Monarch Butterfly Fund Issues Technology Design Challenge to Solve Mystery of Monarch Butterfly MigrationInventors invited to participate in $50,000 challenge to create new tracking device
Thanks to your support, the Monarch Butterfly Flight Challenge, an initiative launched by MBF in 2017, is achieving amazing results.
With initial funding from MBF, Dr. D. Andre Green and a group of engineers and biologists from the University of Michigan are developing a remarkable system for determining the daily flight path of migrating monarchs. This group has made a tiny solar-powered sensor - so small that it is only one tenth the weight of an adult monarch and equal to the weight of a flake of uncooked oatmeal. When a sensor is attached to the back (dorsal thorax) of a butterfly, it records time, temperature, and light each day wherever the butterfly is located. Thus, when a sensor-bearing monarch is in range of a detector at the end of the migration, the data from the monarch's migratory path can be downloaded and its location determined for the day. We are excited about what this system can tell us about monarch migration and its implications for improving our conservation efforts, and we are delighted that the Flight Challenge spurred development of this innovative technology. More details are found on the University of Michigan's website at http://monarch.engin.umich.edu/. |
About Monarch Butterfly FundThe Monarch Butterfly Fund (MBF) www.monarchconservation.org promotes the preservation of monarch butterflies and their extraordinary migration across North America. This goal is met through the Fund’s strong focus on maintaining healthy natural ecosystems and on developing safe places for the monarch population to thrive. Focused on conservation in the monarch wintering sites in Mexico, MBF is helping to ensure their preservation through scientific research and monitoring, forest conservation, education and outreach, sustainable development, and partnerships.
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