Mothbox Science Workshop

Georgia Tech hosted a two-day Mothbox science workshop held on October 28-29, 2024. The workshop was sponsored by the Agile Systems Lab (run by Simon Sponberg in the School of Physics) through the Multidisciplinary Research Initiative with support from the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT). This hands-on workshop was spearheaded by Yash Sondhi, a postdoctoral researcher from the Agile Systems Lab at Georgia Tech.

IPaT’s lab spaces (the Craft Lab and Prototyping Lab) provided both space and technical assistance for the workshop participants. IPaT faculty member Tim Trent manages both labs and provided generous assistance throughout the workshop to build the traps.

The MothBox is an automated light trap that attracts and photographs moths and other nocturnal insects. A raspberry pi (mini-computer) controls a super high-resolution camera and lights, so that the MothBox can be deployed and programmed to collect data at a pre-defined schedule. A computer vision model then processes the images and automatically identifies the insects captured by the trap. Insect censuses are valuable tools for assessing the state of an ecosystem, especially insects’ vast numbers, short lifespan, and proximity to the base of the food chain. 

Mothbox was selected as a 2024 WILDLABS Awards winner.

A detailed review of the workshop was posted by WILDLABS.NET discussing the construction of the moth boxes where participants gained hands-on experience building and testing them.

Read the full workshop article here >>

Watch Andy Quitmeyer's Mothbox lecture >> he delivered as a keynote lecture at Georgia Tech on Oct. 29, 2024 in support of the workshop. Andy Quitmeyer, Ph.D., designs new ways to interact with the natural world. His transdisciplinary work spans scientific and design processes, from material exploration and natural experimentation to artistic outreach.