Modesto students have an opportunity to represent their city and compete in the 2021
Congressional App Challenge (CAC), hosted by the US House of Representatives.
As a City, we are excited to help promote the CAC and encourage the next generation of computer science developers and STEM students, many of whom live in Modesto.
To participate, individuals (or teams of up to four) create an app with a proposed solution to a problem. Previous CAC winners in our district created apps that helped solve issues they saw in their community.
Last year’s winners made an app that helped combat household food waste.
2017’s winners connected the homeless to a variety of services.
This year, we want to encourage our students to do the same and submit their ideas on how to improve our community.
Come up with inventive solutions to stop illegal dumping, to track the health of trees in your neighborhood, to help solve homelessness, to slow the spread of coronavirus, to bolster economic growth—all common issues for cities around the nation that could be solved with your app!
The challenge officially launches in June, but students may work on their apps now in order to submit them by November.
The Congressional App Challenge is hosted by each participating district’s representative. Our district is represented by Josh Harder, who said, “You don’t have to move to the Bay to make it in tech. We’ve got so much young talent right here in the Central Valley, and I’m excited to see the opportunities they’ll create for the next generation of folks in Stanislaus and San Joaquin.”
Rep. Harder continued, “The Congressional App Challenge means that anyone, anywhere, can showcase their talent and creativity online. If you’re a middle or high schooler ready to prove that you’ve got the app of the future, I hope you sign up for the competition.”
The app can be on any topic or theme and written for any platform (phone, tablet, computer, or even a robot) through any programming language. The individual or team then submits a demonstration video detailing the app’s purpose.
District judges review the submissions in November and announce the winners in December. The app and creator(s) are publicly recognized on the
Congressional App Challenge and
House of Representatives websites and may also be on display in the US Capitol Building.
If the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that our Modesto students are inventive and creative both inside and outside of the classroom. We are excited to see the apps our Modesto students develop and are cheering them on every step of the way.