OUR team
Our team members are working to win the competition because the solution we build will help further our long terms goals of rainforest monitoring and the support of indigenous peoples. The majority of our prize winnings will be directed to rainforest research in Ecuador.
Each member of our team brings a unique set of skills and experiences that will help develop a solution. We are actively recruiting additional team members from existing collaborations as well as forming new networks. If you are excited by applying your skills in machine learning, drone exploration, taxonomy, genetics or technical communications to improve conservation technology, please contact us, we'd love to hear from you.
project management, Drone delivery & robotics
These team members are using cutting-edge technology to design and refine our Limelight platform, and to deliver and retrieve it from the rainforest canopy
Meet The Team
THOMAS WALLA, PHD
Professor of Biology, Colorado Mesa University
Role(s): Team leader, vision integration, project timeline management
Language(s): English, Spanish
Dr. Walla is a tropical ecologist whose research and teaching has been focused on sampling and quantifying biodiversity in the upper Amazon for more than 25 years. He has used baited traps, malaise traps, hand nets, exhaustive searching, and a diversity of other approaches to sample birds, herpetofauna, plants, and insects in lowland tropical rainforest. His expertise is in Lepidoptera and the measurement of species interactions involving insects and plants. He is fluent in Spanish and collectively has spent more than 4 years living and working in the Ecuadorian rainforest and interacting with Quichua and Waorani people. He also led more than 10 field courses and set up multiple biodiversity monitoring programs in the rainforests of Ecuador.
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Education
Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Oregon, 2000
B.A., Economics, University of California, San Diego, 1991
Ryan Bixenmann, PHD
Chief of Operations
Language(s): English, Spanish
Ryan Bixenmann, Ph.D. is the Chief of Operations for Limelight Rainforest.
Prior to joining Limelight Rainforest, Ryan was a Senior Science Officer at
the California Council of Science and Technology (CCST) where he
connected subject matter experts with state decision-makers to create
science-informed polices that better serve Californians. Ryan was an
AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science
Foundation, Division of Graduate Education. As a Policy Fellow, he
was part of an interagency taskforce to modernize graduate education
and carry out President Obama’s strategic plan for STEM education.
After the Fellowship, he was the Director for Ph.D. Career Services at
Michigan State University, where he developed and implemented a
multifaceted approach to raising career awareness and preparedness
among doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars. Then, as a Policy
Analyst and Program Manager with Professional Development Hub
(pd|hub), Ryan helped build the organization from an innovative idea
to a funded and growing organization that curates graduate
professional development resources.
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Education
Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Utah
B.S. Biology, Colorado Mesa University
outreach robotics
Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
Team Members: Guillaume Charon, Julien Rachielle-Tremblay, Hughes La Vigne
https://www.outreachrobotics.com/
Role(s): Drone pilot, drone delivery, design of Limelight housing
OutReach develops state-of-the-art robotic solutions to operate in harsh, remote, and GPS denied environments. Their products and custom solutions are versatile and easy to use, enabling partners to explore previously unreachable locations.
Their unique aerial robotics solutions are designed for multiple applications, ranging from environmental sciences and forestry to infrastructure inspection. These tools can be suspended under a drone, under a crane, or even on a fixed anchor providing different ways of using the technology.
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Learn more at their website: https://www.outreachrobotics.com/
Eric Fortune, PhD
Associate Professor, Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
Role(s): Imaging, block chain technology
Dr. Fortune has a diversity of skill sets that have contributed to the development of our XPRIZE Rainforest solution. As a neuroscientist working to understand how organisms interact with their environment, his lab members build custom sensing and recording devices to reveal hidden channels of communication in rainforest habitats. For our project, Dr. Fortune has developed sensor and control systems used in our data collection platform, the Limelight.
LEFO: Laboratoire d’écologie fonctionnelle végétale / Plant Functional Ecology Laboratory
Institut de recherche en biologie végétale, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada
Group lead : Etienne Laliberté, Full Professor and Canada Research Chair in Plant Functional Biodiversity, Co-director, Québec Center for Biodiversity Science
https://lefo.ca/?lang=en
Role(s): Vegetation monitoring via remote sensing
Etienne Laliberté and LEFO bring to Limelight Rainforest expertise in plant ecology and drone-based, high-resolution remote sensing of vegetation in particular. They will be responsible for mapping forest canopy structure and tree species composition using drone RGB imagery, LiDAR, and artificial intelligence. This will help Limelight Rainforest to strategically position Limelight devices to more effectively cover the range of tree species and variability in forest vertical structure present within the 1-km2 area. In addition, the remote sensing data will be used to generate valuable insights about canopy tree species diversity and above-ground carbon.
