The Grand Challenge is excited to announce its new partnership with TN Tech’s Water Center, which has many great events and projects planned for the semester! Currently, Dr. Jeff Schaeffer, the new director, and Dr. Brad Cook are working on new research to determine if bait minnow aquaculture could be a cash crop for rural landowners. The research will take place at Oakley Farm, and will be performed primarily by Tech students under Dr. Cook’s supervision.

Since there is unlimited demand for bait minnows and there are currently many farms in Tennessee that have ponds, the project would be a great opportunity to provide economic development while also engaging students with hands-on experience throughout the process. Dr. Schaeffer states, “As a new director, I believed that the water center needed to be more integrated with the university community,” and Rural Reimagined is very excited to see the impact that the Water Center will take on both rural communities and university engagement alike. Wings up, Water Center!

 

 

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