About 15 students from Dana Road Elementary spent the better part of their Thursday morning at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center touring the center’s Aquatic and Wetlands Ecosystems Research and Development Center and learning about farming.

The students, members of Dana Road’s Little Misters Club for second- and third-graders, spent their time with research fisheries biologist Alan Katzenmeyer to learn about aquaponics, a marriage of raising fish, or aquaculture, and hydroponics, raising plants without soil. The visit included a tour of the Aquatic & Wetlands Ecosystems Research and Development Center where the students learned about the equipment used on fisheries research, including a look at young shad and bighead carp being raised at the center.

The purpose of the club, assistant principal Arthur Jones said, is to foster academic and educational excellence and good behavior.

“We mentor the boys and work with them and help them learn to behave like gentlemen,” he said. “We decided to go to ERDC because of the emphasis of STEM education — science, tehcnology, engineering and math. We wanted them to see the facility and to see STEM in practice.”

The club, he said, will build an aquaponics system in the school’s science lab, and Ketzenmeyer discussed the process of developing a system and explained how it works, reminding the students the key to a successful system was maintaining a balance between nourishment for the fish and the plants.

“It was interesting,” said student Staley Doyle. “I liked looking at the fish.”

Sebatian Webb enjoyed seeing the shad and carp in the growing tanks, but also liked the stuffed animals displayed at the center. Sebastian was one of the more interested students when Kastzenmeyer discussed aquaponics.

“I have a garden, and I like to grow things,” he said.

Bryan Land, also enjoyed seeing the fish and touching and alligator gar’s head.

“I wonder why they just took his head off?” he asked.

“Because the whole fish was too big,” said his friend Gabe Wiliams, who also said he like observing the fish and seeing the animals on display.

“It was a very good trip,” Jones said. “When they got back, they told other kids at the school what they did and saw, and the other students wanted to go, and that’s what we like to see — that interest to learn.”