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Learn more at their website: https://lefo.ca/?lang=en
natural history, insect sampling, and data analysis
These team members are developing custom sampling tools for collecting insects and analyzing natural history & diversity data generated by all of Limelight's sensors
Meet The Team
Harold Greeney, PHD
Director of Research, Yanayacu Biological Station
Role(s): Innovation, insect inventory, bird inventory
Language(s): English, Spanish, Portugese (reading)
Dr. Greeney is a broadly trained organismal biologist with almost 30 years of experience studying biotic communities across the Neotropics, particularly in the Andes and upper Amazon. He has lived in several remote field stations in Ecuador, including the Yanayacu Research Station, which he founded and operated for almost 20 years, disseminating his research through more than 340 publications. He is proficient in a wide range of biological field techniques and sampling protocols, including rapid biotic inventories, and he has been an invited speaker and lecturer in Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru. In 2015, his contributions to tropical ecology were recognized through the award of a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Education
Ph.D., Vertebrate Zoology, University Wroclaw, 2008
M.S., Entomology, University of Arizona, 1999
B.S., Biology, Wake Forest University, 1993
HERNANI OLIVEIRA
Environmental Health Consultant, World Health Organization
Role(s): Advisor on tropical ecology and DNA barcoding
I have worked across the tropics worldwide towards understanding multiple aspects of the ecology and conservation of different animal groups, but mostly focused on mammals. To do so, I integrate a myriad of techniques ranging from DNA barcoding to camera traps and apply various analytical methods, including geometric morphometrics and network analysis.
GERALDO B. FREIRE-JR, PHD
Postdoctoral Research Scholar at University of Nevada, Reno & Universidade de Brasília, Brazil
Role(s): ): Insect imaging and entomological biodiversity
Language(s): Portuguese (native) / English / Spanish
Dr. Freire-Jr. is working on his postdoctoral research, investigating the impact of urbanization on the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of fruit-feeding nymphalid butterflies. Throughout his career, Dr. Freire-Jr. has developed skills in sampling design, statistical analysis, and data visualization focused on insect diversity. His collaboration with the LimeLight team was fundamental in providing images of hundreds of moth species used for training the machine learning identification system.
Education
Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Nevada, Reno - UNR, 2021-current.
Universidade Federal do Paraná - UFPR, Brazil, 2021-2023.
Universidade de Brasília - UnB, Brazil, 2024-current.
Ph.D., Ecology, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil / University of Nevada, Reno - UNR, 2015.
M.S., Zoology, Universidade de Brasília - UnB, Brazil, 2008-2010.
B.S., Biology, Centro Universitário de Brasília - UNICEUB, Brazil, 2000-2005
Amanda Martins Dias
Volunteer researcher, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil
Role(s): ): Insect identification
I hold a master's and a doctorate in Entomology from the Universidade Federal do Paraná, a Brazilian university. My primary research interests lie in the taxonomy and systematics of ants, as well as insect morphology. Additionally, I have experience in molecular biology and ecology, with a particular focus on assessing species' extinction risks according to IUCN criteria and analyzing the impact of various land use types on ant distribution.
Adriana Simonetti
PhD student, National Institute of Amazon Research
Role(s): ): Tree identification
Language(s): Portuguese, English, Spanish (reading)
Adriana is a forest ecologist from Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. She is a PhD student at the National Institute of Amazonian Research, and is currently focused on the dynamics of tree gaps over five years using drone RGB imagery of a 50-ha area and their relationship with biomass/carbon turnover. Additionally, she detects seasonal changes in leaf color by classifying drone images into leaf-phenology classes. She is an expert in machine learning, and in the application of RGB and multispectral images to the study of Amazon forest dynamics. Her role on the team focuses on the trees database used for AI training and local logistical support.
Lora Richards, PhD
Assistant Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Nevada Reno
Role: Analytical approaches to ecological data
The Richards Lab focuses on a wide range of chemically mediated ecological interactions. They are particularly interested in the role of plant chemistry in structuring diverse ecological communities. They utilize a multidisciplinary approach that combines field and laboratory approaches with the latest spectroscopic tools in organic chemistry to address basic ecological questions.
Wilmer Sambana
Para-taxonomist, Yanayacu Biological Station, Ecuador
Role(s): AI database training acquisitions, ground truthing species identification, on-the-ground solution testerLanguage(s): Spanish
Wilmer is an Ecuadorian from Baeza, Ecuador and he has been working as a field para-taxonomist for a variety of biological projects for the past 15 years at Yanayacu Biological Station. He has an exceptional ability to find and identify thousands of species of lepidopteran caterpillars in the rainforest. He is highly skilled at database management, macro photography of insects, rainforest navigation, and the organization and identification of insects from photographs. Wilmer also has decades of experience identifying plants in the field and recognizing important herbivore and plant patterns in rainforest communities.
