Davis Middle School

Compton, CA

Jose Gonzalez, the Learning Specialist at Davis Middle School, contacted us in early 2024 looking for a system to place in his classroom. He wanted an aquaponic system that has a small footprint and can still grow an adequate amount of fish and plants. Their goals were less about food production and more about student engagement. He wanted a system where the students could engage with the organisms and also manage some of the daily operations.

Eventually, Jose landed on our Harmony Aquaponic System. With two grow beds and a 125 gallon fish tank, the Harmony checked all the boxes for his goals. And because it’s a turnkey system with a quick set up time, Jose’s students were able to assist in the installation of their new classroom aquaponics system.

Student Engagement

The productivity of the Harmony system didn’t just end with fish and plants. The students participated in the Ciena World Challenge, a global design challenge that invites students to design solutions to the world’s problems.

The 6th grade students designed their aquaponics prototype based on their new Harmony Aquaponic System. They envisioned a mobile sustainable system that would grow food anywhere in the world. The 6th grade team took the dimensions of the Harmony system and shrunk them down to 1/25th scale using an app and then 3D printed the necessary parts for their mobile lab prototype.

They then took a 1/25th scale model of a diesel semi truck, did research on EV vehicles, and converted the truck into a prototype of an EV powered vehicle, in which they designed and 3D printed those parts. Their prototype culminated into a solar powered electrical semi truck that produced zero emissions and didn’t contribute to global warming.