This award is presented annually to an ASU faculty member whose innovative research assists individuals and communities in Arizona and around the world.

Limelight Rainforest, a groundbreaking group of ASU professors and researchers who developed a technology to measure biodiversity in the rainforest, is this year’s recipient of the Faculty Research Achievement Award. 

• Formerly known as Team Waponi, Limelight Rainforest placed first in the XPRIZE Rainforest competition, earning $5 million to further their research. 
• For five years, the team worked to create a solution that quantifies the value of the rainforest by measuring its biodiversity, aiming to improve conservation efforts. 
• The team consists of experts in biology, neuroscience, ecology, bird and insect identification, bioinformatics and anthropology. Their solution incorporates Indigenous knowledge and artificial intelligence data. 

Limelight Rainforest is a team composed of a dynamic and diverse group of professionals from across the globe. Among them are several esteemed ASU faculty members, whose creative contributions have played an instrumental role in the project’s success.

In July 2024, Limelight Rainforest competed in the XPRIZE final. To assess the value of the rainforest, the team deployed drones that released devices onto the rainforest canopy. These devices collected bioacoustic data, images and samples of plants and insects. The data was sent in real time to a base that used machine learning to identify species, and then the drones were removed.

With 24 hours to deploy their solution and 48 hours to analyze the results, the team collected data from over 250 species and 700 unique plant and animal populations. Acclaimed for its efficiency and practicality, the team’s solution is an ideal tool for local communities and conservationists. The project’s success reflects the creativity and collaboration of experts across multiple fields working together toward a shared vision.

Garth Paine, an acoustic ecologist, composer and associate professor at the Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts, created the bioacoustics recorders used in the team’s devices to analyze species density. He also directs ASU’s Acoustic Ecology Research Lab and researches new approaches to the exploration of sound. To address the challenge of quantifying the rainforest’s biodiversity, Paine collaborated with Pavan Turaga, professor at the School of Arts, Media and Engineering and the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering. Turaga’s machine learning and artificial intelligence expertise was essential in assessing the diversity of sound being recorded.

David Manuel-Navarrete, associate professor at the School of Sustainability, specializes in environmental policy and social-ecological systems. Tod Swanson, associate professor of religious studies at the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, focuses on Indigenous perspectives regarding nature in the western Amazon. Together, they ensured the integration of Indigenous knowledge in measuring the economic value of the rainforest, a critical point in the project.

Nicholas Pilarski, associate professor at The Sidney Poitier New American Film School, creates immersive experiences and was involved in the early stages of the project. He partners with communities to develop technology, generating alternatives to common media structures. Ankita Shukla, now an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, worked on the team as a postdoctoral research scholar at the School of Arts, Media and Engineering at ASU.