The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently selected a team of students from Conestoga High School as the statewide winner for the 2026 Innovations Challenge.
[Above photo by PennDOT]
Mentored by Karen Mull – a teacher at Conestoga High School – the winning team included Miya Cao, Daniel Loza, and Prranit Arora.
For this year’s Innovations Challenge, students were asked to develop a concept for the use of artificial intelligence or AI in work zones to dramatically improve safety for work crews and drivers.
The participating students outlined a plan for how PennDOT can use smarter systems to prevent crashes and protect those who are “working to build a better Pennsylvania.” Concepts also took into consideration cost-benefit information and statewide deployment, as well as public outreach.
“Every day, crews are out of their vehicles working on our highways and bridges, one of the most dangerous places in our communities for workers,” said Mike Carroll, PennDOT secretary, in a statement.
“Safety is the most critical aspect of maintenance and construction, for travelers and work crews,” he added. “I am encouraged to see young people harnessing new technology to find ways to improve safety in our work zones.”
The winning team’s proposal was the Safe Window Scheduling System, an AI machine learning model to identify lower-risk time windows for work zone activity based on weather, weekday, time, and roadway classification. The system created by the students produces 72-hour safety forecasts to guide construction scheduling, PennDOT said.
The agency added that several organizations provided a combined total of $6,000 to the winning team: Transportation Policy and Education Foundation, an educational arm of the Associated Pennsylvania Constructors; American Council of Engineering Companies of PA; Mid-Atlantic Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers; and the Intelligent Transportation Society of Pennsylvania.
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