audiences who wish to engage in these STEM-related activities outside the classroom and out-of-school settings/environments. Further, the development of a 10-week curricula unit (objective 4) teaching high school students about ecoystems and ecological concepts, using aquaculture and aquaponics as the primary teaching tool, has been a huge accomplishment. The Project Director (PD) took the lead and developed benchmark lessons, with the help of secondary teachers, and provided participating teachers during this reporting period with curriculum needed to teach the concepts when integrated into an agriculture or traditional science classroom. Teachers received the Next Generation Science Standards that align with the newly developed unit and other supplemental documents which includes data sheets for student-driven research, pertinent publications and facts sheets, Powerpoint presentations for added content, assessments for research projects, and other curriculum that corresponds to the unit. Notably, all of this was accomplished under Objective 4 goals.
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Thompson, K.R., Webster, C.D., Pomper, K.W., Wilhelm, J.A., and Krall, R.M. (2024). Integrating aquaculture to support STEM Education: A qualitative assessment to identify high school students attitudes, interests, and experiences. (Published in the June issue). Science Education International, 35(2): 133-142; https://doi.org/10.33828/sei.v35.i2.7
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Thompson, K.R. and Pomper, K.W. (June 6-8th) 2024. Integrating aquaculture to support STEM education. Session: Aquaculture (STEM) Education; Marine Biology, Physics, Technologies, Ecology, Scientific Methodology; Outreach programme. 2024 HUIC Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics and Education Conference. Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Thompson, K.R., and Pomper, K.W. (April 6-9) 2024. Integrating aquaculture in and outside the classroom that promotes youth development. Family, Youth, Community and Economic Development session. 2024 Association of 1890 Research Directors Symposium, Nashville, TN.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Thompson, K.R., Webster, C.D., and Pomper, K.W. (February 19-21) 2024. Integrating aquaculture in and outside the classroom that supports STEM education. Aquaculture education, extension, and technology transfer session. Aquaculture America Conference, San Antonio, TX.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Thompson, K.R. 2024. Using a classroom aquaponics project to improve urban students perception of STEM disciplines and career pathways. Professional Agricultural Workers Conference (PAWC), Montgomery, AL, November 17-19.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Thompson, K.R. 2024. Using a classroom aquaponics project to improve urban students perception of STEM disciplines and career pathways. Science Education session. Kentucky Academy of Science Annual Meeting, Kentucky State University, November 1-2.
|
Progress 04/01/23 to 03/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience in this grant are 9th to 12th grade students from four different public urban (city) high schools in Kentucky and the majority of these population groups are underrepresented minority students who fall under an economically disadvangaged category. Two of the four urban (city) high schools were located in Louisville, while the remaining two schools were located in the city of Lexington. KSU's 4-H Youth Development Team also collaborated with additional schools from cities of Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort teaching youth audiences about aquaponics, system design, and STEM-related concepts through the field of aquaculture. Summary of the student population includes the following: Locust Trace AgriScience High School in Lexington contained 80 students total from four separate classes with the majority being minority and underrepresented students; Henry Clay High School in Lexington contained 72 students total from three separate classes with the majority being minority and underrepresented students; and smaller size student population groups were reached in the city of Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort by the 4-H team. Similarly, a high percentage at these three schools were underrepresented students and were middle school and high school age. In summary, approximately 250 students in total were reached and participated in the aquaponics program during this reporting period. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The Project Director (PD) met with each teacher individually during the fall 2023 semester to discuss the curriculum. Teachers learned about the benchmark lessons and how to implement hands-on aquaculture in the classroom effectively. It should be noted that teachers are informally trained by KSU STEM specialists on a regular basis when visiting the classrooms on-site and through virtual meetings. KSU STEM specialists knowledge and skills are shared with the teachers so that the program is implemented efficiently. