Marble Run wins Rep. Don Young’s 2021 Congressional App Challenge in Alaska’s At-Large District

When asked what inspired the creation of Marble Run, the student said, “Last year, I took the challenging college-level course called IB HL Physics I. While physics was certainly my favorite subject that year, I realized that both my friends and I had a difficult time visualizing and understanding certain concepts in the class because all classes were online. This meant that we did not have in-person experiments which is often a critical aspect in gaining in-depth knowledge of certain topics, especially in a science class. This inspired me to create an online equivalent of an in-person physics experiment that would help future students who are interested in learning physics to solidify their understanding of the subject. However, I also understood that creating a simulation is not enough, as it lacks the motivation to keep students practicing their skills. This is why I chose to create the simulation in the form of a video game; to keep people engaged while increasing their skill levels. I hope that this application will help motivate future students to continue pursuing physics and allow them to apply the knowledge they learned through a virtual simulation.”