Shantanu learned that in the 1970s, scientists experimented with sound to control insects. Many male flying insects, including mosquitoes, use the buzzing sound of females’ wings to find mates. (Female mosquitoes are the ones that bite.) If a device made a similar noise, it could attract the males and trap them so the insects couldn’t reproduce. But at the time, the sound equipment needed was too expensive for widespread use.

Sound systems today are much cheaper. Shantanu decided to build a device to attract male mosquitoes with sound. He contacted Richard Mankin, an entomologist at a U.S. Department of Agriculture lab in Gainesville, Florida, who agreed to let him test the idea.

Shantanu got the components he needed for his invention online. He bought a microcontroller to control sound production, an amplifier, a speaker, and an adapter—all for about $20.   

"From what I’d read, I had a pretty good idea of the frequency range I was aiming for,” says Shantanu. Frequency is a measure of how often a sound wave repeats. Higher-pitched sounds have higher frequencies. 

Females buzz at different frequencies, and not all males are attracted to the same pitch. To attract as many male mosquitoes as possible, Shantanu had his device start out with a lower buzz and rev up to higher notes, “sort of like a race car engine,” he says. 

When everything seemed to be working, Shantanu headed to the lab in Gainesville. Mankin provided cages of mosquitoes and watched as Shantanu switched on his device. “It was cool,” says Mankin. “All of a sudden the males went right over to the speaker.”

Shantanu tested different frequency ranges until he found the one that was most effective at attracting males and recorded video of his results. His work earned him a spot as a finalist at the 2015 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

By pairing his device with a sticky trap or a bug zapper, Shantanu hopes it can provide a safe, affordable way to reduce mosquito populations in areas threatened by mosquito-borne diseases (see map). He even hopes it will bring changes to his hometown: “I’d love not to have to see the big trucks going down the street spraying insecticides anymore,” he says.