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our newly developed Aquaculture Teacher Manual Curriculum Booklet (Objective 4) has been disseminated across the country to STEM and 4-H Educators/Specialists. KSU's Communications Team has shared it to multiple media outlets and there has been a high number of downloads and cross-sharing across the state of Kentucky and the United States. This includes the 2023STEM/STEAM and Education Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 7-9th, whereby Dr. Thompson (Project Director) presented the curriculum to participants and also shared the positive impacts/outcomes (i.e., results) of the project. Our newly developed 10-week project-based unit with benchmark lessons have been disseminated to numerous teachers across the state of Kentucky. This is helping to increase the academic pipeline between KSU and secondary schools in Kentucky. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to work with the same high schools and teachers during the next reporting period, but with a "new" group of underrepresented student populations (objective 1). Dr. Thompson (Project Director) also plans to take the lead and prepare additonal technical and non-technical manuscripts for publication during the next reporting period AND attend scientific national conferences to present their results and overall impact/outcomes. For example, Dr. Thompson will be attending the 2024STEM/STEAM and Education Conference in Honolulu, Hawaiiand will orally present results of the program. We also plan to host our annual Open House STEM Day Event (Objective 2). Likewise, we plan to have virtual or in-person Teacher Workshops this 2024 year (objective 3).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Students in the program were exposed to hands-on project-based investigations in the high school classroom (objective 1). Teachers were guided by KSU aquaculture/aquaponics STEM specialists and they (i.e., the teachers) facilitated the curricula on a weekly basis. KSU STEM specialists visited the classrooms reguarly to share their time, knowledge, experiences, and resources that were funded by this grant. A huge accomplishment was our summer STEM Day Event on July 29, 2023 (objective 2)! The outreach event invited community members (i.e., parents, grandparents, farmers, teachers, students, etc.) to KSU's Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm. Between 150 to 200 guests attended the event and learned about STEM disciplines, STEM career pathways, and what KSU has to offer in these exciting areas of study. The biggest accomplishment to date has been our published Aquaculture Teacher Manual Curriculum Booklet that is being shared to Educators, including 4-H educators, here in Kentucky and across the country (Objective 4). It should be noted that Objective 4 has been completed and the Aquaculture Curriculum Booklet is being distributed to diverse audiences throughout the country as well as specifically agriscience teachers and 4-H educators. Our National Aquaculture Curriculum Education booklet allows 4-H Educators to teach aquaculture and aquaponics to younger audiences who wish to engage in these STEM-related activities outside the classroom and out-of-school settings/environments. The development of a 10-week curricula unit (objective 4) teaching high school students about ecoystems and ecological concepts, using aquaculture and aquaponics as the primary teaching tool, has been a huge accomplishment. The Project Director (PD) took the lead and developed benchmark lessons, with the help of secondary teachers, and provided participating teachers during this reporting period with curriculum needed to teach the concepts when integrated into an agriculture or traditional science classroom. Teachers received the Next Generation Science Standards that align with the newly developed unit and other supplemental documents which includes data sheets for student-driven research, pertinent publications and facts sheets, Powerpoint presentations for added content, assessments for research projects, and other curriculum that corresponds to the unit. Notably, all of this was accomplished under Objective 4 goals. 4-H Team (Rosenwald Education Center) measured outcomes: On March 7, 2023, 22 participants completed a pre-post survey after their visit to the Aquaculture Research Center. They rated their interest on a scale of 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. Students rated their interest in learning about Aquaculture 2.48 Stars before the program verses 3.50 stars afterwards. Their interest in pursuing a degree for Aquaculture was rated 1.64 stars before the program verses 2.76 stars afterwards. Their interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics was rated 2.82 stars before the program verses 3.59 stars afterwards.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Thompson, K.R., Webster, C.D., Pomper, K.W., and Krall, R.M. (2023).
Use of a project-based aquaponics curriculum in rural Kentucky school districts increases secondary students understanding of ecosystems. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 19(3), e2313. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/13687
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Thompson, K.R., Webster, C.D., Pomper, K.W., and Krall, R.M. (2023).
