Team Members:
Francisco Diaz-Rodriguez – Undergraduate in Civil Engineering
Jillian Flynn – Undergraduate in Civil Engineering
Alex Holzke – Undergraduate in Civil Engineering
Ethan Rand – Undergraduate in Engineering Science
School: Vanderbilt University
Challenge: Resilience for All in the Wake of Disaster
Problem Definition: Develop holistic solutions to improve the resilience of the built environment, making equity a central focus of the proposed solution by strengthening the ability of communities—especially those that are underserved, marginalized and vulnerable—to adapt, persist, and recover in the event of natural or manmade disruptive events.
Project Title: Team Hephaestus
Solution: In the Western United States, wildfires occur frequently. While wildfires not only cause deforestation it negatively impacts people’s lives. We created a sensor that is able to detect early signs of wildfires and can greatly reduce the damage. Our main goal is to make this sensor available to lower income communities that are more susceptible to wildfires.