When Blue is Green (BiG) — Purdue / Ohio State High School Aquaponics Curriculum

Summary

When Blue is Green (BiG) is a high-school aquaponics curriculum and research-project outreach platform led by Purdue University and co-led with The Ohio State University, funded by a US$10M USDA NIFA grant (award 2023-68012-39001), launched in 2023 with the curriculum published in August 2025. It comprises eleven transdisciplinary learning activities for grades 9–12 agriculture, biology, environmental science, and food science, spanning blue foods, aquaponic system setup (a goldfish-and-basil classroom system is recommended for tolerance of low water quality and wide temperature range), flow rates, food safety, and the economics of food production. The author is Prof. Natalie J. Carroll with roughly twelve contributors across six academic units. Explicit NGSS alignment is verified in the curriculum PDF (HS-LS2-5, HS-LS2-7, HS-ETS1-1, HS-ETS1-4) plus AFNR Content Standards per activity — the strongest standards linkage in the source compendium. Materials are free and customizable (editable PowerPoints, printable worksheets), developed teacher-in-the-loop with two rounds of pilot testing, distributed via the BiG site, NSTA, and state science-teacher associations, and complemented by a BiG Snippets video miniseries and an interactive aquaponics VR tour. Formal evaluation is by Purdue's Evaluation and Learning Research Center.

Guiding Principles

• STEM Integration — transdisciplinary activities tie biology, engineering, food safety, and economics to a funded university research agenda.
• Circular Economy — the project embodies zero-waste, grid-independent, circular food production (aquaponics plus microalgae, anaerobic digestion, and biorefinery).
• Open Source — free, customizable teacher materials (editable PowerPoints, printable worksheets) developed teacher-in-the-loop with reviews and pilot testing.

Learning Outcomes & Transferable Skills

Learners gain Biology (blue foods, fish and plant culture), Water Chemistry and Systems Thinking (system setup, flow rates), Food Production economics, and Sustainability Literacy. Teachers without an aquaponics background are the explicit design audience — the "Read Me, First!" onboarding page and per-activity objectives, materials lists, steps, assessments, and glossaries make adoption straightforward.

How to Replicate or Build On It

1. Download the curriculum PDF and read the "Read Me, First!" teacher guidance page.
2. Pick 2–3 activities — the curriculum is transdisciplinary rather than sequential, unless the class specifically studies aquaponics.
3. Set up the recommended low-cost classroom system (small tank, goldfish, basil); kits are distributed at training sessions.
4. Use the editable PowerPoints and printable worksheets as-is or customize; the BiG Snippets video miniseries supports self-study, and the VR tour suits outreach events.

Considerations & Constraints

• Cost: All materials free; hands-on activities need basic equipment (small tank, goldfish, basil) — low entry cost.
• Skill Level: Written for teachers without aquaponics background; structured onboarding provided.
• Space/Climate: Indoor classroom scale; activities are location-flexible.
• Tools Required: A small tank, goldfish, and basil for the hands-on system; printed worksheets and PowerPoint for lessons.
• Ongoing Maintenance: Low — the goldfish/basil system was chosen for tolerance of low water quality and wide temperature range.
• Access Barriers: Topics are tied to the funded research agenda; US standards framing (NGSS/AFNR) may need mapping for non-US classrooms.

Prerequisites

None — designed for teachers without aquaponics experience. Alignment is to grades 9–12 NGSS and AFNR standards.

Primary Source

https://ag.purdue.edu/department/foodsci/big-project/index.html (curriculum PDF: https://ag.purdue.edu/department/foodsci/big-project/big-aquaponics-curriculum-final.pdf ; teacher guidance: https://ag.purdue.edu/department/foodsci/big-project/read-me.html)