Use of aquaponics project-based environments to improve students perception of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and career pathways. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 19(2): 1-9; Article No:e2309; https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/13102
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Thompson, K.R. and Pomper, K.W. 2023. Hands-on project-based learning in aquaponics builds students confidence in STEM. Kentucky Academy of Science Annual Meeting, Northern Kentucky University, November 2-4th.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Thompson, K.R. and Pomper, K.W. 2023. Hands-on project-based learning in aquaponics builds students confidence in STEM. STEM/STEAM Education Conference, Hawaii University International Conferences (HUIC), Honolulu, Hawaii, June 7-9th.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Thompson, K. R., Webster, C. D., Pomper, K. W., and Wilhelm, J. A. 2023. Review of the integration of aquaculture (Agriscience) with other academic content areas through hands-on learning activities: Teacher perceptions, barriers, and impacts on student success. The Agricultural Education Magazine, Volume 95, Issue 4; January/February 2023; Innovation in Agricultural Literacy, pages 35-38.
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Progress 04/01/22 to 03/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience in this grant are 9th to 12th grade students from four different public urban (city) high schools in Kentucky and the majority of these population groups were underrepresented minority students who fall under an economically disadvantged category. Two of the four urban (city) high schools were located in Louisville, while the remaining two schools were located in the city of Lexington. KSU's 4-H Youth Development Team also collaborated with additional schools from cities of Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort teaching youth audiences about aquaponics, system design, and STEM-related concepts throught the field of aquaculture. Summary of the student population includes the following: Locust Trace AgriScience High School in Lexington contained 80 students total from four separate classes with the majority being minority and underrepresented students; Henry Clay High School in Lexington contained 72 students total from three separate classes with the majority being minority and underrepresented students;and smaller size student population groups were reached in the city of Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort by the 4-H team. Similarly, a high percentage at these three schools were underrepresented students and were middle school and high school age. In summary, approximately 250students in total were reached and participated in the aquaponics program during this reporting period. Changes/Problems:The Project Director (Dr. Kenneth Thompson) was admitted in the hospital during the time of the scheduled formal Teacher Workshop which, unfortunately, had to be cancelled. We do plan to facilitate in-person or virtual teacher workshops with participants this year, either in the summer or fall 2023 semester, after determining their availability. Major Changes: We were planning to hire aGraduate Student to take the lead and develop the curriculum in aquaculture for 4-H Educators and secondary teachers. However, since Dr. Thompson and his team already successfullycompleted Objective 4,a change of action is needed and we have no reason to hire a graduate student going forward. Request: We request that the money allocated for the graduate student ($22,000 year oneand $22,000 year two) be moved to other areas of the budget such as equipping new schools with materials, supplies, and aquaculture-related education equipment.Likewise, the transferred funds can be used for travelling expenses to attend professional scientific STEM/STEAM conferences either nationally or internationally. The project director and co-project director would be able to attend additional scientific meetings and share the impacts of the grant project. Other changes to become aware of includes: Co-Project Directors Dr. Travella Free and Dr. Jim Tidwell no longer work at the university and will not be involved with this grant project going forward. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Our formal Teacher Workshop training session (objective 3) was scheduled to be on November 10, 2022 at the Kentucky Academy of Science (KAS) meeting. Unfortunately, the Project Director (Dr. Kenneth Thompson) was admitted in the hospital and on extended medical leave during this time period. However, we plan to conduct an in-person or virtual Teacher Workshopthis coming summer and/or fall semester 2023. It should be noted that teachers are informally trained by KSU STEM specialists on a regular basis when visiting the classrooms on-site and through virtual meetings. KSU STEM specialists knowledge and skills are shared with the teachers so that the program is implemented efficiently. