Tucked away in a corner of the Andover High School library sits a big white box with the front side cut open, a neon pink light glowing inside.
It’s called a food computer, and it was built by a group of high school students over the course of the school year. Next week, three of the students will travel with the computer to Beijing to present their project to an international technology community.
Julia Jaime Rodriguez, Andrew Imrie, both 18, and Corey Kozlovski, 17, are all seniors at Andover High School and each contributed a special skill set to making the food computer a reality. Rodriguez brought knowledge of hydroponics, or growing plants without soil, Imrie focused on the software and technology, and Kozlovski served as project manager, assisting in all aspects of the project.
Under the glow of the neon light are small mint plants growing through the cover of a grey tub filled with water. Wires connected to circuit boards are affixed to one side of the box, along with a series of plugs, a heater, a fan, and a humidifier. The devices are adjusted to transform the box into an environment that can be adapted to accommodate any plant.
