Pallone Announces Winners of 2022 Congressional App Challenge
New Brunswick, NJ – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) announced the winners of the 2022 Congressional App Challenge for high school and middle school students in New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District. Ashvin Trehan, Siddharth Paul, and Jared Wyetzner from Metuchen High School won this year's competition. Their app, Myndful, is an artificial intelligence mental health resource navigator that helps adolescents access and understand mental health resources.
"The Congressional App Challenge is an important platform for students to showcase their creativity and technical skills," said Pallone. "I congratulate Ashvin, Siddharth, and Jared for their winning app and applaud all the participants for their creative ideas. The COVID-19 pandemic showed just how critical mental health support is. This app will help connect students with the assistance they need. I will continue to support investments in STEM education in New Jersey to make sure the United States remains at the forefront of innovation and research. I want to thank the experts who helped assess each app and provide feedback to the students."
Pranav Sitaraman won second place with his app, Spruce It Up!, and Ishaan Gupte won third place with his app, NRgize. Spruce It Up! is a service-based app that helps communities report areas that need cleaning and then connects them with volunteers who can sign up to come and help. NRgize uses Apple Maps to help electric vehicle owners locate charging stations during their trip. The app can be paired with traditional voice service devices such as Alexa.
The Congressional App Challenge is an annual competition that highlights the value of computer science and STEM education by encouraging high school students to learn how to code through the creation of their own apps. Entries to the competition in New Jersey's Sixth District were assessed by a panel of local experts on several criteria, including the demonstrated knowledge of coding and programming skills, as well as the quality and implementation of their ideas.The winning app, Myndful will be displayed on the Congressional App Challenge Website and on a digital display in the Capitol Building.