Gunner brehm, PHD
Researcher, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
Roles: Light attractant, Insect trapping, Insect identification
Dr. Brehm investigates how neotropical moth species richness, diversity, phylogenetic diversity, abundance, faunal composition, and traits change with elevation. He is also interested in systematics, phylogeny and taxonomy of neotropical Geometridae and Arctiidae. One focus of ongoing research is a new study along a full elevational gradient in SE Peru. See www.gunnarbrehm.de
machine learning
These team members are developing AI / Machine Learning algorithms to rapidly and accurately identify species from sound and images collected by Limelight
Meet The Team
ari grele
PhD candidate, University of Nevada, Reno (Dr. Lora Richards)
Role(s): AI and imaging development
Ari is working on his dissertation research investigating the role of toxic nectar metabolites in affecting pollinator behavior and functional drivers of herbivory and insect diversity. He has developed a camera system that uses machine learning algorithms to identify insects in the field and relays the data back to a centralized data analysis point. His skills include expertise in frequentist and Bayesian statistics, fluency in R and Python, Machine learning and computer vision using Pytorch, image and video analysis, and graphics programming. Ari’s skill set is critical for development of our insect identification system.
neal digre, MS
Machine Learning Specialist, Senior Data Scientist
Role: Machine Learning Architecture, acoustic data analysis.
Mr. Digre has substantial experience designing machine learning platforms for use in the private sector and is excited to apply his skills to rainforest conservation.
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Education
MS, University of Edinburgh, Informatics
BS, Western Washington University, Computer Science
BA, Western Washingotn University, Linguistics
Francois Grondin, PhD
Assistant Professor, Université de Sherbrooke
Role: Lead for Acoustic Localization
I'm a member of IntRoLab at the Interdisciplinary Institute for Technological Innovation. I am also a member of INTER, CRASH and CdRV. My current research mainly focuses on robot audition. This is an exciting field as the end goal is to allow natural human-robot interaction with voice in everyday life environments. This task involves numerous challenges, that go beyond traditional far field speech recognition approaches. In addition to dealing with room reverberation, interfering noise and/or competing speakers, robots must ignore the noise generated by their own actuators, which we refer to as ego-noise, and perform online recognition with little latency. Whilst deep learning-based approaches have been successful in improving speech recognition robustness, they rely on large amount of data and cloud computing. This is a major challenge in robotics, as the amount of experimental data is limited (each robot is unique!), and autonomous robots must perform computations on-board. My current research articulates around four main themes: 1) sound source localization, 2) speech enhancement, 3) sound classification and 4) ego-noise reduction.​
Education
PhD in Electrical Engineering, Université de Sherbrooke, 2017
MS in Electrical Engineering, Université de Sherbrooke, 2011
​BS in Electrical Engineering, McGill University, 2009
Jacob Kealey
Assistant Master's Student, Université de Sherbrooke
Role: Acoustic Localization
Master's student under the supervision of Pr. François Grondin at IntRoLab. Our research revolves around signal processing, multi-channel audio and artificial intelligence. IntRoLab is a robotics research group based at the Université de Sherbrooke in Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.
Caitlin J Campbell, PhD
Quantitative Ecologist, Bat Conservation International
Role: Bioacoustics and bioinformatics
CJ Campbell is a conservation biologist who studies bat ecology, animal movement, and ecological responses to global environmental change. Her research leverages diverse techniques including bioinformatics, machine learning, stable isotope analysis, and participatory (community) science data generation to tackle the challenges of studying and conserving under-studied wildlife.
Education
PhD, University of Florida, Zoology
MS, Frostburg State University/University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Applied Ecology
BS, University of Vermont, Conservation Biology
Ankita Shukla, PhD
Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering Department, University of Nevada, Reno
Role: Machine Learning Architecture, acoustic data analysis.
Dr. Shukla is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department at University of Nevada Reno, USA. Before joining UNR, she was a Postdoctoral researcher in GML, working with Prof. Pavan Turaga at Arizona State University. She defended her PhD in Oct, 2020 from IIIT-Delhi under the guidance of Dr. Saket Anand. Her dissertation title is “Exploring Geometric Constraints for Learning Representations for Visual Data”. During her PhD, she also worked as a visiting research scholar with Prof. Pavan Turaga for 6 months in 2019 (Feb - Aug) as well as during the summer of 2017. Dr. Shukla received her Master’s degree from IIIT-Delhi and was awarded Best Thesis Award for my thesis titled “Signal Processing Techniques to Reduce Energy Consumption in EEG Acquisition and Transmission for WBAN” under the guidance of Dr. Angshul Majumdar.
