Investigating the Biological Impacts of Radio Spectrum Transmissions

Project Objective

The goal of this project is to measure the response of apis mellifera (the western honeybee) to Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF). The paradigm we will use is to see if the conditioned response can be associated with RF-EMF fields. The students will help construct a specialized feeder with an RF-EMF generator in a tunnel the bees must pass though to get a sugar reward. The students will build a measurement apparatus to measure the field strength and direction for DC fields, as well as and characterize the frequency for AC fields, for bees passing through the tunnel. The students will use an existing magnetometer to measure these fields. A second related project seeks to measure bees' responses to these fields in terms to the time and position of them through the tunnel using the open Computer Vision Library.

Reading Material

Week 1 Activities