Steven Lott

The "Aquaponics" program developed by Lott is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for students at Abington Heights Middle School to have a broad-based science experience while actively participating in a hands-on, cutting-edge program. Lott will partner with a local fish hatchery to allow students to observe aquaculture practices at work beyond the classroom, which will show how the science they learn in the class has real-world importance. His "Aquaponics" program combines hydroponics, the farming of plants in nutrient solutions instead of soil, and aquaculture, the cultivation of aquatic organisms. Student groups will learn the basics of aquaculture by raising viable fish in tanks. The goal of the program is for 280 of Lott's sixth-graders to learn about water testing, remediation of diseases, raising hydroponic crops using water waste from fish tanks as a natural nutrient solution and how to purify the tank water so it's healthier for fish. Lott lives in Olyphant.