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our newly developed Aquaculture Teacher Manual Curriculum Booklet (Objective 4) has been disseminated across the country to STEM and 4-H Educators/Specialists. KSU's Communications Team has shared it to multiple media outlets and there has been a high number of downloads and cross-sharing across the state of Kentucky and the United States. This includes the 2022 STEM/STEAM and Education Conferencein Honolulu, Hawaii on June 8-10, whereby Dr. Thompson (Project Director) presented the curriculum to participants and also shared the positive impacts/outcomes (i.e., results) of the project. Our newly developed 10-week project-based unit with benchmark lessons have been disseminated to numerous teachers across the state of Kentucky. This is helping to increase the academic pipeline between KSU and secondary schools in Kentucky. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to work with the same high schools and teachers during the next reporting period, but with a "new" group of underrepresented student populations (objective 1). Dr. Thompson (Project Director) also plans to take the lead and prepare additonal technical and non-technical manuscripts for publication during the next reporting period AND attend scientific national conferences to present their results and overall impact/outcomes. For example, Dr. Thompson will be attending the 2023 STEM/STEAM and Education Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 7-11 and will orally present results. We also plan to host our annual Open House STEM Day Event in July 2023 at the Harold R. Benson Agriculture Research Farm (Objective 2). Likewise, we plan to have virtual or in-person Teacher Workshops this summer 2023 and/or Fall 2023 semester (objective 3).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Students in the program were exposed to hands-on project-based investigations in the high school classroom (objective 1). Teachers were guided by KSU aquaculture/aquaponics STEM specialists and they (i.e., the teachers) facilitated the curricula on a weekly basis. KSU STEM specialists visited the classrooms reguarly to share their time, knowledge, experiences, and resources that were funded by this grant. A huge accomplishment was our summer STEM Day Event on July 16, 2022 (objective 2)! The outreach event invitedcommunity members (i.e., parents, grandparents, farmers, teachers, students, etc.) to KSU's Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm. Between 150 to 200 guests attended the event and learned about STEM disciplines, STEM career pathways, and what KSU has to offer in these exciting areas of study. The biggest accomplishment to date has been our publishedAquaculture Teacher Manual Curriculum Booklet that is being shared to Educators, including 4-H educators, here in Kentucky and across the country (Objective 4). It should be noted that Objective 4 has been completed and the Aquaculture Curriculum Booklet isbeing distributed to diverse audiences throughout the country as well as specifically agriscience teachers and 4-H educators. Our National Aquaculture Curriculum Education booklet allows 4-H Educators to teach aquaculture and aquaponics to younger audiences who wish to engage in these STEM-related activities outside the classroom and out-of-school settings/environments. The development of a 10-week curricula unit (objective 4) teaching high school students about ecoystems and ecological concepts, using aquaculture and aquaponics as the primary teaching tool, has been a huge accomplishment. The Project Director (PD) took the lead and developed benchmark lessons, with the help of secondary teachers, and provided participating teachers during this reporting period with curriculum needed to teach the concepts when integrated into an agriculture or traditional science classroom. Teachers received the Next Generation Science Standards that align with the newly developed unit and other supplemental documents which includes data sheets for student-driven research, pertinent publications and facts sheets, Powerpoint presentations for added content, assessments for research projects, and other curriculum that corresponds to the unit. Notably, all of this was accomplished under Objective 4 goals. On February 22, 2022, Casey Townsend, and 4-H Team met with Brighton Resource Youth Leadership Development Center. 