This is our semi-annual call for research needs from the aquaponic community. Please let us know what problems/challenges you have and we will get those out to the research community. Experienced aquaponic farmers may also have remedies for the challenges you face. The overall goal is establishment and maintenance of lines of communication.
There are no stupid questions!
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As always still waiting on a formal white paper on LABs curing ecoli. We have well documented it in commercial settings now just need a university to put out a paper. I wish they weren’t so far behind the industry in practice.
The other thing would be a study into LIMO Liquid Indegenous Micro Organisms added to mineralization tanks and the formalized results for that. We have seen upwards of 80% increase in mineralization and would love to see a university document it too again the universities are quite a bit behind on this topic as well.
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Hello, Can anyone help me find freshwater shellfish for an aquaponic system that are good for eating? Thank you.
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@natashafarmer505 what do you think about posting this “call for research needs” to our social media accounts?
Maybe with a pretty pic of some researchy type of stuff?
if needed here’s a pic from our tour of Kentucky State University facility at 2019 conference:
Yeah I love that idea! Shall I direct people here to this thread on the site or is there a preferable way to have them get in touch?
I think only members can comment via the Association site, so you can list me as recipient of needs………
Paul B. Brown, Ph.D.
Purdue University
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
715 West State Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2061
765-494-4968
765-496-2422 (FAX)
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The problem with the university’s is Holland is money.
@potentponics It would be great if you could partner up with a university to help conduct this sort of trial. We have had a lot of success within Symbiotic creating partnerships with universities to achieve certain goals within our organization. You have to be the change you want to see in the world.
@potentponics at KSU we have a BSL2 lab, replicated Aquaponic systems in a controlled environment, all the PCR and sequencing equipment (including a digital PCR that can detect down to one microbial cell) to do the work. In August I am submitting some mineralization research objectives into a state funded grant KSU receives annually - let’s talk!
the problem is Universities take entirely to long to do most useful research by the time they finish you could have done 4x as much research in the private sector. Iv had far better results working with well funded companies for research than with universities where ist pulling teeth to research anything new. The universities are just to far behind at this point to be of much use and to unwilling to try new ideas that are not following the common uvi model.
Nice i am working with some one right now to do the same only with micropin sequencing instead of qpcr. It will compliment your work nicely.
@potentponics Theres certainly a process behind university led research but thats kinda the point, right? Scientific merit… peer review… Its certainly not perfect but a private company can tell you whatever they want and get you to believe it through pumping cash into clever marketing. Maybe I am a bit biased though?
@JHager @potentponics Sounds like a great university partnership waiting to happen! I know I’m certainly working towards future collaborations.
Yes but you can do the same thing with out being beholden to insane regulations and silly poltics that get in teh way of actually doing research. Its suffocating and simply crippling the aquaponics industry at this point. There should be a moritorium on lettuce research at this point for literally anything else. It takes 3 years to prove one point that can easily be replicated 100 times in that same time frame it simply makes no sense. Universities are just as guilty of bias as private companies case in point your over engineered systems with 100+ failure points as one example. Its 4x the price of similar systems that have much better reliability but with enough marketing you can convince some one its a better system. I can see why youd be biased given that.
I think insane regulations and silly politics happens across the board, wether it be private, institution, or public. It makes a lot of sense that institution led research takes time, whenever you actually consider that many studies are done by students obtaining degrees, where they have 3+ classes occurring at the same time. Additionally, the process to actually submit to a peer-reviewed journal is pretty intensive. As mentioned its certainly not perfect but nothing is… overall I trust the process. 100+ failure points and 4x the price sounds like a lot!
I appreciate this conversation highlighting both the differences and benefits of university-led research and private sector innovation in aquaponics. I’ve noticed a few key points:
- Research timelines: University research can take longer because of all the rigorous steps, peer-review, and bureaucracy involved. However, this ensures the quality and scientific rigor of the research findings. On the other hand, private sector innovation is usually faster, responding quickly to the industry’s needs and market demands, which drives practical solutions and technological advancements.
