photo released by Shaurya Jain (right)
Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network.
These 2 Northern Virginia High School Students Just Got a $15,000 Grant to Use AI to Prevent Deer from Running into Cars
Every Virginian over 30 you could hope to meet will know someone who has collided with a deer in their car: the state is in the top ten nationwide for deer-related crashes.
These two high school seniors have just received a large grant to pursue their research into a device that detects cars and deer via artificially intelligent cameras and helps both avoid collisions.
Shaurya Jain and Anmol Karan from Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County received $15,000 after presenting their prototype.
The money came from the Animal Welfare Institute as a part of the Christine Stevens Wildlife Award, leaving the two young men feeling “honored.”
“Not everyone would trust a bunch of high schoolers with this kind of money,” Jain told WTOP.
Positioned on the side of the road, if the device detects cars and deer in the vicinity, it emits high-frequency pulses and animal sounds to deter the deer from attempting to cross at that moment. If positioned in places with high deer traffic, the boys hope it will stop them from impacting traffic, especially at night when visibility is low and deer are most active.
In 2022, 6,100 traffic collisions, or 15% of the total number in the state, involved deer, an incident ratio that left 500 people injured.
Mr. Jain says he was inspired by his religion, Jainism—which holds all animals to be sacred and carriers of souls, while Karan was moved to action by the news that his uncle had collided with a deer in his car at night in Loudon County and was severely injured.
“Seeing him caused me to just feel that there probably is some type of method that we can use to keep on these roads to prevent such accidents from happening,” said Karan.
The Virginia Transportation Research Council applauded the students’ idea and wrote letters of encouragement to them. They are still collecting data on deer injuries and hope to start roadside testing soon.
The good news in this article is that two young men felt strong enough about a problem to do something about it. Today’s JohnKu continues the theme of embracing people who are called to action. I hope you have a terrific weekend.
Action by John W. Howell © 2024
A problem exists,
Some would simply ignore it . . .
Others take action.
Fiction Favorites 
It is wonderful to see two young men so concerned with their ecosystem. Their invention should benefit animals and humans alike.
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I agree, GP. I liked this story because of the fact that these guys are so young and energetic.
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Very cool. I’m impressed that young people rose to this challenge.
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Me too, Craig. Thanks. 😁
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Depending on the nature and level of the sound, I’d be concerned about unexpected effects on the rest of the ecosystem, especially in a high traffic area.
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Good point, Linda. Maybe the sound is so brief that others won’t be affected. Would love to ask them if they thought about that.
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Great use of AI there.
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It is for sure.
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Young people continue to surprise, don’t they? We have a lot of deer kills here in the fall for that very reason. Lovely post!
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It’s really good to see these young guys doing something to work on a big problem.
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It sure is, Tim. Thanks.
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What a great idea! I sure hope it works.
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Me too. Thanks, Deborah
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Your JohnKu is most appropriate today. With all the negative news around, it’s wonderful that these two bright and caring young men are working to solve (at least partially) a problem that can be fatal for humans and deer. I hope it works.
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I do too, Debbie. Thanks.
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What a fantastic idea! It will save lives of both humans and deer. I’m betting these two young men will go far in life.
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I’m betting they will as well, Teri. Let’s hope so.
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It’s amazing when young people think of ways to fix something we have just come to accept.
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You are so right. Cars and Deer have been coming together since the car was invented. I’m glad these two decided to color outside the lines.
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We sure hope their research helps the deer out. When we last drove to Texas we had a deer run into us and boy it left quite a bit of damage. Plus it never ends well for them after they’ve been hit. Thanks for sharing a feel good story this week. We especially needed it.
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I’m glad you found the good news refreshing, Monika. 😁
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I love seeing the younger generation trying to make the world a better place! I wonder if their project would also deter moose, which cause accident fatalities because of their size.
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That is a good question. Maybe the principle is the same.
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I would think so.
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Yup
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I am more than a little impressed. How marvelous that these young people are embracing the opportunity to make this world a better place for man AND beast! AND that they are being taken seriously.
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I agree, Annette. It is like miracle that they are being taken seriously.
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Thank you for sharing this, John. It’s wonderful to learn of people who work to make a difference. These two young men deserve plenty of cheers. 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏻
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They certainly do, Gwen. I’m sure the would love the applause. 😁
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A terrific weekend to you too, John and thank you for the feel-good stories. My brother and I clipped a deer in the middle of the night, outside of Austin a few years ago. Scary and sad. Best wishes to those young men!
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I had a horse kick the side of my car with his hind hooves. There were two horseshoe dents in the door. He came out of nowhere at night. Scared the poop out of me.
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I imagine it would! 😨
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😊
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Your JohnKu is pin-point accurate when it comes to these two young men. Good news, indeed!
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Thank you, Jennie. They are pretty special kids for sure.
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🙂
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Timely article. My son just had a deer run into his car, in Maryland. We had to look up the law to see what was required on his part. Like you said, turns out it’s pretty common.
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Sadly all too common.
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This is a huge problem where we live. I’ve had a couple of close calls and several friends who weren’t so lucky.
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Yes it is especially on those dark roads. Thanks, Pete.
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That is great news and it can maybe be applied to moose too. My brother colided with a moose in northern Sweden. His car was totaled and the crumbled car roof cover his one year old daughter Greta’s car seat. Luckily she was uninjured and no one was injured. However, wildlife collisions are a big problem in northen Sweden as well as large parts of the United States. I can just imagine Colorado.
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It remains to be seen if it is an effective way to prevent collisions. I hope there is a follow up sometime. Thanks, Thomas.
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Two things I love about this story:
The young men who are serious-minded and care about both the human and deer casualties and want to do something to help.
Using AI, which I have a basic mistrust of, for something so positive!
Thanks, John, for sharing this story!
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I thought it was a good one for the reasons you have stated. Thanks, Jill. Have a super weekend.
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You too, my friend!
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I am awaiting the day when AI is making it possible to do conversations with our pets. Then you will enjoy the orders of Tempeste and Twiggy! Lol xx Michael
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That would be fun, Michael. Thanks and have a super weekend.
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I so enjoy seeing these good news stories, John. Thank you very much for sharing them. Hugs.
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I’m so glad, Teagan. Hugs.
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Great idea!
Fab JohnKu.
This is a great use of AI. Goes to show there are a lot of good intentions out there.
I always wonder about those whose minds jump to nefariousness when a new tech is released.
OX OX OX OX
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Thank you, Resa 🐂 🐂 🐂 🐂
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🌹❦ 🐂 🐂 🐂 🐂
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😊X
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Wow. Impressive. I grew up in Ohio. Both my dad and I ran into deer. This would’ve been helpful indeed!
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I think so too, Betsy. Thanks.
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The young ones will save the world. 🙂
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They will. Thanks, Debby
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🙂
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An actual great use for AI. I know they’re out there, and this one is just great. Love the story Sheriff.
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Thank you, Pilgrim.
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🙂
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