The 13-14 prize
Google announced the 2013 Science Fair winners on 23 September. In the 13-14 age category the winner was Viney Kumar of Australia, for what Google's announcement calls “The PART (Police and Ambulances Regulating Traffic) Program”.
The stated purpose is precise: the project aimed to “provide drivers with more notice when an emergency vehicle is approaching, so they can take evasive action”. Beyond that sentence, the announcement does not describe how the system works, what it was built from or how it was tested.
The problem it addressed
The gap Kumar identified is one every driver recognises. A siren is audible only at close range and from an uncertain direction, which leaves little time to decide where to move, and the delay is paid for by the vehicle trying to get through.
A warning delivered earlier changes the arithmetic of that moment. The announcement does not state the range, the delivery method or the evidence behind the design, so what can be said about PART is its intention, stated by the organisers, and the fact that a panel of judges preferred it to everything else entered in its age group.
The field he came through
The scale is stated plainly by Google: “The top 15 projects were selected from thousands of entries submitted by talented young scientists from more than 120 countries around the world.” The finalists who reached the awards ceremony represented eight different countries.
Winning an age category therefore meant coming through a funnel that began with thousands of submissions worldwide and narrowed to fifteen. Prizes came from Google and its partners for the fair, which included CERN, LEGO, National Geographic and Scientific American.
The 2013 cohort
The grand prize that year went to Eric Chen of the United States, in the 17-18 category, for “Computer-aided Discovery of Novel Influenza Endonuclease Inhibitors to Combat Flu Pandemic”, research that combined computer modelling with biological study of flu treatments.
The 15-16 category was won by Ann Makosinski of Canada for the Hollow Flashlight, a torch that, in Google's description, “provides bright light without batteries or moving parts” by exploiting the temperature difference between a hand and the surrounding air. Kumar's win placed him alongside two of the most widely reported student projects of the year.
What is documented — and what is not
The firm facts come from the organiser: the category win, the project name, the stated aim, the country, the date of the announcement and the size of the field. A result published by the competition that awarded it is the strongest evidence available here.
Everything else is missing from the sources gathered for this page. Google's announcement gives no age, school, city or photograph, no explanation of the technology behind PART, and no account of what happened to the project afterwards. A second source, in the Australian press, would be needed to establish any of it, and none was available for this record.
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lauren Hodge | United States | Winning the 13-14 age category of the first Google Science Fair, in 2011… | Age 14 |
| Sophie Healy-Thow | Ireland | Co-winning the Google Science Fair grand prize in 2014 | Age 16 |
| Viney Kumar | Australia | Winner, 13-14 category, Google Science Fair 2013 | — |
| Calvin Rieder | Canada | 2015 Google Science Fair global finalist | — |
| Anela Arifi | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2015 Google Science Fair global finalist | — |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Winner of the 13-14 age category at the 2013 Google Science Fair (Google)
- Project named The PART (Police and Ambulances Regulating Traffic) Program
- Stated aim: to give drivers more notice of an approaching emergency vehicle
- Top 15 projects selected from thousands of entries from more than 120 countries
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- No age, school, city or photograph in the source
- No technical description of how PART works, and no test results
- No record of what became of the project, or of Kumar, after 2013
Questions people ask about Viney Kumar
What did Viney Kumar win?
The 13-14 age category of the 2013 Google Science Fair, announced on 23 September 2013.
What is the PART Program?
Short for Police and Ambulances Regulating Traffic. Google describes it as a project to give drivers more notice when an emergency vehicle is approaching, so they can take evasive action.
How does it work?
The announcement does not explain the mechanism, and no other source in this record does either.
How old is Viney Kumar?
No source in this record gives his age or date of birth. He competed in the 13-14 category in 2013.
How many entries were there?
Thousands, from more than 120 countries, narrowed to fifteen finalists.
Who won the grand prize in 2013?
Eric Chen of the United States, for computer-aided discovery of influenza endonuclease inhibitors.
Is Viney Kumar on Wikipedia?
No Wikipedia article was found for him. Google's own announcement is the primary published record.
Where is Viney Kumar now?
No source in this record says. The published trail ends with the 2013 announcement.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Kumar’s story?
What does PART stand for?
Which age category did Viney Kumar win?
How many finalists were selected in 2013?
Sources
- And the winner of the 2013 Google Science Fair is… — Google (The Keyword), 2013-09-23
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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