Publications

Preparing Students for the Future: A Need to Integrate Entomology and Technology Education

Published in American Entomologist, 2026

“…students are not often taught how to bridge biology and technology. If students are expected to be both tech savvy and bug smart, we need support and opportunities to develop skills in both areas to excel.”

Recommended citation: Torres KM, (2026). "Preparing Students for the Future: A Need to Integrate Entomology and Technology Education." American Entomologist, 72(1) 30-31. doi: 10.1093/ae/tmag011
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Integration of wing pattern morphology and deep learning to support Plusiinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) pest identification

Published in Frontiers in Agronomy, 2025

“…This study introduces a novel application of existing deep learning models and techniques for quickly identifying plusiine pests, with potential uses for pest monitoring programs targeting economic plusiine pests beyond SBL [Soybean looper, Chrysodeixis includens].”

Recommended citation: Torres KM, Tan C, Mollet KA, Smith-Pardo AH, Xu R, Li C and Paula-Moraes SV. (2025). "Integration of wing pattern morphology and deep learning to support Plusiinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) pest identification." Frontiers in Agronomy, 7:1602164. doi: 10.3389/fagro.2025.1602164
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Validation of wing geometric morphometrics in Chrysodeixis spp.(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to support pest identification in invasive species survey programs

Published in Frontiers in Insect Science, 2025

“…Our results validated the use of GM for distinguishing the invasive [Chrysodeixis] chalcites from the native C. includens. A limited number of landmarks on the center of the wing was used to address the challenges in GM for trap-collected lepidopteran pests.”

Recommended citation: Smith-Pardo AH, Torres KM and Paula-Moraes SV. (2025). "Validation of wing geometric morphometrics in Chrysodeixis spp.(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to support pest identification in invasive species survey programs." Frontiers in Insect Science, 5:1542467. doi: 10.3389/finsc.2025.1542467
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Biophysical and anthropogenic factors influencing human-caused wildfire occurrence in the southeastern United States

Published in UF Undergraduate Honors Theses Collection, 2025

Recommended citation: Torres KM. (2025). Biophysical and anthropogenic factors influencing human-caused wildfire occurrence in the southeastern United States [Undergraduate Honors Thesis, University of Florida]. UF Undergraduate Honors Theses Collection. https://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00115146/00001/pdf
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