Physics Dept. Seminar

March 20th, Monday

Near-Infrared Optical Sensors to Monitor Flying Insects

Prof. Benjamin Thomas

Dept of Physics, NJIT

(Optics)

Room: ECE 202

Time: 11:45 am - 12:45 pm with 11:30 am teatime

Insects play a quintessential role in Earth’s ecosystems, from pollinators like bees to vectors of infectious diseases like mosquitoes. However, monitoring change in insect distribution, diversity and abundance poses a formidable challenge to entomologists. Lack of reliable data on insect populations is now considered a significant issue in the field of entomology, often referred to as a “data crisis” in the field. The work presented here explores the potential of near-infrared photonic sensors to unlock some of the limitations of traditional methods, mainly based on physical traps. Optical signals obtained from insects flying through a laser beam are used to retrieve optical and morphological properties which are then used to identify the species of the insect using a machine learning classifier. The report presents the results obtained both in the laboratory and during multiple field campaigns in New Jersey where approximately one million insects have been observed over 18 months. The data allows to monitor the abundance, biomass density and circadian rhythm of various species of flying insects with a temporal resolution in the minute range.