Bridgeport, CT — Congressman Jim Himes is pleased to announce Avni Gupta is the 2019 Congressional App Challenge winner with the creation of her app, the Food Allergy Scanner. Avni is a freshman at Wilton High School, and her innovative program uses a cellphone’s camera to scan food item barcodes to notify the user if there are any present allergens associated with the user’s profile. Her winning app will be featured in the U.S. Capitol building and can also be seen on House.gov.
“Every year, I am inspired by the talented and thoughtful submissions through the Congressional App Challenge,” Himes said. “The advanced programming and digital skills our students are learning in today’s schools are preparing them to succeed in future STEM careers. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House as well as with Connecticut educators to continue advancing these important lessons.”
This annual challenge is hosted by the House of Representatives to inspire high schoolers to explore coding with hands-on practice and to include underrepresented communities and women into the technology field. In its third year in Connecticut’s Fourth District, the competition drew a record number of entries. For more information about the challenge or to learn how to compete next year, visit https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us.