Garth Paine, PHD
Professor, Digital Sound and Interactive Media, AME, Arizona State University; Senior Sustainability Scientist – ASU Global Institute of Sustainability
Role(s): Innovation, acoustic technology design
Dr. Paine has extensive experience working in the field of acoustic ecology where has applied his technical skills to record and refine reproduce ecological acoustic signals to measure and monitor natural habitats. He has also applied machine learning approaches to study sound diversity in natural soundscapes. Of special interest to our team, Dr. Paine has produced small microphones that record sound in programmable clips onto miniSD chips. These devices will be deployed in the Limelights.
Pavan Turaga, PhD
Director & Professor, School of Arts Media and Engineering
Role: Computer vision and data analysis.
Pavan Turaga is a Professor in the School of Arts, Media and Engineering, and the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering at Arizona State University. His research spans representational foundations for structured and unstructured data, including time-series, image, video, 3D point clouds and more, and their applications in areas such as interactive systems, machine learning, computer vision, and mobile-health.
SelvaTek
These team members are experts in tropical natural history and ecotourism. In particular, they are experts in bird identification and have annotated thousands of bird recordings for machine learning models.
Meet The Team
Jiovany Rivadeneyra
Director of SelvaTek
Role(s): Lead Bird Identification and Annotation
Mr. Rivadeneyra has worked in ecotourism and natural history for over 35 years. He has guided natural history and bird tours in Ecuador since the 1990’s for organizations such as La Selva Lodge and Fog Fores. After guiding tourists throughout Ecuador, Mr. Rivadeneyra went on to build and then manage Napo Wildlife Center, a new eco lodge in the Amazon region of Ecuador. He is currently a member of the Ama Ecolodge in Ecuador.
Jarol Fernando Vaca
Owner and Operator, Shiripuno Research Center, Ecuador.
Role(s): Bioacoustic testing and AI training, bird and frog identification, solution testingLanguage(s): English, Spanish
Jarol is an Ecuadorian who has dedicated his life to the study and promotion of tropical diversity from the site of two unique and extraordinary rainforest experience lodges that he founded and operates. He founded the Shiripuno Research Center, which is one of the most remote and rustic lodges in Ecuador, surrounded by hundreds of miles of pristine rainforest deep in Waorani territory on the border of Yasuni National Park. He also founded a cloud forest reclamation project near Sumaco peak in the Napo province of Ecuador. Jarol is an expert in bird and frog identification from sound and has extensive experience using camera traps, bioacoustics software, and a broad diversity of identification approaches for tropical organisms.
Jefferson Gualinga Coquinche
Senior Technician in Network Installation and Maintenance
Role: Bioacoustic testing and AI training
Jefferson Gualinga Coquinche is a professional with experience in the installation, configuration and maintenance of computer networks. His ability to diagnose and resolve connectivity problems, along with his ability to design efficient and secure networks have made him an expert in his field. Jefferson is notable for his focus on innovation and continuous improvement in networking systems.
Luis Salagaje
Parataxonomist
Role: Bioacoustic testing and AI training
Since I was very little, nature has been a source of inspiration. Birds especially sparked my interest in knowing and learning more about them. My first encounter with bird science was at a an ornithology course in the Yanayacu Biological Reserve. Since then, my interest in birds has only grown stronger. My career in bird identification has allowed me to travel and get to know several provinces in Ecuador giving talks and participate in bird counts like the Christmas Bird Counts and the Global Big Day as an official compiler. I have contributed to several articles as co-author and related author on Ecuadorian avifauna. Since March 2021, until now I have been working at the Condor Andino Ecuador Foundation as a ParaBiologist, in the Aguila Inca Ecuador Project. Additionally, I am coordinator of the Urban Bird Program (PAU) and the Owner manager of the Agroturistica los Nogales farm, which specializes in bird watching. I am also an Ebird Ecuador-Napo volunteer reviewer.
DNA, Bioinformatics,
and Insights
These team members are using cutting-edge DNA sequencing technology to identify species by eDNA and from tissue samples collected by robotics devices
Meet The Team
Meet The Team
Julie Allen, PHD
Assistant Professor of Biology, Virginia Tech.
Role(s): Advisor, genetics & bioinformatics
Dr. Allen’s research is focused on three areas 1) genomics and evolutionary biology 2) bioinformatics and tool development and 3) public engagement. Her lab members build tools to engage both researchers and the public to work with biological data and use those data to answer questions about the ecology and evolution of coevolving taxa. Her role on our team is currently advisory and involves exploring the potential for data collection in the fields of genomics and bioinformatics.
