Congressman Vern Buchanan | Vern Buchanan Official Website
Congressman Vern Buchanan | Vern Buchanan Official Website
Today in Bradenton, Florida, Congressman Vern Buchanan honored Manav Pulluru as the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for Florida’s 16th District. Pulluru, a junior at The Out-of-Door Academy, developed a software application aimed at helping older adults over 65 identify potential falling risks in their homes.
Buchanan praised Pulluru's innovation and dedication to aiding older Americans. "I am very impressed and heartened to see this young student using his abilities to help our aging population," said Buchanan. "Falls are the leading cause of injury for adults ages 65 and older, with over 14 million older adults reporting a fall every year. With nearly two hundred thousand seniors in my district and millions throughout the state of Florida, this app has the potential to help lower these risks and keep people safe."
He further emphasized the importance of STEM education: “STEM education gives students the tools they need to succeed and help the U.S. compete in an increasingly global 21st century economy,” he stated. “Children are 25 percent of the population, but 100 percent of the future, and the future is in good hands with students like Manav.”
The winning application, SafeHavenAI, employs AI technology and image recognition from uploaded photos combined with an algorithm and medically approved questions to assess fall risks at home. Pulluru was motivated by personal experience when his great-grandfather suffered a fall that resulted in severe injuries.
“After seeing how a fall changed the life of my own great-grandfather, I knew something had to be done,” said Pulluru. “With one in four older adults falling each year, my partner and I created SafeHavenAI to prevent these accidents. I hope that this app will be able to eliminate preventable falls from seniors, helping families like mine save money and ensuring their loved ones are safer in their living environment.”
Pulluru collaborated on this project with Ashni Singh, a ninth-grader at Choate Rosemary Hall in San Francisco.
SafeHavenAI will be showcased on House.gov for one year and on CongressionalAppChallenge.us indefinitely. Additionally, Pulluru will benefit from waived copyright registration fees through the ARTS Act.
According to projections by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment is expected to increase by 4% between 2023 and 2033; however, jobs within STEM fields are anticipated to grow by approximately 10.4%.
The Congressional App Challenge was initiated by Congress in 2015 as an opportunity for students nationwide to compete by developing applications across various platforms including desktop/PCs or mobile devices while promoting innovation within computer science disciplines.