Rep. Huffman Dialogue with App Challenge Winners for House of Code

April 08, 2021

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) interviewed the 2020 California’s Second District Congressional App Challenge Winners, Beck Lorsch and Amrit Baveja, for the annual House of Code event hosted by the Internet Education Foundation. House of Code is an annual event where winners of the App Challenge present their submissions to STEM educators and peers.

“I am always impressed by the students who submit their apps in the Congressional App Challenge, and Beck and Amrit are no exception,” said Rep. Huffman. “I welcome the opportunity to learn from the next generation of leaders in STEM and appreciate the thoughtful dialogue with youth. I look forward to seeing what these students do next.”

Click here to watch Rep. Huffman’s conversation with App Challenge winners Beck and Amrit 

Beck and Amrit’s winning submission, MarinTrace, is a free contact tracing app that will be piloted in select Marin County schools. Students would use the self-reporting tool to catalog their symptoms to aid teachers and administrators in contact tracing efforts.

Established by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, this Congressional App Challenge competition invites high school students from all participating congressional districts to compete by creating and exhibiting their software application, or “app,” for mobile, tablet, or computer devices on a platform of their choice. It is designed to promote innovation and engagement in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education fields.

Apps are judged based on the following criteria: quality of the idea, including creativity and originality; implementation of the idea, including user experience and design; and demonstrated excellence of coding and programming skills.

Read more about the House Student App Challenge here.

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