Science Blog - Mission Mosquito

My mosquito trap was definitely a rollercoaster, and with this being the last required update, I still plan on seeing how the traps do after the internship finishes since this has been really interesting. To give some background, I set out three traps around 30-40 yards away from each other around my AOI so I could get an idea of how different areas may yield different results. The first trap...

Mosquito Trap Week 1 For the mosquito traps, I decided quite early on that my independent variable would be the container. I got 3 different containers; an old tire, a black bucket, and a gallon bottle/container while keeping all other factors the same. I used the same bait and the same amount of water and placed all 3 traps in my backyard behind the shade of the t​​​​​​​ree. I  decided on...

AOI Fieldwork At first, collecting land cover data for 37 points within my area of interest felt like a daunting task. However, after only a few "expeditions" in the past week, I was able to complete all 37 observations. To make my work easier and more accurate, I intentionally choose an AOI that would contain as many points as possible within a nearby park. This was to ensure that I could...

My fieldwork to map land via the Globe app led me to understand where I live better. Texas is the second-largest U.S. state by both area and population. There are only four deserts in North America, and Texas is home to the Chihuahuan Desert. Texas Land Conservancy [TLC] works to conserve natural areas, protect the physical and ecological integrity of their wildlife habitat and native plant...

When you start writing your GLOBE report for IVSS, it might be difficult because you might not sure where to start. We tend to start writing the Methods section first because it is something you did it yourselves, and it should be relatively easy and straightforward to write. Second, you should write the Results section, do graphs, tables and texts (think of a best way to present your cool...

On May 1, 2021, I did a lot of things. Most of them involved staying home, logging in to Microsoft Teams for virtual school, and doing my homework. Little did I know that my life would change that very evening. I logged off from school and opened Outlook to check my email, and I saw it immediately: “Congratulations on your NASA virtual internship!” For the next five months, I was immersed in...

Hello! My name is Nikita A., and I am from Chicago, Illinois. I participated in the NASA SEES Internship Program during the summer of 2022 as part of the Earth System Explorers team. Our program kicked off in the first week of June with an introductory webinar that detailed the goals for the next eight weeks. For the Earth System Explorers project, our goal was to research the harm...

My experiment aims to test how two variables impact the likelihood of mosquitoes breeding. The first variable is the water type, and I am testing with tap water, filtered water, and muddy water from a local pond. The second variable is the food in which mosquitos will breed. Therefore, I will add rice water and sugarcane juice to the three water types. So, I will end up with nine...

In October, our SEES research team presented at the 2022 MIT Undergraduate Research Technology Conference (MIT URTC), becoming the first SEES team ever to be selected to present a paper at this competition. We wanted to share our experience with MIT URTC, from the starting point of our SEES research project to developing a publishable manuscript and presenting our paper at the conference. At...

I have 5 identical buckets placed in shady areas around my yard. Two of these buckets (Buckets 1 and 2) are filled with equivalent amounts of water, grasses, leaves, and dirt, while another bucket (Bucket 3) contains everything but the dirt. I wanted to examine how dirtier water could attribute to a more habitable microenvironment for mosquitoes.  My two other buckets contain equivalent...

First Post:  For my project, I wanted to see how CO2 emissions could affect mosquito activity. To do this, I set up 4 water bottle traps. 2 of the traps contained a solution of tap water (1 cup), sugar (1/4 cup), and yeast (1 gram). The yeast and the sugar react to release carbon dioxide. (Fermentation) The other two bottles contained a basic solution of tap water and grass. One bottle of...

For my experiment, I decided to see which fruits or foods in general that mosquitos would be attracted to. From left to right, it was the cantaloupe, watermelon, control(which is nothing), and a pineapple in the last one. I wanted to test whether different fruits or foods affected the amount of larvae and mosquitos that are born. For the first week of testing, I did not spot anything or any...

For my mosquito habitat experiment, I decided to approach it from the perspective of the size of containers. I had 5 different containers, each of which is a different size, from a small bottle to a soap bottle to the largest, a gallon jug. For the first week of testing, I was able to set up the traps in their selective locations, however, was not able to check them till week the end of week 2...

For my mosquito habitat experiment, I decided to study the depth of container.  I had a large bucket, a medium bucket, and a small bucket.  For the first week, I decided to add fish food, but I am thinking about adding different types of baits throughout the weeks!   Here was my original set up, with it being placed under a tree in my backyard. Additionally, I had placed two...

Observation design Mosquito Monday 🦟 June 20, 2022 I checked in all 5 of my traps and only 1 was successful (homemade trap). I noticed the ones with sugar water had other bugs (dead) rather than mosquito eggs. I also notice that dirty water was less preferred than a cleaner habitat. I was so shocked to see actual larvae and so many pupas. I’ve never seen mosquito eggs before. Sadly, I...

Greetings! My experiment sought to determine which baits were most effective for mosquitos, with what resources I had on hand. To do this I placed 2 sets of samples in two adjacent parts of my AOI, with 4 mosquito traps each. I intend to check these traps every Sunday, counting the mosquito larvae and pupae that I find per trap. These traps followed the safety bottle trap design (there is...

My main goal is to see what attracts mosquitos and although there are so many variables out there I only had the resources to test 2: color vibrancy and bait! I have 6 plastic cups filled with about a cup and a half of water each in addition to their assigned "bait". 2 cups are my controls which only contain water. One is a vibrant purple while the other is white. I keep this paired design for...

Background: This experiment is based in Berryville, Virginia - a rural town with a population of about 4,500. Experimental Design: My experiment aims to answer two questions, a) What type of container (width & depth) suits mosquito breeding best, and b) What type of bait suits mosquito breeding best (naturally vs artificially produced). My variables are as follows, container type -...

Hello, my name is Christine and I’m from Redwood City!  I have set up my traps near where I live. For my experiment, I wanted to test to see if mosquitos had a preference for different types of water. I made sugar water, salt water, and dog food water. I also laid out a bowl of just plain tap water as the control. So, my independent variable will be the type of water while my dependent...

My experiment in South Korea has yielded some interesting results, to say the least. For my experiment, I wanted to see if the color of the environment was a significant factor in mosquitoes finding their habitat. Thus, in my pursuit of finding this out, I set up four buckets, two red and two white, to use as the potential nesting grounds for mosquitoes. I filled  the four buckets with...