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Education
Ph.D., University of Florida, 2010
B.S.,University of Utah, 2004
Niyomi house, PHD
NSF Postdoctoral Associate, University of Nevada Reno & Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida
Role(s): Advisor, genetics & bioinformatics
Dr. Niyomi House is an evolutionary biologist who studies ectoparasites and their co-evolutionary relationships with the host. She primarily focuses on human head lice to infer evolutionary histories of humans. In addition, she studies the evolution of insecticide resistance these lice to understand the genomic consequences of being exposed to insecticides. Her research is based on acquiring and processing big genomic datasets using sophisticated bioinformatic tools to answer population genetic questions. She also uses 2D and 3D morphological data of species to investigate the link between genotypes and phenotypes of parasite species. She is now an NSF postdoctoral fellow conducting her research at the University of Nevada, Reno and at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida.
Education
Ph.D. in Zoology with Animal Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Florida 2022
MS in Biology, Northern Michigan University 2017
BS in Biology, Northern Michigan University 2015
Denita Weeks, PhD
Associate Professor, Colorado Mesa University
Role(s): DNA Sequencing Lead
Dr. Weeks is an amphibian ecologist with an interest in the interactions between the amphibian skin microbiome and the fungal disease, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. As a member of Team Limelight Rainforest, she is leading the post-PCR components of the DNA pipeline. She is also passionate about the impact of community member involvement in science. Through outreach, her efforts to study and manage an invasive amphibian species in western Colorado has been successful because of volunteer involvement.
Education:
Ph.D., Biology; The University of Memphis (2018)
M.S., Biology; California State University—Northridge (2013)
B.S., Biology; Grand Valley State University (2008)
M. Eric Benbow, PhD
Professor & Global Scholar, Department of Entomology, Department of Osteopathic Medical Specialties, Michigan State University
Role(s): Advisor and genetics
Dr. Benbow is a Professor and Global Scholar at Michigan State University with a joint appointment in the Department of Department of Entomology and Department Osteopathic Medical Specialties. His research program has developed around basic and applied insect and microbial biodiversity and community ecology, with a history of research in West Africa, East Africa, South Africa, South America and throughout the USA. He is the author or coauthor of over 180 peer-reviewed journal articles, 30 book chapters, four edited books and has received funding through NIH, NSF, USAID, NIJ, USDA, USGS, and USFS. Professor Benbow has served on three National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine appointed committees, and he is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. The Benbow lab asks three general questions: 1) Is insect fitness influenced by the community of microbes living in or on them? 2) What are the ecological interactions of insects with the microbial communities associated with their habitat or food resources? and, 3) How can understanding insect-microbe biodiversity relationships be used to inform natural resources management, human health and agriculture, including insects as feed and food? Professor Benbow has spent over 20 years of collaborative research in countries with developing economies spanning the globe from Africa, Polynesia, South America and Asia, with projects focused on biodiversity, the ecology of disease, forensics and insects as feed and food. He is passionate about using science, capacity building and collaborations for improving lives in the most vulnerable regions of the world.
Kelly Waters
Ph.D. Student, Entomology and Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Program, Michigan State University
Role(s): Genomics and Bioinformatics
Kelly is a Ph.D. student at Michigan State University studying decomposition ecology and insect-microbe interactions, focusing on microbe change in beetles and soil throughout the decomposition process. Her research also investigates the internal microbiomes of aquatic invertebrates to study the persistence and spread of the pathogen Mycobacterium ulcerans.
Education
B.S., Biology and Forensic Studies, Loyola University Maryland (2022)
Fabricius Domingos, PhD
Associate Professor of Zoology, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil
Role(s): Genomics and Biogeography
Fabricius Domingos is an evolutionary biologist interested in the diversification and evolution of Neotropical organisms. Most of his research investigates the evolutionary, ecological, and biogeographic processes that generate biodiversity, using many animal taxa as research models. Dr. Domingos's lab (The DEvL: Diversity and Evolution Lab) uses spatial distribution data and different genomic data collection approaches, mostly through methods that reduce genomic representation (e.g., RAD and anchored sequencing), and is now transitioning to collecting whole genomes, including in the chromosome-level, and transcriptomes. Dr. Domingos is also a heavy metal aficionado, and all his scientific activities are developed under the most extreme soundtrack humans could conceive.
