Daniel McKinney

McKinney’s innovative teaching idea, “Hydrorecyverticuture,” focuses on placing students in the role of agricultural engineers who strive to maximize crop yields while minimizing resource consumption. Students are tasked with designing, building, and evaluating an original solar powered, vertical, recirculating plant propagation system. Through this project, McKinney will demonstrate the problem of an increasing human population taxed by decreasing fresh water, arable land, labor and other resources, while engaging the students in helping to find a solution. McKinney believes in the importance of facilitating an authentic STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)-based experiences for his students by promoting research, construction, plant propagation, and data analysis skills.