Stevens Announces Winner of 2019 Congressional App Challenge
LIVONIA, MI - Today, Congresswoman Haley Stevens. (MI-11) announced the winners of the 2019 Congressional App Challenge for high school students in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. Ankith Udupa and James Chen won the award for their app called “Allergy Compass,” which is designed to help children with allergies determine whether a food product is safe for them to eat. Users create a profile, list their food allergies, and then scan food packaging, which the app cross-references with its database of known food products and their ingredients. The app then notifies the user whether the food is safe for them to eat or not.
Click HERE to learn more about Allergy Compass.
“Congratulations to Ankith and James for building an impressive app and showcasing the immense talent and ingenuity of Michigan students,” said Congresswoman Stevens. “As a strong advocate for STEM education, I was eager to host the Congressional App Challenge in Michigan’s 11th District and I am so proud of each and every team that participated in the competition. The creativity, technical skill, and passion for innovative technology exhibited by these students was an inspiration, and underscores the need for legislation like the Building Blocks of STEM Act, my bipartisan bill that was signed into law last month. We have to keep giving students opportunities to engage with STEM concepts in the classroom at an early age.”
The Congressional App Challenge is designed to engage student creativity and encourage their participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education fields. This nationwide event allows high school students from across the country to compete against their peers by creating and exhibiting their software application, or "app," for mobile, tablet, or computer devices on a platform of their choice. Entries to the competition in Michigan’s 11th District were evaluated by a national panel of experts, and reviewed for their creativity, resourcefulness, design, and skill.
As a winning app in the contest, “Allergy Compass” will be displayed on the Congressional App Challenge Website and on a digital display in the Capitol Building.
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