Student develops app alert for hot cars
A 13-year-old Las Vegas middle schooler has made it his mission to save children left in hot cars from heatstroke.
Zane Pasha, who will be an eighth-grader at The Meadows School near Rampart and Lake Mead boulevards, was named the Nevada state merit winner in the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge for his app concept aimed at alerting parents about rising vehicle temperatures on hot days.
The HeatSafe mobile app would be paired with a special wireless thermometer to be left inside a car. Zane is still developing the app components.
As planned, the owner will receive a cellphone alert when the vehicle temperature reaches 90 degrees. If a child had been forgotten in the car, he explained, parents would have enough time at this point to return and rescue the kid before heatstroke sets in at 104 degrees.
Itâs a concept that would be really helpful here in the Southwest, he said in June. And that‘s what inspired him.
"I saw that there‘s so many kids dying from heatstroke in cars," Zane said. "Even in 85-degree weather outside, in about 10 to 20 minutes it can reach 104 degrees inside the car because of convection. It‘s like a microwave oven pretty much."
The Young Scientist Challenge encouraged children across the United States to create a video explaining their concept for a "new innovation or solution" to a problem that affects their communities or the world.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, at least 30 children died from a heatstroke in 2014 after being left in a vehicle. Since 1998, 636 kids have died this way. However, anybody could succumb to such hot conditions. Last year, three adults -- ages 20, 58 and 68 -- died due to heatstroke in vehicle-related incidents in Nevada.
Zane came up with the idea for HeatSafe in late 2014 after sitting in his parents‘ car while they pumped gas. In less than five minutes, he began to feel the effects of the Nevada heat.
"I looked it up and no one really made something to alert parents about temperature rising in their car," said Zane, who scored a 1590 out of a possible 1600 on his SAT this year. "I realized this would be a good time to make it because of global warming; everything is getting hotter too. So there are going to be more deaths in cars if someone doesn‘t stop the problem."
He was named Nevada‘s state merit winner, earning a Technology Prize Pack which included a Kindle e-reader and $299. One child in every state, as well as Washington, received the same package.
However, to Zane it‘s about saving kids, not receiving rewards.
Zane‘s mother, Dr. Shazia Kirmani-Pasha, said she‘s proud that her son‘s concept was recognized. With 19 years of pediatric practice in Las Vegas under her belt, she‘s familiar with the dangers of heatstroke.
"HeatSafe is a very tangible tool that uses current technology to solve a burning problem, especially in our desert environment. As a pediatrician I spend hours counseling parents on safety and prevention of injuries and mortality," she said. "Zane‘s concept of a device attached to a car seat, diaper bag, child‘s clothing, animal‘s collar etc., which can send a message to a mobile device warning of a sudden temperature escalation, can save lives."
Zane was one of six students in his competitive science class to enter the challenge. He has also participated in challenges such as Science Bowl.
Francesca Gerbino, who teaches the competitive science class at The Meadows School, believes her tenacious student‘s concept can benefit locals.
"It‘s something that potentially ... could be used by our community," she said. "People do leave children, pets, et cetera in cars and having a way to not have it reach dangerous temperatures would be neat."
Zane is spending his summer at Stanford University‘s Computer Science and Robotics Program for Middle School Students in California. He said he plans to go to college there, then earn his medical degree from Maryland‘s Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, closely following in his mother‘s footsteps.
He said his parents have encouraged him to make HeatSafe more than just a concept so it can begin to save lives.
Contact May Ortega at mortega@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2908. Follow @MayVOrtega on Twitter.
