Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) has announced the winner of the New Jersey Fourth Congressional District’s 2018 Congressional App Challenge, a nationwide competition for high school students to showcase their software app skills and teamwork.
“Congratulations to the winning students from Communications High School for their exceptional app ‘BrainHack,’ ” Smith said as he announced the winner of the NJ-04 2018 Congressional App Challenge during Computer Science Education Week, the week of Dec. 3. This year, 46 participants from four high schools and one middle school submitted 13 apps, according to a press release.
“Once again, we received quite an impressive slate of entries, underscoring the sharp talent and skills of our students,” Smith said.
The Congressional App Challenge was created in 2014 to afford students across the country an opportunity to showcase their computer coding and software application skills on the national stage, and to learn teamwork and creativity in the process.
The challenge is intended to foster STEM skills (science, technology, engineering and math) and emphasize their importance for the future, especially in areas of the economy like cybersecurity, intellectual property and the app economy, according to the press release.
“BrainHack” uses games and exercises to foster mental creativity and strengthen memory-related functions. It offers an easy-to-understand way for seniors to get comfortable with new tech while helping elderly adults struggling with memory loss-related conditions like Alzheimer’s. The app was inspired by the grandmother of one of the winning team members, who is currently battling Alzheimer’s, according to the press release.
The winning students from Communications High School in Wall Township who created “BrainHack” are Liam Marshall of Sea Girt, Erica Sammarco of Colts Neck and Anthony Sasso of Colts Neck. Communications High School is a career academy high school that is overseen by the Monmouth County Vocational School District (MCVSD).
Honorable mention was awarded to the student creators of the app “DrowSee,” which alerts drivers who are dozing off when their eyes close by sounding an alarm to wake them up. The students from High Technology High School, Lincroft, another high school in the MCVSD, who created the app are Selena Liu of Holmdel, Helena Zhang of Morganville and Annie Zhou of Marlboro.
All apps submitted were judged by a three individuals who have extensive experience in STEM fields: Roy LaManna of Freehold, the president and CEO of Vydia; Christopher Kelly of Hamilton, the UE/UI Designer at Vonage; and Debrah Smith (no relation to Rep. Smith) of Jackson, the Director of Administration/Director of Information Technology for a large law office, according to the press release.