From May 4-7, the Driven to Protect Virginia team participated in the 2023 Technosphere conference. The event, held at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, is hosted by the Virginia Association of the Technology Student Association (TSA). Attendees consisted of middle school and high school students looking to gain leadership, personal development and career opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) through applied experiences, competitions, and programming.
Driven to Protect is an initiative of the DADSS Research Program, which empowers states to join the fight against drunk driving by advancing lifesaving safety technology. Virginia was the first state to join the Driven to Protect Initiative. The Technosphere event gave students a first-hand look at the technology under development, to reinforce the dangers of drinking and driving, encourage them to see advanced sensor technology as a solution to this deadly problem, and showcase how STEM can help save lives by protecting against human error.
Students had hands-on interaction with the DADSS technology in the Driven to Protect Demonstration Vehicle and the steering wheel demonstration. Students also had the chance to ask questions about the engineering behind the DADSS tech.
The Driven to Protect team engaged with around 75-100 people and passed out programs and flyers to attendees. Many parent volunteers, Technosphere members, and other state educators engaged with the technology and learned more about the Driven to Protect initiative. This was the second year Driven to Protect Virginia has participated in this event.