Isabella Burgos Holguín, MS
Lab Manager, Allen Lab, Virginia Tech University
Role(s): Lead operations manager DNA team, genetics & bioinformatics
Mrs. Burgos is a chemist with a master's in biotechnology. While her undergraduate research focused on quantum chemistry, she went on to work in the research and development department of a pharmaceutical company. Her master's research focused on plants of pharmaceutical interest, where she worked in the molecular biology lab and bioinformatics, studying metabolic pathways. She also completed an internship at the Université du Québec à Trois Rivières, producing recombinant proteins, on a scholarship by the Canadian government for the Emerging Leaders of the Americas Program. She currently works as a lab manager at Virginia Tech, as the lead operations manager of the DNA team, as well as participating in genetics and bioinformatics.
Education:
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MS, Biotechnology, Universidad Icesi, Colombia, 2021
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BS, Chemistry, Universidad Icesi, Colombia, 2018
​Taylor Schmitz
Undergraduate student, Biological Sciences, Colorado Mesa University
Role(s): Genetics Team
​Taylor is a CMU biology student with an emphasis in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology. She will graduate in the spring of ‘25 with the intention to pursue further education and work in wildlife conservation. Taylor’s primary role with Limelight’s genetics team is carrying out post PCR processes.
Kanna Yerks
Undergraduate student, Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech
Role(s): Genetics Team
Kanna is currently pursuing her undergraduate studies in Biology at Virginia Tech, with a keen interest in advancing her career through graduate studies. Her academic interest includes areas such as molecular biology, genetics, and environmental science.
Daniela Campos Blandon
Undergraduate student, Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech
Role(s): Genetics Team
Daniela is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech. Daniela has actively engaged in research, focusing on molecular biology, demonstrating her commitment to advancing scientific knowledge. She will graduate in 2025 with the interest of pursuing a medical career.
Robert Guralnick, PhD
Curator of Biodiversity Informatics, Department of Natural History, Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida
Role(s): Data, Knowledge, and Insights
Dr. Guralnick approaches the question of global change using tools that span molecular based approaches to document lineage diversifications over time and space. These methods seek to field ecological approaches that document recent distribution and demography changes. Although trained as an invertebrate biologist, his taxonomic interests are broad, and his work is often collaborative. Guralnick tends to be happiest when connecting dots between developing infrastructure to support new science and showing the power of those approaches for looking at broad scale ecogeographic patterns and their drivers. Outside of work, he tends pets, tries to stay active even during the Florida summers and appreciates a good IPA.
anthropology & indigenous knowledge
These team members are integrating biodiversity data with a deep knowledge of the indigenous cultures of the rainforest to generate insights into the actual and potential value of intact forest
Meet The Team
tod swanson, PHD
Senior Sustainability Scientist, Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, Arizona State University; Associate Professor of Religious Studies; Affiliated Faculty, Center for Biodiversity Outcomes
Role(s): Integration of insights and species inventory with the value systems of indigenous cultures
Language(s): English, Spanish
Dr. Swanson directed ASU's Center for Latin American Studies as a Title VI National Resource Center, 1997-2007. In 1999, he founded the Andes and Amazon Field School at Santu Urku (an Amazonian Kichwa community in Napo Province, Ecuador). During the summer months, he resides at this site with his wife and four children, where he manages an Amazonian forest preserve. Dr. Swanson serves the Santu Urku community in an elected capacity as councilman for environmental affairs. His work stems from a lifelong interest in the Ecuadorian Amazon, where he grew up as the son of evangelical missionaries. His studies of Amazonian Kichwa and Shuar religion seek to understand how heightened empathy with plant and animals species mediates emotional relations to family and community. His approach uses linguistic analysis of native discourse to uncover implicit assumptions underlying Amazonian thinking. Swanson is currently working on two articles: "I am the Mountain Toucan's Wife: How birds mediate social relations in the Ecuadorian Amazon,” and "Earth as Memory: Andean Kichwa thinking on the accumulation of history in the soil."
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Education
PhD, University of Chicago
BA, University of Minnesota
Tim Casey, Phd
Professor of Political Science and Director of the Natural Resource Center, Colorado Mesa University
Role(s): Inclusive Conservation, integrating Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Populations in all stages of the project from data collection to protected area management. International biodiversity offset governance.
Dr. Casey teaches a wide variety of courses at Colorado Mesa University including Environmental Politics and Policy, Political Geography and Environmental Political Theory. He has been researching protected areas and public lands policy for over 15 years. His research emphasis is on participatory planning and management of protected areas (known as inclusive conservation) in the United States and comparatively in other nations around the world. The field of inclusive conservation focuses on the incorporation of knowledge from local communities and marginalized groups into the planning and management practices of landscapes protected for their biodiversity values which can be done through collaboration and various co-management arrangements. Dr. Casey will be working to ensure that indigenous knowledge and rights are respected and well-integrated into the Limelight Rainforest approach.
