RipGuard wins Rep. Kathy Castor’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Florida’s 14th District
Rep. Kathy Castor has named Chilok Mak, a tenth grader at Berkeley Preparatory School, as the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Florida’s 14th District.
When asked what inspired the creation of RipGuard, the student said, “Living in Tampa and regularly hanging out at local beaches like Clearwater and Fort DeSoto, my mother always warned me to watch out for rip currents. I learned to spot them and watch out for myself, but I realized that many beachgoers don’t know what rip currents are or how to identify them. Some beaches employ lifeguards to address the dangers posed by rip currents. But what about the numerous unsupervised beaches where help isn’t readily available? How can beachgoers protect themselves in those situations? Not everyone is a good swimmer and most people can’t identify these hazards. I started thinking about more efficient solutions and turned my attention to artificial intelligence and computer vision as potential tools to combat these threats. What if every beachgoer had an AI-powered mobile app that could scan and identify rip currents, warning users and potentially saving lives? Thus, RipGuard was born.”
This year’s Congressional App Challenge set new records, with an unprecedented 382 Members of the House of Representatives hosting competitions—surpassing the previous high of 374. An incredible 12,682 students from across the country participated, representing a growth of over 1,000 students compared to 2023. These talented students submitted an astounding 3,881 original applications, showcasing their creativity, passion for technology, and the limitless potential of America’s next generation of innovators. This surge in participation reflects the increasing excitement around STEM and highlights a bright future for American innovation.
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 the Broadcom Foundation, AWS, Rise, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others.
The 2024 Congressional App Challenge will launch in May of 2025, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.