Illinois Tech Team Returns from Amazon After XPRIZE Rainforest Finals
CHICAGO—October 1, 2024—A team spearheaded by Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) Professor Matthew Spenko has concluded its participation in the finals of the prestigious XPRIZE Rainforest competition, held in the Amazon. The interdisciplinary team, known as Welcome to the Jungle, included members from Purdue University, Natural State, The Morton Arboretum, the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden-Chinese Academy of Sciences, and representatives from local Indigenous communities.
The XPRIZE Rainforest competition, a five-year, $10 million global initiative, challenges teams to develop rapid and autonomous technologies. The goal is to expedite biodiversity monitoring and data collection. The aim is to improve our understanding of tropical rainforest ecosystems worldwide. After the semi-finals in Singapore in the spring of 2023, six teams advanced to the finals that took place in the Amazon in July 2024. The teams were judged on their ability to survey the most biodiversity within 24 hours and generate impactful real-time insights within a 48-hour period.
“This experience has been transformative for all of us involved,” said Professor Spenko of the Department of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering. He added, “The interdisciplinary nature of our team has allowed us to use expertise from various fields. This led to innovative solutions and a deeper understanding of the rainforest ecosystem. We are incredibly proud of our accomplishments and the collaborative spirit that drove our success.”
To identify key species within the rainforest, the Welcome to the Jungle team integrated several approaches. These included using knowledge from local and Indigenous experts, remote sensing via drone flights and satellite data, and drone-deployed sensors to collect acoustic data. They also captured imagery and collected environmental DNA (eDNA) sequencing for biodiversity identification. Professor Jinha Jung from Purdue University, led aerial surveying efforts, to measure vegetation, quantify tree species diversity, and determine optimal sensor deployment locations.
“The integration of aerial surveying technology with on-the-ground data has provided unprecedented insights into the rainforest’s biodiversity,” said Jung, who is a member of Purdue’s Institute for Digital Forestry and further commented, “Our collaborative efforts have demonstrated the power of combining cutting-edge technology with ecological research to address environmental challenges effectively.”
Illustrative of the team’s interdisciplinary approach, the team used Indigenous knowledge to locate water sources. To gather what little water they could, they used a drone to collect and analyze the water for eDNA. The team faced challenges due to the shallow stream caused by the dry season and low water levels. This highlighted the value of traditional ecological knowledge in contributing to environmental research and preservation.
Throughout the competition, Welcome to the Jungle was committed to adhering to Brazilian laws governing genetic heritage, traditional knowledge, and benefit-sharing. XPRIZE partnered with the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) to acquire permits for eDNA collection, and all genetic samples were registered to ensure transparency and compliance. The team also made sure no genetic data would be shared without XPRIZE’s and its genetic partners’ permission. The goal was to align with rigorous ethical and legal standards.
The team expressed interest in future partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, ensuring any benefit-sharing agreements were legal, fair, and respectful of the communities’ rights.
“The Welcome to the Jungle team exemplifies the power of interdisciplinary partnerships in advancing our understanding of rainforest ecosystems,” commented Chai-Shian Kua, Ph.D, the senior conservation officer of The Morton Arboretum’s Center for Species Survival: Trees and shared that, “By combining expertise from technology, ecology, and local knowledge, we have been able to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the rainforest’s biodiversity and the critical role it plays in our global ecosystem.”
Natural State, a Kenya-based non-profit dedicated to global nature restoration, assisted the team. They provided innovative monitoring and data transmission technologies.
“A significant challenge in linking nature and finance is the absence of rigorous, cost-effective impact monitoring systems,” according to Margaret Njuguna, a Natural State field researcher. She added that, “To address this and help catalyze markets for Nature-based Solutions (NBS), Natural State has developed a verifiable impact monitoring system called uKweli (meaning ‘Truth’ in Kiswahili). This system quantifies the impacts of restoration projects in terms of carbon, biodiversity, and social benefits. It is cost-effective, transparent, quantifiable, and can be verified by third parties. Additionally, we incorporated the use of Kutuma app (meaning ‘To send’ in Kiswahili), a field-to-cloud data transmission system that is highly robust and functions well even in areas with low internet connectivity. These innovations significantly improve our ability to monitor and protect vital ecosystems, particularly rainforests.”
The XPRIZE Rainforest competition gave Illinois Tech students a unique opportunity to work with a global team of experts and obtain hands-on experience. They participated in one of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems.
“Participating in the XPRIZE Rainforest project is an incredible learning experience and an eye-opening adventure,” said Khang Pham, an Illinois Tech student (AE/M.S. Autonomous Systems and Robotics 4th Year). He continued saying, “We got to participate in a hands-on, meaningful project with the involvement of many different institutions and experts in several disciplines, bringing a more holistic understanding of how scientists and experts can come together to achieve something great. Doing fieldwork is really exhausting but also very rewarding as you get to new perspectives that are hard to see with just a theoretical view.”
Kevin Cassel, Illinois Tech’s vice provost of academic affairs, highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations for applied research. He also mentioned the value of experiential learning opportunities for students.
“Professor Spenko’s team has been an inspiring example of how experts across disciplines can collaborate to push the boundaries of science and technology. They have advanced our understanding of diverse ecosystems, and I’m grateful that the XPRIZE Rainforest competition has given Illinois Tech an opportunity to undertake such an impactful collaboration,” Cassel said. He concluded, “This project advances our scientific knowledge and offers practical experience for our students, preparing them to tackle real-world challenges.”
Illinois Tech alumnus Jim Albrecht contributed generously to Welcome to the Jungle’s travel costs.
The winner of the XPRIZE Rainforest competition will be announced later this year.
