Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) has announced the winners of the 2021 Congressional App Challenge for the Fourth District of New Jersey.
Administered by members of Congress, the annual contest is part of a nationwide competition for middle school and high school students to showcase their software app-developing skills and teamwork, according to a press release from Smith’s office.
“Congratulations to Aditya Choudhary from the Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School for his ingenuity and creativity in developing the winning app ‘Trackie,’ ” Smith was quoted as saying in the press release.
“This incredible app helps students and their parents monitor school bus arrival times to prevent students from waiting outside in the cold for an extensive amount of time,” he said.
The winning app was awarded by a panel of judges that evaluated eight apps submitted by 20 students from several middle schools and high schools throughout the state’s Fourth Congressional District, according to the press release.
Smith said an honorable mention was awarded to the app “Aegus,” which was developed by a team of students from the Monmouth County Vocational School District’s Communications High School in Wall Township. The participating students were William McHale, Aydin Gurudutt, Jacob Bardinas and Kylie Fuerbacher.
The “Aegus” app enables users to periodically share their location to confirm their safety. If the user’s status is not updated, the app sends a pre-authorized message to a loved one indicating the individual may be in trouble.
Established in 2014, the Congressional App Challenge has become the largest student computer science competition in the world, according to the press release.
The challenge was created to foster STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills among students and to emphasize the importance of these skills for the future, especially in areas of the United States’ economy like cybersecurity and intellectual property, according to the press release.
The app challenge – which is sponsored nationally by the Internet Education Foundation – was made available by 340 members of Congress in their congressional districts this year.
Middle school and high school students from New Jersey’s Fourth Congressional District who are interested in participating in the 2022 contest may contact Smith’s Freehold Township office at 732-780-3035 or visit www.congressionalappchallenge.us for more information.