High Schoolers Win AI Challenge with Disaster Response Tech | Fayetteville News

High schoolers from Douglas Byrd High School stunned the nation by winning North Carolina’s top AI title with “Eagle Beacon,” an AI system that helps emergency responders find people during disasters when communication fails. This breakthrough is part of a dynamic partnership between Fayetteville State University and Cumberland County Schools, called Anchored in Excellence and AI Innovation, which pairs university mentors with K-12 students to solve real-world problems using AI. The program’s impact? Over 2,500 teams competed nationally, with Cumberland County claiming three of North Carolina’s seven state titles—and even an elementary school team’s AI cafeteria sorter, “Purrfectly Recyclable,” is set for publication in IEEE Xplore. This collaboration isn’t just about winning competitions—it’s building future-ready skills, sparking innovation, and proving that when schools, universities, and communities unite, they can turn AI from theory into life-saving tools. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/5c3b593e17116897