DEER DASH
By Tracy Owens
Proximity to nature is one of the amenities of Martins Chase, a neighborhood just west of Belmont Ridge Road. Surrounded by woods and the Beaverdam Reservoir, Anmol Karan enjoys living there.
But in areas like this – where natural beauty and residential living come together – deer are plentiful, and so are the accidents they can cause on area roads.
Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, there were 27 deer-vehicle collisions in Loudoun County, according to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
Karan, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, heard stories from family and friends about occasional accidents involving deer and lots of near misses. Interested in software application development and artificial intelligence, he wondered whether there was a techy solution to this familiar problem.
He and classmate Shaurya Jain, who lives near Willowsford, had an idea for a roadside device to warn deer. Their device, which they call DeerDash, won them a 2024 Christine Stevens Wildlife Award and a $15,000 grant from the Animal Welfare Institute. This award, which funds humane and new solutions for wildlife-human conflict management, had never been given to high school students before.
Once developed, Karan and Jain’s device would be placed near areas with high deer traffic and would include a camera and use AI to “see” the deer. The device would be designed to emit a sound that mimics one from a human or animal, called a biosound. Karan explains that biosounds have been used in other deterrence devices. “But over time the deer get habituated to the sound,” he said. “Habituation is a major challenge.”
Paul Kosek teaches web application development at Thomas Jefferson and had the two young men in class last year, where he helped them hone their idea and apply for the Stevens grant. Kosek said the two students have different personalities and strengths that complement each other.
“Anmol stands out for his inquisitiveness,” Kosek said. “You don’t always have students willing to ask questions. Jain, he added, “has a real enthusiasm to work hard and an enthusiasm for life.”
Kosek described both young men as standing out for the empathy and caring that drive them to want to create solutions to real problems, not as class projects but a way to make a difference.
“I’m an enthusiastic cheerleader,” Kosek said. “It’s exciting to see students get recognized for their initiative.”
Karan and Jain are in the prototype stage of their invention and have worked to move beyond coding into such practical questions as camera choice and what kind of material would be used to house the roadside device.
They hope to have a device ready for testing in the spring, Jain said.
The two have been interested in computer science since they were at Brambleton Middle School, where they learned coding. Both plan to study computer science in college.
Jain hopes to land at a school with an AI research focus. Karan hopes to find a school that has both a strong music program and computer science program. A bassoon player, he has been part of the All-Virginia Concert Band and Virginia’s District 11 All-District Band.
Wherever the two wind up in college, Karan says, “This project is something we’ll continue.”
AVOIDING DEER VS. VEHICLE COLLISIONS
Shelby Crouch, public information officer for Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, has some tips for avoiding deer-vehicle collisions:
- Slow down and pay attention, particularly if you are driving after dusk.
- If you see one deer, look for others – deer travel in family groups.
- Use particular caution in areas marked by deer crossing signs– these are high-activity areas.
- Always wear your seat belt.
- If you do collide with a deer, immediately report the accident to local law enforcement. Do not approach an injured deer.
Tracy Owens is a former magazine editor who writes about arts, businesses and people in the Southeast. Her work has appeared in Salon, Gulfshore Life, Islandia Journal and many other publications.