By VERNON ROBISON
The Progress
The Mesquite Works STEAM education center has gotten its first educational project set up and ready to get started. Members of the center’s new Student Advisory Council got together earlier this month at one of their weekly meetings to assemble a brand new commercial-grade hydroponic system to be used at the local center.
The STEAM center had its opening earlier this year and is dedicated to local education in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM).
The new hydroponics system was purchased from a Las Vegas-based company called Green Our Planet, which is known for running and equipping STEAM school garden and hydroponics in the U.S.
“They have been offering this grant program where they are covering $8,000 of the $10,000 total cost of these systems,” said local STEAM center director Lizz Larsen. “So we paid only $2,000 for the unit. It will be a great system to teach a lot of different skills.”
Larsen said that these skills include the basics of growing plants and food in a simple hydroponic environment. Plants will include small tomatoes, lettuce, and various herbs.
“My goal is to just teach the simplicity of being sustainable and growing one’s own plants and vegetables,” Larsen said. “There are a lot of science lessons in doing that.”
Students will be taught to monitor water levels regularly in order to ensure the plants have the nutrients needed to thrive.
The kids from the Student Advisory Council met recently and followed the simple instructions on assembling the system which is now located near the entrance to the STEAM center.
Larsen said that the group hadn’t yet started planting the seeds because the Thanksgiving holidays were looming so close. “We didn’t want to get it started and then have everyone be away on the holiday and neglect the plants,” Larsen said. “So as soon as we get back, our first meeting we will start the germination process for the seeds.”
The Student Advisory Council is made up of middle school- and high school-age kids. The group meets every Wednesday at 3 pm at the STEAM Center.
There are currently around 6-8 kids who attend the group regularly. But Larsen said there is room for more.
“Any middle school and high school kids who are interested are more than welcome to join,” she said. “We don’t want to turn anyone away. I would absolutely love to have them here.”
The Center is located on the west side of the Mesquite Plaza Shopping Center. The Frias Family Foundation gifted ownership of the entire shopping center to the Mesquite Works organization for this purpose. Rental income from the commercial space in the rest of the Mesquite Plaza property is used to fund the continued operation of the STEAM Center.
But the center is being initially equipped and furnished by a $100,000 grant from the City of Mesquite. The hydroponic equipment was the first project purchased through that grant.
“We have gotten through our first round of purchase approvals,” Larsen said. “The city financial staff has to sign off on every purchase to make sure we are following all the grant rules and guidelines.”
The first round of approvals will include tables, chairs, 3D printer systems, virtual reality headsets and more.
“There is a lot to look forward to in the coming months as we get the center all equipped and up and running,” Larsen said. “We will be having a lot of fun with learning.”
For more information about the STEAM Center, or to sign up to receive its newletter, visit mesquiteworks.org/steam-center/.
