Trending
UNIVERSITY PARK -- A team of Penn State researchers has received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to spearhead a new initiative to create novel monitoring systems for insect populations, many of which are experiencing dramatic changes across the globe due to changes in land use, pollution and climate change.
The project -- called Interdisciplinary Studies in Entomology, Computer Science and Technology NETwork, or INSECT NET -- will establish a graduate training program to empower students to develop solutions to the insect biodiversity crisis.
The program includes faculty from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, and Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science.
Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and principal investigator on the project, said these solutions may include cyber-physical systems, such as small robots with camera or acoustic sensors, which can autonomously monitor, map and predict changes in insect abundance and distributions across landscapes and over time.
"With recent advances in computer science and engineering -- including artificial intelligence -- we now have the ability to design powerful tools for monitoring and tracking insects in our cities, farms and forests," Grozinger said. "Having such detailed, real-time information on insects in these different landscapes can help us better manage and conserve these important creatures."
Rick Roush, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, said the project is an exciting opportunity for new collaboration.
"This is a bold new initiative, led by faculty who are internationally recognized across a wide range of expertise to develop the latest in advanced technologies for critical investigations in ecosystems around the world, while training our students in skills that can be used in multiple disciplines and industries," Roush said.
According to Grozinger, insects are essential for human and ecosystem health. Some insects are pests that need to be managed, such as mosquitos, while others are beneficial and need to be conserved, such as bees. However, populations of some pest species are expanding while populations of beneficial species are declining.