WALKER — A Walker middle school has been awarded a $405,000 grant to establish an aquaponics program aiming to develop and foster scientific and environmental literacy among students, the Louisiana Department of Education announced Wednesday.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Gulf Research Program awarded the grant to Westside Junior High School in Walker, where the program officially began on Wednesday.

The initiative, called Greauxing STEM-Stewards, will introduce Louisiana’s first Controlled Environment Agriculture learning environment. According to the Department of Education, the grant will fund an agricultural system of catfish and lettuce grown within a controlled environment, allowing for technology-based farming interventions.

The project will enable students to explore environmental issues impacting their local Gulf Coast communities while learning about aquaculture and conservation, the Department of Education said, with the plan to expand the project statewide.