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Finalist

Welcome to the Jungle

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Who we are

The Welcome to the Jungle team is accelerating the discovery of rainforest biodiversity using innovative, affordable, and autonomous tools.  From data capture to its socioeconomic valuation, the team is creating an end-to-end solution to quickly and comprehensively assess a rainforest's biodiversity that incorporates autonomous technology with indigenous insights and global viewpoints. This competition is an inflection point towards much improved access and understanding of the rainforest and our collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach promises to have a big impact.

Welcome to the Jungle Team

Our Team

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Matthew Spenko

Professor

Mechanical Engineering

Illinois Tech

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David Bonham

PhD Student

Mechanical Engineering

Illinois Tech

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Jinha Jung

Associate Professor

Civil Engineering

Purdue University

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Joshua Carpenter

PhD Candidate

Civil Engineering

Purdue University

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Chuck Cannon

Director

Center for Tree Science

Morton Arboretum

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Chai-Shian KUA

Urban Tree Science Leader

ISA Certified Arborist

Ecological Genomicist

Morton Arboretum

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Wang Cai

Post-doctoral Researcher

Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden

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Jonathan Baillie

President and Chair

Natural State

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Matt Rogan

Biodiversity Data Scientist

Natural State

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Ross Tyzack Pitman

Head of Technical Delivery

Natural State

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Molly Blank

Director of Restoration Projects

Natural State

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Halima Hassan

Social Impact Lead

Natural State

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Margaret Njuguna

Field Implementation Lead

Natural State

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Glenn Shepard

Staff Researcher

Dept. of Human Sciences

Goeldi Museum

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Juvencio Baniwa

Director

Enopana Center for Indigenous Research and Training

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Armindo Feliciano Brazão

Indigenous Researcher

Baniwa Indigenous Association of the Içana River

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Alfredo Feliciano Miguel

Former President

Baniwa Indigenous Association of the Içana River

Undergraduate StudentS

  • Patrick Grider
  • Patrick Dunne
  • Naia Lum
  • Khang Pham
  • Andrew Steetz
  • Ethan Jenssen
  • IIT Interprofessional Projects Program (IPRO) Xprize Rainforest Development Team
    • Spring '22
    • Fall '22
    • Spring '23
    • Fall '23

News

Dec 15, 2023 - An article (Saving the World, One Prize at a Time) was published in Unmanned Systems. 

Acknowledgement

Our team thanks Jim Albrecht (Illinois Tech, FE ’53, M.S. ’55) for his generous contribution, which covered Illinois Tech's travel expenses for the semi-final competition in Singapore and will continue to support our travel expenses for the upcoming finals in Amazonas, Brazil.

Our team thanks the Institute for Digital Forestry at Purdue University for the generous contribution, which covered Purdue team members' travel expenses for the semi-final competition in Singapore and will continue to support our travel expenses for the upcoming finals in Amazonas, Brazil.

XPRIZE Rainforest Final Competition in

Showtime!