- Regulations and politics: Universities have to deal with strict regulations and politics, which might slow down research progress. Despite this, the resulting research is often more transparent, replicable, and subject to peer-review. Private sector research can be more adaptive and less constrained by these factors, enabling it to be more flexible and responsive to emerging challenges.
- Quality assurance and potential risks: While private sector findings can provide rapid solutions, there is a potential risk of these findings being less thoroughly vetted or biased due to commercial interests. This could lead to the adoption of practices that may not be as effective or safe as initially believed. In contrast, university-led research generally undergoes a more comprehensive review process, minimizing the risk of rash conclusions.
I can definitely relate to the frustration associated with academic processes. I’ve experienced similar challenges in Jordan while working with larger organizations like the FAO. Personally, I’m a fan of how quickly the private sector moves, innovates, and iterates. However, it has its limitations. At some point, collaboration becomes crucial for scaling information and promoting widespread adoption.
To drive that collaboration we can consider some potentials:
- Joint research projects: Private sector companies and universities could collaborate on joint research projects, focusing on specific issues highlighted in the conversation, such as the impact of LABs (Lactic Acid Bacteria) on E. coli, or the efficiency of LIMO (Liquid Indigenous Micro Organisms) in mineralization tanks. By combining the practical experience and innovation of the private sector with the academic rigor of universities, these projects could produce more robust and actionable findings.
- Student internships and industry placements: Private sector companies could offer internships or industry placements to university students, exposing them to real-world problems and fostering practical skills. This would help bridge the gap between academia and industry, enabling students to contribute to the industry’s needs while gaining valuable experience.
- Co-authorship of research papers: Researchers from both the private sector and universities could co-author research papers, merging their expertise and perspectives. This collaboration would enhance the credibility of research findings and facilitate the dissemination of knowledge in the aquaponics community.
- Industry-sponsored research grants: Private companies could sponsor research grants at universities, focusing on specific topics or challenges in aquaponics. This would help align research priorities with the industry’s needs and ensure that research funding is directed towards relevant problems.
- Regular communication and forums: Establishing regular communication channels or forums between private companies and universities could facilitate the sharing of research needs, findings, and best practices. Creating more opportunities for such interactions could strengthen the connections between academia and industry, leading to more effective problem-solving in the aquaponics sector.
On a more personal note, @pb1, I believe it would be beneficial to see research that focuses on helping the private sector scale up. If we consistently engage in highly scientific projects that may not be easily applicable in a large-scale company setting, that valuable information might not reach its full potential and could remain confined to scientific journals.
The relationship between private sector funding supporting research and research contributing to the improvement and scalability of private sector operations could be a promising avenue for collaboration and mutual growth.
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Well who wants to research LABs? It is simply the best way to maintain system health its not only cheap but also extremely easy to make.
See this proves my point you can do the hard part and do the science but no one wants to be bothered to research anything useful or helpful in universities any more its all just the same 5 studies on lettuce over and over nothing new ever comes out because no one is willing to research anything new at the university level in aquaponics. Yal asked for the SOPs so i post them and suddenly its crickets. This is why i dont waste my time on university research any more this tread highlights the problem perfectly. You can lead a horse to water but you can make it drink.
This seems overly critical of everyone else but yourself. Seems a bit ignorant on your end to think that within 1 week of you posting some mocked up SOP’s that the research would get done and published. I had to conduct countless zoom meetings with professors at universities to then get the go ahead and write a grant with them to get funding for research that relates to what they are doing within the university. Then you have to wait another 6 months before you even know if you get the funding or not. It may be more beneficial/productive for you to contact a professor (Janelle Hager expressed interest earlier) via email/other means rather than a forum and then create a plan to get funding to conduct the research. It’s too easy to sit on a computer and bash the “way it is” rather than actually attempt to make a project with something that you are clearly interested in.