Minot Daily News SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2019
Education
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Medicinal Plant chemistry adds options for Minot State students Minot State University science students are at work in the lab. The university has added medicinal plant chemistry option for chemistry majors, partly in response to legalization of medicinal cannabis in North Dakota.
Professor:
MSU’s new option is ‘not a weed degree’
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By ANDREA JOHNSON
Staff Writer • ajohnson@minotdailynews.com
Minot State University is offering a program that might be right up the alley of people who are interested in the state’s fledgling medicinal marijuana industry.
But Chris Heth, a chemistry professor at Minot State, is quick to emphasize that the university’s new medicinal plant chemistry option in its bachelor of arts in chemistry program is “not a weed degree.” “We’re not interested in MSU being Marijuana State University or anything like that,” said Heth, who said it is a rigorous chemistry degree with all of the requirements of the other science de-
gree programs at Minot State. Minot State will begin listing the medicinal plant chemistry option in its course catalogue beginning this fall, but students can already list it as part of their major now. Legalization of medicinal marijuana in North Dakota was “one of the motivations, but not the only, reason for the program at Minot State,” said Heth. He said the university began discus-
sions about the program about a year ago and professors discovered that it was a field where there was potential for growth. A university in Michigan was offering a four-year program in the field at the time but Minot State will be the second university in the country to offer such a program. Because marijuana is still illegal at See MSU — Page 3
Aquaponics camp for girls this summer at DCB
Lots of career options available in aquaponics, hydroculture By ANDREA JOHNSON
Staff Writer * ajohnson@minotdailynews.com
Aquaponics and hydroculture are fields that many people have never heard of, but they offer a wide array of exciting career options, said Amy Koehler, specialty crop instructor at Dakota College at Bottineau. Graduates with a degree in aquaponics from Dakota College might be qualified to work in aquaponics production, commercial greenhouse production, controlled agriculture environment, fisheries, aquatic system and hydroponic careers. Hydroculture is essentially the science of growing plants using mediums other than soil. Aquaponics combines aquaculture, which is raising aquatic animals in tanks, with hydroponics, or cultivating plants in water, in a symbiotic environment. Dakota College at Bottineau is one of the only colleges in the country that offers a degree in aquaponics, said Koehler. The two-year college will be offering a summer camp June 11-13 for girls between the ages of 15 and 18 to give them a chance to explore those career areas. The deadline to apply for the free camp is May 1. Complete details may be found at www.dakotacollege.edu/wh2ocamp. Koehler said the college received a grant from the Agricul-
tural CTE program to offer a camp that is geared toward encouraging people to study in a non-traditional career field. In the past, the college had also offered a program to expose men to the nursing career, since nursing has traditionally been dominated by women, just as hyrdoponics is dominated by men. Koehler said there are many career options in this area, including aquaponics production, commercial greenhouse production, controlled agriculture environment, fisheries, aquatic system and hydroponic careers “(Hydroculture), especially, is growing by leaps and bounds,” said Koehler, but many girls don’t know what it is, much less that there are degrees available in that field. During the camp, tours of Aspen Aquaponics Farm, Audobon National Wildlife Refuge, and Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery will be provided. A series of hands-on activities will allow the students to learn about careers in aquaculture and hy-
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droculture while providing exposure to these careers, according to Dakota College. Some of the activities include geocaching at Lake Metigoshe State Park, construction of an outdoor aquaponics system, grilling out and special activities with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “We are excited to change perceptions and provide exposure to aquaculture and hydroculture careers for females at DCB,” said Koehler in a press release issued by Dakota College. “This opens doors for young women to learn new skills, have fun and potentially open up doors for careers in this area.”