IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT PEPPER BY DANIEL MAYEN

June 4, 2025

As a Youth Press Conference member, I had the privilege of talking to a group of inspirational elementary school students about their search for the perfect pepper.

In their experiment, Rex, Kali, and Nahuel from The Brooklyn Brownstone School sought to crossbreed plants like jalapeños and bell peppers to examine the impact on the spice level of the hybrid peppers. Interestingly, the students found that the taste profiles of the hybrid peppers gravitated towards extremes: The hybrid bell pepper was sweeter than the control bell pepper and the hybrid jalapeño was spicier than the control jalapeño.

Moving onto the next group of presenters, I spoke to Joseph, Jocelyn and Yaretz from Middle College High School in Queens. Their presentation “Hydroponic vs Soil Plant Growth” explored the pros and cons of growing plants in sand, gravel or liquid with added nutrients but without soil. The team concluded that hydroponic farming is more expensive than traditional agriculture, however hydroponics plants grow faster and in a more sustainable way.

I also had the honor of meeting Alexis Harley, the Chief Risk and Resilience Officer at the New York Power Authority (NYPA). During the interview, I asked Alexis about the link between hydroponics and energy generation. In reply, Alexis highlighted how NYPA also looks for ways to lower carbon emissions and promote sustainability.

This conference opened my eyes to the creativity of people of all ages when it comes to hydroponic farming and how we can actively seek ways to sustain a better future for generations to come.