EnviroScope wins Rep. Marc Molinaro’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge in New York’s 19th District
Rep. Marc Molinaro has named Andrew Appleman of Maine-Endwell Middle School and Priya Riegle of Maine-Endwell Central School District as the winners of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge in New York’s 19th District.
When asked what inspired the creation of EnviroScope, the students said, “The inspiration for EnviroScope was to create a clean and safe environment in our community. I heard about toxic waste from IBM under the BAE Systems buildings in Endicott, and we wanted an app where discussions on environmental issues were the center of the conversations. The motivation for the clean up feature was to bring the community together to do their part in cleaning the neighborhood. Also, I wanted the upcoming generation of kids to be aware of environmental issues and do something about them as they mature. We know that young adults like social media so we decided to incorporate that to keep them interested and so they could communicate with other advocates. Streak bonuses on Duolingo kept me coming back to the app too because I didn’t want to lose my streak. We put these features into our app because we wanted users to come back to our app to learn and do more. ”
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.