Competition Allows Students To Create STEM-Based Apps

U.S. Congressman Barry Loudermilk is encouraging the youth in Georgia’s 11th Congressional District to participate in the 2nd Annual Congressional App Challenge.

The initiative is a chance for high school students to design creative apps that promote and encourage STEM-based (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills.

Georgia’s 11th Congressional District includes all of Bartow and Cherokee counties, and portions of Cobb and north Fulton counties.

“One of my favorite stories of America’s rich history is that of the Wright brothers,” Loudermilk said. “Still today, the story of these two young men demonstrates the true spirit of American ingenuity, as owners of a bicycle sales and repair shop, who dreamed of flight. Merely 66 years passed from that incredible day on a beach in North Carolina, to the day Astronaut Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. That is American ingenuity, and the spirit that can be found in our students today.”

Loudermilk added the challenge is designed to give a new generation of Americans a chance to ”unleash” their innate creativity.

“It is the type of program that will allow our students to showcase their skills and explore the exciting STEM-related fields, which will propel them into positions of global leadership,” he said. “I encourage every high school in the 11th District to participate.”

Sponsored by the Internet Education Foundation, the Congressional App Challenge recognizes the talent of U.S. high school students in the areas of computer programming, design and digital technology. As part of the competition, students will compete against their district peers by creating and exhibiting a software application, or app, for mobile, tablet, or computer device, on a platform of their choice.

Between Nov. 9 and Jan. 15, 2016, students may create an original app and submit it through Rep. Loudermilk’s Congressional App Challenge page. Apps will be judged based on the following criteria:

• Quality of the idea, including creativity and originality
• Implementation of the idea, including user experience and design
• Demonstrated excellence of coding and programming skills

A winning individual or team from Georgia’s 11th District will be selected by a local panel of judges and honored by Congressman Loudermilk.

The winning app from each congressional district will also be featured as part of a special exhibit at the U.S. Capitol, and recognized on StudentAppChallenge.us.

For more information on the competition or how to enter, contact Claire Bartlett at Claire.bartlett@mail.house.gov or visit the Congressional app challenge section on Rep. Loudermilk’s website.

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