Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Dylan Wichman of Yellowstone County

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines recognized Dylan Wichman of Yellowstone county for his tremendous impact on the state of Montana.

Through his “Montanan of the Week” initiative, Daines each week will highlight a Montanan by submitting a statement of recognition in the official Congressional Record, the document that reflects the official proceedings of Congress.

Daines welcomes anyone to nominate fellow Montanans for Daines’ “Montanan of the Week” program by calling Daines’ office at 202-224-2651 or by filling out the contact form on Daines’ website: HERE.

The following is a statement submitted to the Congressional Record: 

Mr. DAINES, Mr. President this week I have the honor of recognizing Dylan Wichman, of Billings, for his impact on the Yellowstone community and surrounding areas.

Dylan, only a rising senior at Billings Central High School, earned second place at the State Science Fair and took first at Montana State University-Billings’ regional fair for his wildfire predictive and preventative algorithm, FASTCAT. Dylan also participated in the International Science Fair in Phoenix, Arizona alongside 1,800 other students from 80 countries. Dylan earned third place in his category.

Inspired by the tragic Paradise Fire in 2019, Dylan put in countless hours to develop FASTCAT. FASTCAT is an algorithm used to predict the size of wildfires before they even occur, to ensure Montanans will be safer and more prepared during fire season. Dylan’s artificial intelligence algorithm utilizes a neutral network model, ensuring the algorithms ability to problem solve as more data is input and analyzed. His innovative creation is an impressive improvement in Montana’s existing fire safety and prevention programs. Dylan hopes to see his system implemented state and nationwide and globally in the future. Dylan will continue to work on his program alongside a professor at University of Montana next year.

I congratulate Dylan on his outstanding achievements and willingness to give back to his community. I look forward to seeing his success in his future endeavors. 

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