5 teens were trained to operate the Back to the Roots system and how to setup a research design. The intention was for the teens to teach primary school students if they developed a high comfort level with the Back to the Roots systems. A trip was scheduled for additional teens to visit the Aquaponics Production facility at Kentucky State University on May 17, 2022 from 11am-1pm, however, the logistics of the program had to be reassessed. On March 9, 2022 a Back to the Roots program was delivered at Shawnee High School in Louisville, KY in conjunction with science teacher Mr. Elgin. A collaboration was done with the Jefferson County Urban Agriculture Agent, Snap Ed Coordinator, 4-H Extension Associate, and 4-H Staff Assistant. The teens learned about experimental design and setup their aquaponics systems. The experiment will develop over a course of 4 weeks. They will chart growth between the different growth studies. On April 14, 2022 the students were scheduled to tour the aquaponics production facility, however it was rescheduled due to inclement weather. The final lesson delivered on April 20, 2022. The teens were highly engaged in their project and it may be explored to provide a larger aquaponics system. A four-week program was done at Shawnee High School for creating an experimental design through aquaponics. Students were asked to rate their attitudes towards learning more about Aquaculture, STEM, and seeking an advanced degree in Aquaculture after high school with a 1-5- star rating. Students rated learning more about Aquaculture 3.89 stars, doing more STEM projects was 3.56 stars, and pursuing an advanced degree in Aquaculture after high school was 3.22 stars. Concluding the program, one of the students called her father to purchase an air pump to provide oxygen for one of the remaining beta fish. On April 26, 2022, a planning session occurred with Lexington Public libraries regarding their Amplify program. The purpose of Amplify LEX in the pilot phase was for 15 minority females to be exposed to programming around the topic of water quality. Since the capacity grant aligned with their program objectives, the Back to the Roots resources were extended to their Youth Service Coordinators as an avenue to teach youth about aquaponics. Lexington has 23 public libraries. If the partnership worked out then the Back to the Roots systems can be rotated throughout the locations in Lexington and duplicated with the facilitators through the train the trainer model.The train the trainer model was used to train youth services personnel from Lexington Libraries in aquaponics. Participants were asked to rate their comfort level for discussing Aquaponics on a scale of 1-5 stars with 5 being high. Their comfort level for discussing aquaponics was rated 2.0 stars before the program verses 4.67 stars afterwards; hydroponics was 2.0 stars before verses 4.67 stars afterwards; facilitating agriculture lessons was 2.0 stars before verses 4.67 stars afterwards, and facilitating projects or lessons pertaining to STEM was 3.33 stars before verses 5 stars afterwards. On July 27, 2022, 5 out of 8 program participants responded to a post survey. 100% of the respondents indicated that were interested in learning more about Science, Engineering, or Technology Projects, 40% of the respondents indicated that they were interested in learning more about Science, Engineering, or Technology careers and 40% indicated that they were interested in learning more about Aquaponics careers. A local partnership was developed between Kentucky State University 4-H and 2nd Street School. Casey Townsend, Brian Walker, Danielle Kinder, Chelsea Walling, Janelle Hager, and Gifted Coordinator, Gretchen Vaught planned the program together. The goal was to reach a maximum of 25 middle schools students at the Rosenwald Center for 4-H Youth Development for a 5- week period to develop their own experimental designs with the Back to the Roots system. The Harmony System was utilized in addition as an extended lesson. During the 5th week of instruction, the students visited the Aquaculture Research Center to see explore careers in the Aquatics industry. The vision is to follow these students over the years to come and develop a pipeline of them into the Aquatic Sciences programs at Kentucky State University. On March 7, 2023, 22 participants completed a pre-post survey after their visit to the Aquaculture Research Center. They rated their interest on a scale of 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. Students rated their interest in learning about Aquaculture 2.48 Stars before the program verses 3.50 stars afterwards. Their interest in pursuing a degree for Aquaculture was rated 1.64 stars before the program verses 2.76 stars afterwards. Their interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics was rated 2.82 stars before the program verses 3.59 stars afterwards.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K. R., Walling, C. T., Hager, J. V., Pomper, K. W., and Tidwell, J. H. 2022. Hands-on project-based learning in aquaponics builds students confidence in STEM. The Agricultural Education Magazine. Volume 95, Issue 2; September/October 2022; Agricultural Education and Students with Exceptionalities, pages 31-33.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K. R., Webster, C. D., Pomper, K. W., Tidwell, J. H., and Krall, R. M. 2022. Use of aquaculture and aquaponics in high schools to teach environmental and ecological concepts. World Aquaculture Magazine, pages 60-64, Volume 53 (3), September 2022 issue.
