RHS Junior Named 2024 Washington State Delegate to the American Junior Academy of Science

RSD is thrilled to announce that Advaitha Motkuri, a junior at Richland High School, was named a 2024 Washington State delegate to the American Junior Academy of Science (AJAS). Advaitha is one of eleven students, Washington State Academy of Sciences’ largest delegation ever, were selected based on original STEM research they conducted while in high school.

AJAS is a National Honor Society for students who have completed exemplar scientific research projects while attending high school. It the only honor society for pre-college research scientists.  

Advaitha’s scientific research project, “AmEyeDrunk? The Future of Intoxication Detection,” uses computer vision algorithms to analyze pupil size and reactivity to predict intoxication. She has spent the past couple of years developing and refining an app which will serve as a tool for individuals to assess their level of intoxication based on a ratio of the diameter of the small and big circles in their eyes. If intoxication is detected, the app gives an option to call an emergency contact or a rideshare company for a ride home. Advaitha’s main goal is to help people make informed decisions about their level of impairment and prevent drunk driving related deaths. View a short presentation of Advaitha’s project at https://washacad.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/motkuri_slides.pdf.

As a Washington State delegate, Advaitha has been invited to attend the AJAS annual conference, which is held in conjunction with the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in February 2024. During the conference, she will have the opportunity to tour local institutions of scientific importance, share her research with her peers and with other scientists, attend conference sessions, and will be inducted as lifetime Fellows into the American Junior Academy of Science.