Montoursville, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that a team of students from the Wellsboro Area School District in Tioga County was selected as the PennDOT Innovations Challenge regional winner in PennDOT Engineering District 3.
Mentored by Francis Novak, team members from Wellsboro Area High School include: Taylor Main, Ethan Geneski, Jude Cuneo, and Jacoby Strang.
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 “Perception Perfector”, a concept for a radar and a camera that would analyze drivers approaching a work zone, and if erratic driving was detected, lights placed on the road in the work zone would begin to flash to catch the driver’s attention, and the workers would be alerted by a wearable buzzer that would vibrate vigorously, allowing them time to react.
“Our district judges were impressed with the concept presented by the students from Wellsboro Area High School, noting that this concept is a realistic approach to alerting drivers of their erratic driving and speed while approaching an active work zone, potentially saving the life of the driver, passengers, and roadway workers,” said District 3 Executive Eric High. “Congratulations to team Perception Perfector and thank you for your participation in the Innovations Challenge.”
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 find transportation results in Tioga, Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Union, Snyder, Northumberland, Montour, and Columbia counties at www.pa.gov/DOTdistrict3.
Find PennDOT news on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Maggie Baker and Kim Smith at ra-pdd03crc@pa.gov
# # #