How do we identify mosquitoes?
This question was the starting point of the Mosquito Alert scientific route during the 24th edition of Science Week at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Blanes (CEAB), one of the project’s coordinating centers, held on 13, 14 and 15 November. This initiative brought together secondary and high school students with the aim of introducing them to research and the different phases of scientific research.
The sessions were led by Santi Escartín and Mar Jambou, both in charge of the Mosquito Alert educational project, together with Monika Falk, an expert in artificial intelligence from the same team. At the beginning there was a small debate, where students participated by contributing ideas on how to identify mosquitoes, exploring concepts related to mosquito biology and the importance of studying them in the current context.
The first topic to be addressed was traditional sampling, which encompasses the different types of traps that have been used over the years by the project’s scientific team. Santi explained how, in practice, the solutions devised to carry out an experiment can be difficult to implement in real conditions. Factors such as the availability of electricity, the location of the traps, the impact of local fauna or even incivility can influence the effectiveness of the experiments. This reflection served to highlight the importance of creativity in science and to find practical and innovative solutions.
Next, they visited the Laboratory for Experimentation with Living Organisms, the LEOV. There they showed the equipment used to study mosquitoes, such as the temperature and humidity controlled chambers where the colonies are grown.
After explaining the basics of traditional sampling and guidelines for designing experiments to study the mosquito life cycle in the laboratory, a new question was raised:
How can we do this on a large scale, how could we get data from a small village in Germany without having to go all the way there?
This question led to a very enriching discussion, allowing the students to discover the concept of citizen science and its applications. In this context, it was explained how, through the Mosquito Alert application, the project collects citizen data from all over the world and makes it public on the project’s interactive public map. This data has enabled the discovery of new species, such as the tiger mosquito, in areas where its presence had not previously been documented.
The explanation served to introduce the concept of artificial intelligence (AI), an essential tool in the development of the project. Monika explained to the students how this technology works and how it can identify mosquitoes quickly and efficiently, almost in real time. This innovation, combined with the expertise of our community of entomology specialists from around the world, is essential to ensure the long-term success of the project.
This experience gave students the opportunity to understand not only the scientific process behind the study of mosquitoes, but also the importance of combining advanced technologies, citizen collaboration and creativity to address global challenges such as surveillance and control of invasive species.
