RoutER wins Rep. Neal Dunn’s 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Florida’s Second District
Rep. Dunn has named Deven Dangi, Alex Srivastava, Tim Yu, and Heewon Seo of Lawton Chiles High School as the winners of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Florida’s Second District.
When asked what inspired the creation of RoutER, the students said, “Hurricanes can destroy tens of thousands of homes every year in the U.S.; not to mention the impact of various other natural disasters. People struggle to find an appropriate shelter within a reasonable distance, either for evacuation or post-disaster relief. RoutER aims to provide a unified platform for people both before and after a disaster. For us personally, as Floridians, we have been subject to the cataclysmic effects of natural disasters and have witnessed firsthand the destruction left behind by hurricanes. We wanted to create a way for people affected by these events to seek aid, both prior to and after the incidents, in a simple, efficient manner; especially in the case of an emergency.”
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.