Mushrooms have long served as both food and medicine, providing polysaccharides, terpenoids, phenolics, and peptides with diverse health benefits. Extensive studies have begun to clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying these therapeutic effects, which include anti-aging, immunomodulatory, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. Translational research is progressing from preclinical models to clinical trials, reinforcing the biomedical potential of mushroom-derived compounds. Advances in fungal genetic modification and gene editing have further positioned edible mushrooms as promising platforms for recombinant biopharmaceutical production. Their eukaryotic protein-processing capacity, natural bioencapsulation, and GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status make them well-suited for sustainable and orally deliverable therapeutics. Engineered mushrooms show strong potential as platforms for oral vaccines and recombinant protein production, bridging traditional medicinal use with modern molecular farming.

Many 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.

A dual-platform mushroom cultivation system integrating artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted environmental monitoring and controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) was developed to support experiential STEM education across K–12 and undergraduate settings. Hands-on instruction with multicellular fungi is often limited by reliance on microbial models and by constraints associated with field-based activities. To address this gap, we implemented an indoor instructional platform that combines a commercial AI-assisted automated cultivation unit with a tent-based chamber for hands-on environmental control. Representative cultivated species included oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.) and lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus). The AI-assisted system provided sensor/camera-based monitoring, app-based feedback, and software-assisted regulation of humidity, light, and airflow, whereas the tent-based system enabled direct student manipulation of cultivation conditions. Together, the systems allowed students to observe fungal development, manage environmental parameters, and collect quantitative and qualitative data within a single academic term. Post-harvest activities, including mushroom-based food preparation and tasting, further connected fungal biology with food and sustainability. A matched pre- and post-course survey (n = 30) showed increases in students’ self-reported perceived understanding, cultivation confidence, and engagement, with mean scores increasing from approximately 2–4 to 6–8. Because the survey instrument was not formally validated and no control group was included, these results are interpreted as preliminary self-reported perceptions rather than objective evidence of learning gains. The platform provides a practical model for integrating fungal biology, AI-assisted environmental monitoring, and CEA into STEM education.