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Bonamici Invites Students to Participate in Congressional App Challenge

August 20, 2019

BEAVERTON, OR [08/19/2019] – Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) announced that all students who attend middle or high school in Oregon's First Congressional District are invited to participate in the annual Congressional App Challenge.

Oregon's First Congressional District includes all of Washington, Yamhill, Clatsop, and Columbia counties, as well as part of Multnomah County.

The Congressional App Challenge is a competition for students to use coding and computer science to create and exhibit a software application, or "app," for mobile, tablet, or computer devices on a platform of their choice. The competition is an example of STEAM education, which is STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) plus arts and design.

"Participating in the Congressional App Challenge is a great way for students to learn new skills and showcase their potential," said Congresswoman Bonamici. "As the role of technology grows in Oregon and across the country, students benefit from the opportunity to design and build an app. This challenge gives students that exposure and encourages them to use both halves of their brain to solve problems creatively through STEAM education."

Students entering the competition must submit their app by November 1, 2019, as well as provide a video demo explaining their app and what they learned through the competition process.

A panel of local experts will review the submissions. Winners from each participating congressional district will be acknowledged in a district award ceremony and featured on the House.gov website. There will also be a display in the U.S. Capitol Building to honor the winners from each Congressional district.

More information about the competition, including how to register, is available here and at /appchallenge

Bonamici is a founder and co-chair of the Congressional STEAM Caucus, which advocates for the integration of the arts and design into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education to encourage creative thinking and engage more students. By supporting and recognizing young programmers, Congress is acknowledging the growing importance of these fields. The U.S. House of Representatives organizes the nationwide Congressional App Challenge each year.