News & Press
Hultgren Announces Oswego Student as Winner of House Student App Contest
Press Release - Washington, DC – U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14), member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and co-chair of the STEM Education Caucus, today announced the winner of the first-ever Congressional Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Academic Competition, the “House Student App Challenge,” also known as the “House App Contest.” Jake Cirino of Oswego High School was selected by area judges from the computer science and technology fields for his app, “Pollution Simulator.” A video demonstrating his app, available here, will be featured on the House of Representatives’ website (www.House.gov), as well as on display in a U.S. Capitol exhibit.
“High school students in the 14th District have demonstrated immense talent in coding and computer science, and I was thrilled at the level of excellence in each submission,” said Rep. Hultgren. “I want to congratulate Jake for impressing our expert panel of judges with his app simulator, and I see a bright future ahead for him in a STEM career. Getting our students engaged in STEM fields is key to ensuring we cultivate a workforce dedicated to pursuing technological innovation—and it’s just plain fun. It’s been a joy to see the coding talents of our 14th District students, and I urge our high school students to start brainstorming now for next year’s competition.”
(Jake Cirino with his app, “Pollution Simulator”)
The House App Contest is open to high school students from the 14th District of Illinois and nationwide, and is designed to engage students’ creativity and encourage their participation in STEM education fields, allowing students to compete by creating and exhibiting their software application, or “app,” for mobile, tablet or computer devices on a platform of their choice. Students entering the competition were required to provide a YouTube or VIMEO video demo explaining their app and what they learned through this competition process.
Participating students were provided opportunities to engage with various STEM educational partners located throughout the community. In March, Fermilab programmers, joined by staff from Rep. Hultgren’s office, hosted a “Hackathon” to mentor and assist students with their app development.
Submitted apps were judged by a panel of individuals within the academic, software and entrepreneurial fields which included Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois Science and Technology Coalition (ISTC), 1871, Marketplaces LLC, DigitalGroundUp, Hot Emu Development, FoodTrace, Inc., GigScout, CivicWhitaker Inc., Elmspring Accelerator and PiMaster.
“Our judges came from a diverse and impressive array of institutions and companies in Illinois,” said Rep. Hultgren. “I am grateful to them for donating their time and expertise to this competition.”
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© Illinois Science and Technology Coalition
Illustration by Dieter Braun
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