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    Student Team from Fort LeBoeuf School District Named PennDOT Regional Innovations Challenge Winner

    March 23, 2026

    The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that a team of students from the Fort LeBoeuf High School in Erie County was selected as the PennDOT Innovations Challenge regional winner in PennDOT Engineering District 1.  

    Mentored by teacher Cody Patton, team members include Patrick Hayes, Madison Link, and Eleanor Rodgers.

    The PennDOT Innovations Challenge – now in its ninth year – is a statewide competition for high school students to develop creative and strategic solutions to real-world transportation challenges. The challenge reflects the Shapiro Administration’s focus on a safe, efficient transportation system and growing Pennsylvania’s workforce by introducing students to current transportation challenges and encouraging them to explore careers in transportation after high school.

    With the unique challenge of keeping work crews protected and the travelling public safe in work zones, this year’s challenge asked students to develop a concept for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in work zones to dramatically improve safety for work crews and road users.

    The winning regional team’s innovation was to create AI-powered sensors and place them on signage in work zones. The sensors would pick up on passing drivers and pedestrians before sending a safety reminder via the hands-free technology in a car or to a pedestrian’s mobile device.  

    Regional Innovations Challenge winners will be invited to Harrisburg to present their solutions to the PennDOT Executive Deputy Secretary and a panel of judges in April, when the statewide winner will be determined.

    For this year’s challenge, the Transportation Policy and Education Foundation, an educational arm of the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors organization, the American Council of Engineering Companies of PA, the Mid-Atlantic Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Intelligent Transportation Society of Pennsylvania are providing a combined total award of $6,000 to the statewide winning team.

    For complete Innovations Challenge details, visit the PennDOT website.

    Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties at www.pa.gov/DOTDistrict1.  

    Find PennDOT news for the Northwest Region on X or Facebook. 

    MEDIA CONTACT: Saxon Daugherty, sadaughert@pa.gov or 814-678-7095

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