Who Are We?
Contact Info:
Wildon Uyeda - Website Manager      Wildon.Uy@gmail.com
Kay Benitez​​ - Team Supervisor              kbenit1@lausd.net
Ms Kay Benitez
Hazel Krane
Marissa Blanco-Johnson
Liam Connor
Kylie Rostad
Wildon Uyeda
Tallulah Shepherd
Team Aquaponics
QuikSCience 2013
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We are Zoo Magnet High School students who have entered in the QuikSCience science competition sponsored by USC and Quiksilver.  It is an ocean based environmental science competition, which asks students to choose a problem with the ocean and come up with a solution!  What we are trying to do is set up several self sustaining eco-friendly Aquaponic ponds.  ​​These ponds will make vegetables and fish for us to eat.

​​We have created three different Aquaponics ponds:
​A larger scale greenhouse garden with edible plants and fish at Stonehurst Elementary.
​A medium scale, outdoor garden with ornamental fish and plants at the Zoo Magnet.
A Small scale home systems using common and repurposed materials.

We already built one for our class room and it looks great!  Check out ​ "What is Aquaponics?" to look at pictures of it.


I am a high school senior who wants to see a change in the world, so I decided to try and become that change.  The entire earth is one giant ecosystem, and the ocean makes up 70% of it.  The oceans also have 99% of all space for life as well as more than 50% of all species.  Most pollution ends up in the oceans;  trash, chemical waste and farm waste are the worst.  We depend on the ocean so much for many things, so it should be a top priority to take care of it, and that is why I joined.  This year was really difficult for me; college applications with a full load of AP's really wares a person out.  Anyone could spend days doing calculations and research, or teach lots of people what they have spent months perfecting. Anyone could do that, however not everyone is willing to put in the time to do it. I am really glad I did this though, and I am really proud to be part of Team Aquaponics.​
This project was something I had wanted to do for a long time. I read a piece about a theoretical aquaponics setup in a “buildings of the future” type article. When it came time for us to choose an idea for the QuikScience competition I suggested we do aquaponic farming. Now, at the end of the competition, I have learned about all of the different techniques and methods of building an aquaponics unit. All in all it has been a rather enlightening experience.
As a student interested in the sciences, QuikSCience enabled me to be passionate about an obscure topic, one that is still not completely popularized. I expanded my knowledge of aquaponics, our earth’s oceans and fish farming while still having fun with my team. I learned how to write a research proposal, manage my time, ask for help when needed, work on a tight schedule and be a friendly competitor and teammate. QuikSCience allowed my inner nerd to shine and be proud because geeking out for a cause is not something people can judge harshly. Learning about nitrates and harmful algal blooms is one thing, but solving a huge problem while utilizing that knowledge is another. Finding solutions is one great thing about science, and unfortunately, there are many more problems. But knowing that even one group of teenagers can make a difference, and are able to implement their knowledge with and for their community is truly remarkable; it gives me hope that the future will find more solutions as humanity creates more problems.

I’ve loved working on this project, and getting to be a part of something so important. I think it’s a valuable life experience, as well as creating something completely unique to us. This
project was challenging, and stressful, and there were times that I thought we would never complete our project, and never be able to get our point across. Working with so many different people and with different deadlines seemed nearly impossible at times, but I’m glad I was able to be a part of Team Aquaponics, and it was an amazing opportunity that I’d never want to miss. It really changed how I view the fish farming industry, and changed how I work in teams and under pressure. It taught me valuable skills, and helped me to understand things that I would never understand otherwise.
Being part of the QuikSCience Challenge for my second year has been such an incredible experience. Through most of my career, I'd had the misconception that although everyone said that education should be one of our nation’s highest priorities, when push came to shove, no one came through. Education didn’t immediately pay dividends so everyone could afford to ignore, devalue and push it to the side. Being part of the QuikSCience Challenge for my second year has changed me as an educator. As part of the Community Outreach component I did something I haven’t done for years. I asked individuals, businesses, and schools for assistance and was surprised to find that people actually wanted to help! I asked the Autry Farmer's Market if they'd donate a booth to my kids to talk about aquaponics and they did. They're even going to put us on their website! I asked the Quiksilver Foundation to send us some give aways for our lessons and community outreach and Ryan Ashton came through with hundreds of items. I asked a local hydroponics store, Zen Hydroponics, for some help with our project and they donated all the materials we need for aquaponic gardens for two schools. This experience has extended beyond the QuikSCience Challenge with Team Aquaponics. My students and I asked our city councilman, Tom La Bonge, if he wanted to join us for a tree maintenance, and he came. I’ve asked the Center For Dark Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI) for a tour of their labs for my AP Biology students and a field trip to their lab for an ROV activity at Catalina Island and we’re presently working on getting those trips to happen. Honestly, my goal for joining QuikSCience was to win, but I’ve gained so much from this experience. It’s infused new life into my teaching and given me hope for education.
and given me hope for education.
This was my first year being on a QuickSCience Team. I absolutely loved it! My favorite part of the project was was the community service portion. I loved being able to teach others what I have learned about the natural marine life and how to save it. I made friends that I know will last a lifetime. And it changed how I work with my friends, and taught me how to prioritize and work together with people, and I’m glad I had this opportunity. Overall it was an amazing experience, and I can’t wait till next year. I just really want to see a change in the world, and the way the aquaculture industry is managed.
I had a great time working on this project. Some aspects were difficult, such as the research proposal, but overall I learned a lot and enjoyed doing it. I got to take care of tons of goldfish for our classroom and for the Autry farmers market, which I really enjoyed. I feel like we accomplished a lot and in my mind we completed and submitted a very successful project. I feel like it helped me find new ways of dealing with stress, and working with people. I’m really happy I had the chance to participate, and work on this project, and that I actually enjoyed it.