Kidney Buddy wins Rep. Jared Moskowitz’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Florida’s 23rd District
Rep. Jared Moskowitz has named Alan Zheng of iPreparatory Academy, Alina Zheng of Allen High School, Madeline Nie of Allen High school, and Jason Zhang of Westglades Middle School as the winners of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Florida’s 23rd District.
When asked what inspired the creation of Kidney Buddy, the students said, “One of our team members has a grandmother with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Witnessing her struggles with the disease, including the challenges of managing her daily nutrient intake, remembering to take medications, and being unsure how to answer her doctor’s questions about her diet, particularly regarding protein intake, made us realize the difficulties CKD patients face. We also learned that millions of adults in the U.S. are affected by this condition. This inspired us to create an app to help CKD patients track their nutritional data, set medication reminders, and generate detailed reports to assist them during medical appointments. After conducting research, we found that no app with AI features on the market is specifically designed for CKD patients. This app aims to not only help our team member’s grandmother but also benefit all CKD patients in the U.S.”
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.