A team of UI students that grew dozens of heads of lettuce in PVC pipes via hydroponics was named the winner of the Frontier-Tippie Impact Competition this semester.

The team won $1,000 in start-up funds for winning the sustainability competition, sponsored by the Tippie College of Business and Frontier Co-op of Norway, Iowa. Two other teams also competed and won $500 in start-up funds.

The winning team grew 80 heads of lettuce without soil by using only water in the university greenhouse in the Biology Building. The lettuce was purchased by UI Housing & Dining and served in Burge Marketplace.

The Frontier-Tippie Impact competition encourages students to research local sustainability issues, develop creative ways to address them, and gain experience implementing their ideas with other team members.