Engineered Sensing and Automation Systems to Enhance Island Biosecurity
Date: Tue, November 04, 2025
Time: 10:00am - 11:00am
Location: Holmes Hall 389; online available, check your email or contact us
Speaker: Dr. Daniel Jenkins, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
(hosted by Prof. Yao Zheng (yaozheng@hawaii.edu), College of Engineering, ECE Department)
ECE Graduate Students: This will count towards your seminar credit.
Abstract
This seminar presents recent advances in integrating autonomous sensing, embedded systems, and aerial robotics to strengthen biosecurity and invasive species management in Hawai‘i and the Pacific. Our laboratory has developed distributed, cellular-networked surveillance systems that pair embedded cameras with web-based machine vision tools for real-time pest detection, including the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB). Using deep learning models (e.g., YOLOv8) within cloud-connected IoT frameworks, these systems achieve high-precision automated image classification to support early detection and eradication programs. The talk will also highlight complementary efforts using acoustic sensing for species such as coqui frogs and boring insects, and drone platforms for precision pesticide application in palm crowns. Together, these engineered systems demonstrate new opportunities for multi-modal detection, autonomous operation, and rapid response to protect island ecosystems from invasive threats.
Biography
Dr. Daniel M. Jenkins is a Professor in the Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and Chief Technical Officer of Diagenetix, Inc. He earned his B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Cornell University and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. His research integrates biosensing, embedded systems, and aerial robotics to advance biosecurity, invasive species management, and precision agriculture across island ecosystems. He has led or co-led over $17 million in research supported by USDA, NIH, DoD, and the Hawai‘i Invasive Species Council, resulting in patented technologies and field-deployed autonomous systems for early pest detection, including cellular-networked surveillance and drone-based control of the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle.