Farhat Azam and a prototype of the AI-enabled smart mosquito trap [Photo by Innovative Education]
By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing
Farhat Azam thought her parents were going to die.
It was 2019, and they contracted dengue from a mosquito bite during what would become the worst dengue epidemic on record in Southeast Asia, with 658,000 cases reported.
Azam was infected too.
But at 23, she was far younger than her parents and better able to fight off the virus.
鈥淵ou can guess how much the disease affected them,鈥� Azam said. 鈥淭hey were also thinking they would die from it.鈥�
They pulled through, but those frightening weeks inspired Azam鈥檚 studies at the University of South Florida.
She earned a master鈥檚 degree in computer science from USF in 2023 and will receive her doctoral degree in the same discipline this summer.
Since arriving at USF in 2021, she鈥檚 been part of a faculty-led team developing an artificial intelligence-enabled smart mosquito trap. The technology identifies disease-carrying mosquitoes, such as those spreading malaria, West Nile virus, Zika virus, yellow fever and dengue.
The technology works like this:
Bait lures mosquitoes into the trap where they land on a sticky pad. A camera takes a photograph that is then uploaded to the a cloud service.
Using artificial intelligence, the system identifies the type of mosquito.
鈥淥nly 2.5% of all mosquito species are known vectors for 78 human disease-causing pathogens,鈥� Azam said.
If a captured mosquito belongs to one of those species, the trap鈥檚 owner and local public health agency receive an alert.
Professor Sriram Chellappan and Farhat Azam [Photo by Innovative Education]
The health agency can then notify the public of the danger and destroy the mosquito breeding habitat.
This project is a collaborative effort between Ryan Carney, an associate professor of integrative biology, and Sriram Chellappan, a professor in computer science and engineering. Together, they also developed a global tracking website that works in tandem with the smart trap, allowing citizens to photograph and upload mosquito sightings as an additional detection method.
Azam has been charged with leading the team working on the AI models to classify the images and detect the mosquito species.
鈥淲hen she joined my group, I vividly remember her excitement at contributing to mosquito surveillance and with AI technologies,鈥� Chellappan said. 鈥淔arhat immersed herself in data collection, algorithms development, testing in the field and interacting with Hillsborough County mosquito control districts.鈥�
For Azam, the project is deeply personal
While Azam and her family were sick with dengue, she said the number of clot-forming cells in their bloodstream dropped dangerously low 鈥� a condition called thrombocytopenia. Their bodies ached, and fevers were high.
鈥淚t was very painful,鈥� Azam said. 鈥淲e had lost so much energy. We couldn鈥檛 even get up and stand for 14 days.鈥�
Farhat Azam in her lab at the OB体育官网 [Photo by Andres Faza, University Communications and Marketing]
Once healthy, she earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in electrical and electronics engineering from another university. Azam then continued her education at USF because of her interest in AI.
Even before USF announced it would launch the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing this fall, Azam said that the university has already long been renowned as a top place to study the subject.
鈥淚 wanted to apply my AI skills in a specific field where I can see the impact it can make,鈥� Azam said. 鈥淲hen I saw the mosquito project, I was very overwhelmed. It gets me very excited because I know how mosquito-borne diseases can affect people.鈥�
Farhat Azam works on the AI-enabled smart mosquito trap [Photo by Innovative Education]
This project, funded in part by a $3.6 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also showcases the impact that USF has on the nation, said Azam, who has worked under Chellappan on the project. 鈥淲ithout him, it would never come to reality. He has great vision.鈥�
The admiration is mutual.
鈥淔arhat was an incredible joy to work with,鈥� Chellappan said. 鈥淗er commitment greatly helps our group's effort to make Florida safer from mosquito-borne diseases.鈥�
The trap, which is designed, 3D-printed and assembled by USF engineering students, is being deployed throughout Hillsborough County for test runs.
After that, Azam hopes the trap will be adopted nationwide 鈥� so no other family suffers like hers did.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to the day,鈥� she said, 鈥渨hen I go to any place and see the trap hanging there.鈥