Education:
PhD., Arizona State University, 1996
M.A., University of San Francisco, 1992
B.S., Northern Arizona University, 1989
DAvid Manuel-Navarrete, Phd
Associate Professor, School of Sustainability, College of Global Futures
Role(s): Cultural and sustainability insights
David Manuel-Navarrete applies an existential perspective to study deliberate transformations in social-ecological and technological systems, such as cities or coastal communities, including the subjective dimension of such transformations. His research aims at enhancing societies’ capacity to purposely deliver structural changes that simultaneously reduce inequality and sustain the planet's web of life. As a sustainability scholar, he focuses on promoting climate change adaptation, and tourism sustainability. His most recent research explores adaptation, resilience and transformation of water infrastructures in Mexico City, and the promotion of indigenous languages to advance sustainability in the Amazon.
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Professor Manuel-Navarrete worked as a consultant for the United Nations, and as a researcher at King’s College London and the Free University of Berlin. He has conducted sustainability research and assessments in Argentina, Brazil, Central America, and Mexico. He teaches international development and sustainability and sustainability science.
Education
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PhD, Geography, University of Waterloo, 2004
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MS, Ecological Economics, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 2000
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BA, Environnmental Sciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 1998
Diana Chavez Vargas, MCP
POSITION
Role(s): Indigenous planning, insight development
Language(s): English, Spanish
Diana is from the Amazon Region and is interested in education, community development, and placemaking. She is passionate about the access to education and student development and has considerable experience working with college students. She is also knowledgeable about Ecuadorian and U.S educational systems. Diana brings the strength of her experience working with indigenous groups to plan sustainable development projects.
Education:
Master of Community and Regional Planning, with an emphasis in Indigenous Planning, University of New Mexico, 2018
Bachelor in Business Administration, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, 2011
additional expertise
These team members are providing additional, critical expertise in a variety of fields, including chemistry, engineering, design, and conservation ecology.
Meet The Team
Karl Castleton, MS
Associate Professor of Computer Science, Colorado Mesa University
Karl Castleton is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Colorado Mesa University (CMU). He teaches courses in networking, systems and architecture, operating systems, and advanced programming. Castleton has his Masters in Computer Science from the University of Washington and has 20+ years of system design and integration experience during his tenure at Pacific Northwest National Lab. Castleton uses his real-world knowledge and experience in cybersecurity to teach most of his courses. Castleton is also involved in training and promoting computer science and cybersecurity to local school districts.
Sherine Antoun Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Computer Science, Colorado Mesa University
Role: Design and construction of the understory exploratory vessel
Sherine Antoun has extensive experience working in robotic navigation and ultrasonic robotic navigation.
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Education:
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PhD, Robotics and Applied Computer Science: University of Wollongong, Australia
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Research Masters/MPhill, Computer Science: University of Wollongong, Australia
Robbi Grimm
Technical Instructor of Mechatronics, CMU Tech
Role(s): Industrial controls & process technology
Robbi Grimm is a technical instructor of mechatronics. He teaches robotics, automation, electronics, and industrial controls. He grew up in Berlin, Germany, where he studied English, physics and education, at Freie Universität. After moving to Grand Junction in 2014, he worked as enrichment coordinator and robotics coach at Riverside Educational Center. Grimm started at CMU Tech in 2022 where he focuses on hands-on learning and encourages his students to
apply innovative problem-solving approaches. He strives to spark his students’ interest in cutting-edge technology in mechatronics and robotics on campus or on the road when teaching in the Sturm-ANB Bank Mobile Learning Lab. He enjoys hiking, mountain biking and paddleboarding in the Grand Valley and beyond.
Matthias Hoffmann-Kuhnt, PhD
Research Fellow Acoustic Research Laboratory, National University of Singapore
Role: Acoustic data analysis and innovation
Matthias earned a masters degree in Zoology (on mental rotation in bottlenose dolphins) from the University of Regensburg, Germany and got his PhD from the University of Berlin, Germany (visual and acoustic vigilance in bottlenose dolphins). Before coming to ARL, he worked at KBMML in Hawaii for 10 years (a decade with Dolphins!) where he was involved in cognitive and sensory research on bottlenosed dolphins and behavioural fieldwork with Humpback whales.
thaddeus shrader
Owner/CEO, Bonsai Designs
Thaddeus is a retired airline captain and holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the prestigious Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He has always had a passion for creating new mechanisms and finding inventive solutions to complex problems, which have paved the way for Bonsai’s continued success.
