BrainBoost wins Rep. David Scott’s 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Georgia’s 13th District
Rep. Scott has named Sophia Yang, a ninth grader at Douglas County High School, as the winner of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Georgia’s 13th District.
When asked what inspired the creation of BrainBoost, the student said, “In today’s information-rich world, clarity is often difficult to find. Homework questions can lead us down a path through countless websites before finally arriving at a straightforward answer. I wanted to create BrainBoost to combat this struggle. I wanted a tool that would swiftly deliver concise information, simplifying the process of reviewing material and grasping concepts.
While planning BrainBoost, I was adamant that it would not replicate the behavior of conventional chatbots who simply spurt out answers. Critical thinking is an invaluable skill, so I wanted to design BrainBoost to nurture genuine learning experiences.”
This year’s Challenge saw an unprecedented level of participation, with 374 Members of the House of Representatives hosting competitions, surpassing the previous record of 340. A remarkable 11,334 students from across the United States competed in this year’s Challenge, marking an impressive increase of nearly 1,000 participants compared to the previous record set in 2019. The enthusiasm and creativity these students display is a testament to the growing interest in technology and signal a bright future for American innovation. The surge of ingenuity continued with a whopping 3,645 original applications flooding in, nearly a thousand more than the previous year’s high. This remarkable growth showcases the exceptional talent and innovation within our nation’s youth.
The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Members of Congress host contests in their districts for middle school and high school students, encouraging them to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science. This resounding show of bipartisan support emphasizes the critical importance of STEM education in today’s rapidly evolving world. Each participating Member of Congress selects a winning app from their district, and each winning team is invited to showcase their winning app to Congress during our annual #HouseOfCode festival. The program is a public-private partnership made possible through funding from Omidyar Network, AWS, Rise, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others.
The 2024 Congressional App Challenge will launch in May of 2024, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.