A 19-year-old Romanian student has won the prestigious Intel ISEF award for computer science research. Ionuţ Budişteanu from Râmnicu Vâlcea (in picture, middle) picked up USD 75,000 in prize money at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, USA.

The young Romanian's project uses artificial intelligence for a self-driving car that reads the car's position and irregularities in the road. The high number of deaths from road traffic accidents, some 2.5 million in 2004, inspired Budişteanu to create the automatic driving system. More than 85 percent of accidents are reportedly caused by driver errors.

Budişteanu received the Gordon E. Moore prize, named after the co-founder in Intel, worth USD 75,000.

Education Minister Remus Pricopie congratulated Budişteanu on his Facebook page. “I congratulate you for your work and for this award, which is a great and well deserved achievement. I also thank Ionut and the Romanians whose achievements all over the world promote Romania,” said the minister on the Facebook page.

Ionuţ Budişteanu's invention is also cheap to make, some USD 4,000, which makes it more viable for production.

This year, approximately 1,600 young scientists were chosen to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. They were selected from 433 affiliate fairs in more than 70 countries, regions and territories.

500 finalists received awards and prizes for their innovative research. Awards included 17 "Best of Category"winners who each received a USD 5,000 prize. The Intel Foundation also awarded a USD 1,000 grant to each winner’s school and to the affiliated fair they represent.

editor@romania-insider.com