A
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point professor is among five to receive new
Regent Scholar awards from the UW System.
Christopher
Hartleb, biology, will
receive a $50,000 grant for an aquaponics research project with two
private-sector partners.
Aquaponics
integrates fish and soil-less plant production. “The project will provide
research experience for undergraduate students while preparing a high-quality
workforce for the growing aquaponics industry, focused on food safety, locally
grown products and sustainable harvesting practices,” Hartleb said.
The UW System Regent Scholar program was
introduced to recognize and reward innovative faculty-student research and to
provide support for collaborative UW project initiatives with Wisconsin
business and industry. It includes summer funding support for faculty to engage
in research and other scholarly activities while stimulating innovation and
industry outreach.
“These grants recognize and honor
outside-the-box thinking by UW faculty and undergraduates across Wisconsin. The
awards provide recognition at the highest level for work done by our dedicated
and talented faculty to prepare a high-quality workforce for the 21st-century
economy and ultimately to accelerate business and community development
statewide,” said UW System President Ray Cross.
The
UW-Stevens Point project will test the feasibility of producing hybrid walleye
while also investigating plant crop choices that complement hybrid walleye
culture in integrated aquaponics systems, Hartleb said.
UW-Stevens
Point is working with two private-sector partners. Northside Enterprises, a Black
Creek commercial walleye producer, has developed a fast-growing hybrid walleye
for Wisconsin’s aquaponics industry. Undergraduate
researchers will assist with and learn the process for creating the hybrid
walleye through cross-mating, Hartleb said.
Once
the fish are feed-trained, they will be transferred to UW-Stevens Point’s new Aquaponics
Innovation Center, being built at the expanded site of Nelson
and Pade, Inc.®, Montello, a national leader in aquaponics. Students
will complete two production cycles of hybrid walleye at the Aquaponics Innovation
Center while investigating plant crop growth, compatibility and production.
UW-Stevens
Point’s Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility near Bayfield, which
Hartleb directs, works closely with Northside Enterprises.
With
aquaponics, fish provide nutrients for greens and other vegetables, which
filter water so fish thrive without chemical additives. “This is a
transformational business opportunity for small- and large-scale food
production globally,” Hartleb said, “an industry ripe for job growth.”
Hartleb and faculty members from UWs in Eau
Claire, La Crosse, Milwaukee and River Falls will be honored by the Research,
Economic Development, and Innovation (REDI) Committee at the UW Board of
Regents’ February 5 meeting in Madison.
“The Regent Scholar program was developed and
designed to encourage cutting-edge undergraduate research projects that have
the potential to lead to job creation and foster entrepreneurship. These first
recipients are shining examples of the innovative and exciting work that is
being done on our UW campuses,” said Regent Tim Higgins, chair of the REDI
Committee, added.
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