Parsippany, NJ–– Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) announced today that Montville Township High School students Khush Parikh and Hersh Parikh are the winners of the 2021 Congressional App Challenge for New Jersey's 11th District, alongside their teammate Neel Kansara of John F. Kennedy Middle School, for their app VolunTier.
VolunTier matches high school students with volunteer opportunities at local organizations based on their interests and skills and creates a tiered list of the closest matches. To watch a video explanation of their app,click here.
"I am always so amazed by the innovation and creativity put forth by NJ-11 students in our annual Congressional App Challenge. This year, our winners from NJ-11 are brothers Khush and Hersh Parikh for their app ‘VolunTier.' The judges and I loved seeing how they used their talents to code an app to help serve their community during the pandemic. My thanks to our judges and all of the participants. Congratulations!" saidRep. Sherrill.
"Montville Township is thrilled that two local students, brothers Khush and Hersh Parikh, have been selected as the 2021 Congressional App Challenge winners! We are so proud of the innovation and selflessness these two brothers have shown in designing an app that connects volunteers with local organizations in need. Congratulations to Khush, Hersh, their family, and Montville High School on this amazing achievement. I'm sure we will be hearing about more great achievements from these brilliant young men," Montville Mayor Frank W. Cooney.
Students from 9 different towns in the district participated in the app challenge this year. Judges scored apps based on functionality, creativity, and user experience. The NJ-11 panel of judges included:
Shahram Dabiri, STEM Manager, Picatinny Arsenal, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Armaments Center
Maria Gonzalez, Senior Associate STEM, Workforce Development with NJ11, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC), Picatinny Arsenal
Ralph C. Tillinghast, PhD, Senior Scientific Technical Manager for Future Intelligence, Lab Director: Collaboration Innovation Lab, Assistant Professor: Armaments Graduate School, Picatinny Arsenal
Dawn Rywalt, Associate Professor, Information Technologies, County College of Morris
Hongbou Zhou, Instructional Specialist, Computer Science, Montclair State University
Alfred Bentley III, PhD, Founder and CEO, vipHomeLink
The Congressional App Challenge launched in 2014 to encourage students nationwide to code. The Congressional App Challenge is designed to engage student creativity and encourage their participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education fields. The winner's App is eligible to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building and featured on the U.S. House of Representatives' website, House.gov.
The competition was open to middle school and high school students who live or attend school in NJ-11. Teams may include students from other Congressional districts as long as at least half of the team is from the same district. The full set of eligibility rules for individual and team entries can be found at https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/.
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Original source can be found here.
