A Grafton High School graduate recently won the National Society of High School Scholars’ $2,000 Innovation in Technology Scholarship for her AI-based earthquake disaster preparedness project.
Ann Elizabeth Cherian will attend Virginia Tech to study computer engineering and hopes to eventually earn a master’s degree in biomedical engineering.
Her interest in technology grew through high school engineering programs and a summer camp called C Tech Square, where she and her teammates developed Seismo AI, a project that combines a wall-mounted sensor with a mobile application to help communities prepare for earthquakes.
“During this camp, we were all given a design project in groups, and we were all basically told to pick a natural disaster and then, based on that, make a product that can help with that, using engineering principles to build a prototype,” Cherian said.
The project includes a wall-mounted device designed to measure vibration frequencies associated with earthquakes. The device connects to a mobile app that provides emergency contacts and guidance on actions residents can take during a disaster.
Cherian served as team lead, coordinating the group’s work and presenting the project to judges from Bloomberg Engineering.
“The project really showed me how software and data and human-centered design can work together to turn complex scientific information into practical guidance for communities,” Cherian said.
Cherian’s interest in biomedical engineering was also influenced by the death of her grandmother, which led her to think about how technology could improve access to health care.
Receiving the scholarship was meaningful for Cherian and her family, she said, because of the financial support it provides and the encouragement it offers as she pursues a career in technology and engineering.
