Punnett wins Rep. Dave Joyce’s 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Ohio’s 14th District
Rep. Joyce has named Ayesha Faruki, a 10th grader at Mentor High School, as the winner of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Ohio’s 14th District.
When asked what inspired the creation of Punnett, the student said, “I had already learned about blood types and genetics in school and Science Olympiad, finding interest in its unique inheritance pattern. I also found it interesting how certain blood types could only donate and receive blood from certain others. I remember asking my parents what my own blood type was, and it turns out they had no idea. They did, however, know their own blood types, and using my knowledge about genetics and Punnett squares, I crossed their two blood types to find out which blood types I could have myself. I knew others were probably in the same curious predicament as myself, and then coded Punnett to help others figure out their own blood types. Not only does Punnett allow people to find out their blood type, but it also helps people find out which blood types they can donate blood to and receive blood from.”
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.