Fuente: PubMed "industrial biotechnology" Front Educ (Lausanne). 2026;11:1808562. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2026.1808562. Epub 2026 Jun 18.ABSTRACTMany primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) offer coursework in plant biology, agriculture, and environmental sciences but lack dedicated plant growth facilities and controlled-environment infrastructure. Hydroponic systems provide an indoor platform for year-round plant cultivation, hypothesis-driven experimentation, and integration with course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). At our institution, commercial and custom-built hydroponic systems were integrated into existing teaching laboratories and maintained by faculty, laboratory staff, and undergraduate work-study students. This structure supported consistent growth conditions, repeated student-led experimentation, and practical training in plant cultivation and biotechnology. Based primarily on this institutional experience, this mini-review synthesizes pedagogical outcomes, implementation onsiderations, and funding pathways, highlighting hydroponic platforms as effective infrastructure for experiential, research-centered STEM education at PUIs.PMID:42434769 | PMC:PMC13353534 | DOI:10.3389/feduc.2026.1808562