ROCKVILLE, M.D. — At the close of Computer Science Education Week, Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) announced the winners of the 2022 Congressional App Challenge. This year’s winners are Yixuan Li and Brian Mason of Walt Whitman High School, 11th grade students who created Clima, an app that gamifies carbon reduction through a creative user-driven experience. Clima rewards users points for taking sustainable actions in their home and community, like recycling bottles, washing laundry with cold water and more to earn points and care for a virtual sapling that grows as players complete green activities.
“Yixuan and Brian’s inventive app Clima makes individual climate action accessible and fun–a perfect demonstration of the boundless creativity and public spirit that live among young people,” said Rep. Raskin. “Not only am I impressed by their pure technological savvy, I am heartened by Yixuan and Brian’s commitment to sustainability. Thanks to every student who entered my competition, and to the teachers, mentors and family of the 8th District who have supported our next generation of coders.”
Rep. Raskin also featured Yixuan and Brian as “Local Heroes” on his weekly video series, available here.
The Congressional App Challenge began in 2014 in an effort to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and to encourage students to develop coding and computer science skills. Students in participating congressional districts compete against their peers by creating original software applications (“apps”). Winning apps are featured on the U.S. House of Representatives' website, the Congressional App Challenge website, and are displayed in a U.S. Capitol Building exhibit.
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