The BBC’s Countryfile recently visited Life Sciences UTC as part of a feature on urban farming.
Farm Urban has installed three urban farming systems around Liverpool, one of them being at the UTC. These urban farming systems include aquaponics, hydroponics and vertical growing walls.
The production team were particularly interested in how Farm Urban has worked with the UTC to use aquaponics as an educational tool. Principal Ian Parry told them about the range of ways in which students had been involved in this project.
Year 10 student Ben Carter was interviewed about his laboratory experiments into the conditions that effect the way in which ammonia in the fish waster is cycled by bacteria into nitrate, which can then be used by the plants.
Finally, the team filmed students Bella Jones, Rhianon Disley and Joe Benson who worked with Windsor Primary School students to construct aquaponics systems from scratch without instructions.
Some amazing things happening in the basement labs of @LifeSciencesUTC.
Wish my high school had taught science like this! 🔬🌿🐟👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/qKVgpGXU0a
— James Wong (@Botanygeek) July 14, 2017