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K. R., Tidwell, J. H., Webster, C. W., Pomper, K. W., and Jones, K. R. 2022. Students applying knowledge in the real world: A case for scholarship of engagement. Community Works Journal. Digital magazine for educators. July 2022 issue. communityworksinstitute.org
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K. R. 2022. Engaging secondary students in experiential learning opportunities using hands-on aquaculture instruction. The Agricultural Education Magazine. Volume 95, Issue 1; July/August 2022; Nonformal Agricultural Education, pages 36-38.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K. R., 2022. Aquaculture Teacher Manual (Teachers Guide) Booklet. A framework to incorporate and use contextualized, aquaponics project-based instruction as a teaching and learning tool for high school students. Kentucky State University, School of Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences. March 2022. Funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K.R., Webster, C.D., Pomper, K.W., and Tidwell, J.H. (June 8-10) 2022. Evaluating High School Students Perceptions and Experiences using a Qualitative Methods Approach when introduced to an Aquaponics Curriculum. Hawaii University
International Conferences. 2022 STEM/STEAM and Education Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K.R., Webster, C.W., and Pomper, K.W. (March 4) 2022. Integrating aquaculture in and outside the classroom that supports STEM education: A qualitative study to identify high school students attitudes, interests, and experiences. Aquaculture America Conference, San Diego, CA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K.R., Pomper, K.W., and Tidwell, J.H. 2022. Evaluating high school students perceptions and experiences using a qualitative methods approach. Integrated section. Association of Extension Administrators (AEA), 1890 Land-Grant Universities. Orlando, Florida, July 31-August 4.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Walling, C. and Thompson, K.R. 2022. Implementing aquaponics project-based investigations (APBI) in K-12 Extension programs to promote student interest and understanding of STEM concepts. Youth Development & 4-H section. Association of Extension Administrators (AEA), 1890 Land-Grant Universities. Orlando, Florida, July 31-August 4. POSTER AWARD, 3rd PLACE.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Thompson, K. R., Webster, C. D., Pomper, K. W., and Wilhelm, J. A. 2023. Review of the integration of aquaculture (Agriscience) with other academic content areas through hands-on learning activities: Teacher perceptions, barriers, and impacts on student success. The Agricultural Education Magazine. Volume 95, Issue 4; January/February 2023; Innovation in Agricultural Literacy, pages 35-38.
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Progress 04/01/21 to 03/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience in this grant project are 9th to 12th grade students from four different public urban (city) high schools in Kentucky and the majority of these population groups wereunderrepresented minority students who fall under an economically disadvantaged category. Two of the four urban (city) high schools were located in Louisville, while the remaining two schools were located in the city of Lexington. KSU's 4-H Youth Development Team also collaborated with additional schools from cities of Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort teaching youth audiences about aquaponics, system design, and STEM-related concepts through the field of aquaculture. Summary of the student population includes the following: Locust Trace AgriScience High School in Lexington contained 83 students total from four seperate classes with the majority being minority and underrepresented students; Henry Clay High School in Lexington contained 70 students total from three separate classes with the majority being minority and underrepresented students; and smaller size student population groups were reached in the city of Louisville, Lexington, and Frankfort by the 4-H team. Similarly, a high percentage at these three city schools were underrepresented students and were middle school and high school age. In summary, approximately 200-250students intotal were reached and participated in the aquaponics program during this reporting period. Changes/Problems:The National Program Leader (Dr. Muthusamy Manoharan) approved the change of objective number four of our proposal. The original proposal was to develop a dual credit high school aquaculture course. It was decided by the project director and co-project directors to developa National 4-H Aquaculture Curriculum which could eventually meet a larger number of stakeholders across thenation. As mentioned previously, the grant team is now focused on hiring a Graduate Student to take the lead and develop this new 4-H curriclum for STEM Educators across the United States. It is important to note that two (2) High Schools from the city of Louisville in the grant project had to meet virtually at the beginning of the 2022 spring semester due to the COVID pandemic. School administrators from Jefferson County in Louisville decided to implement only virtual teaching for their students after Christmas break. Consequently, this was an expected outcome that altered our research schedule and goals for the project. However, we were still able to work with these two schools later in the semester and get things accomplished. