Design Your Brain wins Rep. Brad Finstad’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Minnesota’s First District

When asked what inspired the creation of Design Your Brain, the students said, “1 in 3 people are affected by neurological conditions, the leading cause of illness and disability worldwide.” According to dana.org, ‘More than 8 in 10 Americans are affected by brain health issues.’ Many people suffer from brain disease and struggle every day to think normally and maintain good cognitive skills. Others struggle with attention and they can’t focus in school or work. This leads to issues in understanding concepts and failing their classes and other adverse consequences at work. Some people struggle with memory, easily forget rules, taking notes, key concepts, and reminders. These challenges make it hard to thrive and grow in environments like school and work where strong memory is essential. There is also a lack of neuroeducation in both schools and communities. Neuroeducation involves teaching people about how their brain works and realizing its importance in our lives. These skills and education should be provided somewhere. Additionally, there is a lack of motivation to solve these problems and a lack of awareness of these issues. As middle schoolers, we see and experience firsthand how much of a need there is for the improvement of brain health, especially among people our age. These are only some of the factors that have inspired us to create the ‘Design Your Brain’ app. We hope this app can educate the community about brain health and improve brain health and skills. We hope that our app and our efforts will help prevent brain disease.”