Christopher Jeffrey, PHD
Professor of Organic Chemistry, University of Nevada Reno
Role(s): Measurement of plant chemical diversity and volatile characterization of the herbivore community
Dr. Jeffrey’s research laboratory is focused on addressing important, unmet challenges in target directed synthesis. Areas of research are identified using a synergistic approach where (1) inspiration from structurally and biologically interesting molecular targets drives reaction discovery, and (2) innovation in methodology enables new strategies for target-directed synthesis. Goals of this recent work that are directly relevant to this project are (1) map the diversity of secondary metabolism to the diversity of tropical rainforest caterpillars, (2) explore the link between phytochemical variation and the speciation of the caterpillar, and (3) understand the role of mixtures of natural products in the overall biologically activity of defensive compounds. These studies have stimulated the development of new approaches to metabolic characterization of phytochemically diverse species, led to the discovery of new natural products, and to the development of syntheses of some of these natural products.
Education:
Council on Science and Technology Postdoctoral Fellow, Princeton University, 2007-2010
Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 2007
B.S.,, Carroll College, 2002
Casey Philbin, PhD
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Nevada Reno
Role: Chemical data acquisition and analysis
Dr. Philbin explores phytochemical ecometabolomics using a state-of-the-art Agilent 6560 IM-QTOF mass spectrometer. His research ranges from phytochemically mediated plant-insect interactions to the metabolic fate of phytochemicals in the gut and biofluids of herbivores. Working with Dr. Richards he investigates the influence of phytochemical diversity on plant-herbivore interactions across different ecological gradients and at various scales. Most recently, he has begun to develop techniques for integrating community and traditional ecological knowledge with metabolomic data to develop a deeper understanding of how chemistry can inform how humans have and continue to interact with ecological communities.
Yiwei Wang, PhD
Nature-based solutions for climate, Asia Pacific coordinator, the Nature Conservancy
Yiwei is a conservation biologist who has had the privilege of working in California, Kenya, Australia, and now Asia Pacific on biodiversity protection. She is trained in movement biology and animal behavior, and is dedicated to building public support for conservation. She is currently living in Singapore and supporting nature-based solutions work in multiple countries in the Asia Pacific region.
Tad Hittle
Undergraduate student, Biological Sciences, Colorado Mesa University
Role: Competition logistics
Tad is a CMU student whose interests are in wildlife biology and the integration of technology into ecological settings. He will graduate in 2024 and plans to pursue a career in biology, with a tech focus. He also brings expertise in data transfer technology.
Matthew Pederson
Undergraduate student, Biological Sciences, Colorado Mesa UniversityRole: Competition logistics
Matt is a CMU student whose interests are in cell and molecular biology, Spanish, and chemistry. He will graduate in 2024 and plans to pursue medicine. He brings expertise in specimen processing, linguistics, machine learning, and ecology to the team.
Ruth Richter, MD
Role: Logistical support
Dr. Richter has traveled and provided support for scientific research in the rainforests of South American for over 20 years. When not traipsing through forests chasing after weakly electric fishes or songbirds, Ruth is a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City. Ruth provided logistical support for Limelight Rainforest's successful work in the Semifinals competition in
Sarah Lanci, MS
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado Mesa University
Role: Prototyping
Sarah’s background is in materials and metallurgical engineering and she worked in manufacturing before joining the engineering faculty at Colorado Mesa University. She enjoys guiding students through the engineering design process and brings expertise in design, material selection, and prototyping to the team.
Strategic planning, communications & media
These team members lead team communications, manage the logistical and operations during the competition, and provide strategic advice to team leaders
Meet The Team
johanna varner, Phd
Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, Colorado Mesa University
Role(s): Director of Strategic Planning and Communications
Dr. Johanna Varner is a small mammal biologist with diverse skills in science communication and media. Shortly after completing her PhD, she spent 10 weeks as a AAAS Mass Media Fellow at KQED Science, where she learned basics of professional social media, film editing and production, and news production for web, print, and radio. Her efforts to involve the public in pika monitoring resulted in her winning the 2018 AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement in Science, one of the highest honors celebrating outreach and participatory science. On Limelight Rainforest, she is directing ground operations during competitions, producing films for XPRIZE Waypoints, advising the team on a variety of strategic issues, and managing the team's digital media presence.
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Education
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PhD, Biology, University of Utah
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M. Eng., Biomedical Engineering, MIT
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B.S., Biology, MIT
maya fortune
Role(s): Social Media Content Producer
Maya Fortune is a McGill University graduate who spent every year of her childhood visiting the cloud forest with her scientist father. As a passionate advocate for sustainable practices on a individual and communal level, Maya believes that though outreach and education, we can all contribute to a better world.
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Education
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B.S., McGill University