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Thompson, K.R. (July 14) 2021. Aquaculture Statewide STEM Education Program/Youth Development. 2021 Annual In-Service Training for 4-H Youth Development. A virtual presentation via Zoom to KSU faculty and staff in the College of Agriculture, Community, and the Sciences. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our newly developed Aquaculture Teacher Manual has been disseminated to teachers across the country which includes primarily the state of Kentucky. KSU's Communications Team has shared it to multiple media outlets and there has been a high number of downloads and cross-sharing across the state of Kentucky and the United States. Note: Dr. Kenneth Thompson plans to attend the upcoming 2022 STEM/STEAM and Education Conference in Honolulu,, Hawaii on June 8-10 and present his qualitative research findings (see citation below). Citation: Thompson, K.R., Webster, C.D., Pomper, K.W., and Tidwell, J.H. (June 8-10) 2022. Evaluating High School Students' Perceptions and Experiences using a Qualitative Methods Approach when introduced to an Aquaponics Curriculum. Hawaii University International Conferences. 2022 STEM/STEAM and Education Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to work with the same high schools and teachers during the next reporting period, but with a "new" group of underrepresented student populations. Dr. Thompson (Project Director) also plans to take the lead and prepare additionaltechnical and non-technical manuscripts for publication during the next reporting period ANDattend scientific national conferences to present their results and overall impact/outcomes. Likewise, the project will fund a graduate student assistantship during the next reporting period (objective 4). The selected student will take the lead and develop a 4-H National Aquaculture Curriculum. It is important to mention that this will be the first ever 4-H Aquaculture Curriculum developed by any STEM educator and this product is much needed to reach a more diverse audience throughout the country. This 4-H National Curriculum will allow 4-H Educators to teach aquaculture and aquaponics to younger audiences who wish to engage in these STEM-related activities outside the classroom and out-of-school settings/environments. The student selected by our College of Agriculture faculty will be hired and start either in the fall 2022 semester OR spring 2023semester and be funded for two years (i.e., Graduate Student Assistantship) from the initial start date. We also plan to host our annual Open House STEM Day Event in July 2022 at the Harold R. Bension Agriculture Research Farm (Objective 2). Likewise, we plan to have a virtual or in-person Teacher Workshop this summer 2022 which is also a key objective of the grant project each year (Objective 3).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Students in the program were exposed to hands-on project-based investigations in the high school classroom (objective 1). Teachers were guided by KSU aquaculture/aquaponics STEM specialists and they (i.e., the teachers) facilitated the curricula on a weekly basis. KSU STEM specialists visited the classrooms regularly to share their time, knowledge, experiences, and resources that were funded by thisgrant. A huge accomplishment during this reporting period was the completion of our AQUACULTURE TEACHER MANUAL (practioner/teachers guide) in March 2022! The manual was shared to ALL teachers and school administrators who participated in the program. Furthermore, the 4-H Youth Development team worked with a public school (i.e., Shawnee High School) in Louisville:"A four-week program was done at Shawnee High School for creating an experimental design through aquaponics. Students were asked to rate their attitudes towards learning more about Aquaculture, STEM, and seeking an advanced degree in Aquaculture after high school with a 1-5-star rating. Students rated learning more about Aquaculture 3.89 stars, doing more STEM projects was 3.56 stars, and pursuing an advanced degree in Aquaculture after high school was 3.22 stars. Concluding the program, one of the students called her father to purchase an air pump to provide oxygen for one of the remaining beta fish." In addition, the 4-H Youth Development team accomplished the following during this reporting period: Met with Brighton Resource Youth Leadership Development Center on February 22, 2022. 5 teens were trained to operate the Back to the Roots system and how to setup a research design. Once they develop a strong comfort level, the youth will teach primary school members at the center about Aquaponics. Additional teens visited the Aquaponics Production facility at Kentucky State University on May 17, 2022 from 11am-1pm. On March 9, 2022 a Back to the Roots program was delivered at Shawnee High School in Louisville, KY. A collaboration was done with the Jefferson County Urban Agriculture Agent, Snap Ed Coordinator, and 4-H Extension Associate. The teens learned about experimental design and setup their aquaponics systems. The experiment was conductedover a course of 4 weeks. The teens charted growth between the different growth studies. On April 14, 2022 students toured the aquaponics production facility, and the final lesson was delivered on April 20, 2022. Note: If the teens are motivated, further avenues will be developed for purchasing a larger scaled aquaponics system in the future. A meeting was held with Lexington Public libraries regarding their Amplify program. A group of 15 minority females had an interest in water quality. Since the capacity grant aligns with their program objectives, the Back to the Roots resources were extended to their Youth Service Coordinators as an avenue to teach youth about aquaponics. Lexington has 23 public libraries. If the partnership works out, then the Back to the Roots systems can be rotated throughout the locations in Lexington and duplicated with the facilitators through the train the trainer model. A local partnership with Kentucky State University 4-H has been established with 2nd Street School during this reporting period. The goal was to reach 25 middle school students a week, for a duration of five weeks total, after agreed upon with KYSU staff and the Gifted Coordinator, Gretchen Vaught. The same participants came to the Rosenwald Center for 4-H Youth Development once a week and developed their own experimental designs with the Back to the Roots systems. The group also visited the Aquaculture Research Center for a behind the scenes facility tour and lecture presentations by a Aquaculture Specialist. The Harmony System was utilized in addition as an extended lesson at the Rosenwald Center. Note: The vision is to follow these students over the years to come and develop a pipeline of them into the Aquatic Sciences programs at Kentucky State University.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K. R., 2022. Aquaculture Teacher Manual (Teachers Guide) (March 2022). A framework to incorporate and use contextualized, aquaponics project-based instruction as a teaching and learning tool for high school students. Kentucky State University, School of Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences. Funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K. R., Jones, K. R., Pomper, K. W., and Krall, R. M. In Review. Engaging secondary students in experiential learning opportunities and introduction to the concept: The scholarship of engagement. The Agricultural Education Magazine.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K.R., Webster, C.D., Pomper, K.W., Tidwell, J.H., and Krall, R.M. In Review. Use of aquaponics project-based environments to improve students perception of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and career pathways. Journal of Agricultural Education.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K.R., Webster, C.D., Pomper, K.W., Tidwell, J.H., and Krall, R.M. In Review. Use of a project-based aquaponics curriculum in rural Kentucky school districts increases secondary students understanding of ecosystems. Journal of Agricultural Education.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Thompson, K.R., Pomper, K.W., and Tidwell, J.H. (August 11-14) 2021. Assessing the effects of an authentic project-based intervention on secondary students understanding of ecosystems and their attitudes toward and interests in STEM. Aquaculture America Conference, San Antonio, TX.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K.R., Webster, C.W., and Pomper, K.W. (March 4) 2022. Integrating aquaculture in and outside the classroom that supports STEM education: A qualitative study to identify high school students attitudes, interests, and experiences. Aquaculture America Conference, San Diego, CA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Thompson, K.R., Webster, C.D., Pomper, K.W., and Tidwell, J.H. (June 8-10) 2022. Evaluating High School Students Perceptions and Experiences using a Qualitative Methods Approach when introduced to an Aquaponics Curriculum. Hawaii University
International Conferences. 2022 STEM/STEAM and Education Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Note: Upcoming Conference this year!!
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Walling, C., Thompson, K.R., and Preece, B. 2021. Utilization of aquaponic project based investigations in secondary schools to promote student interest and understanding of STEM concepts. Aquaculture America Conference, San Antonio, TX.
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