Today, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) announced the West Des Moines Valley High School team behind the Devs Do Good app are the winners of the 2021 Congressional App Challenge for Iowa’s Third Congressional District.
The team of juniors Connor Fogarty, Noah Goeders, Uma Dukle, and Abhushan Pradhan created the app, which is a mobile application that connects students who are passionate about computer science with local nonprofits that are in need of technical support.
“It is my pleasure and privilege to recognize the West Des Moines Valley High School students behind the Devs Do Good app as the winners of the 2021 Congressional App Challenge from my district,” said Rep. Axne. “Connor, Noah, Uma and Abhushan have shown me what amazing work Iowa’s schools are doing to teach STEM, to teach compassion, and to prepare students for life beyond high school by creating this app that will help our nonprofits find the technical support they need.”
With Devs Do Good, nonprofits can create an account to manage their website’s content, analytics, and more. The nonprofits can submit proposals for technical projects to then be worked on by eager students looking for real-world experience.
The competition was judged based upon the two criteria of concept and technology. The competition was judged by a panel of three judges: Dr. Sarah Derry, the South Central Regional Manager for the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council; Adam Haeder, the operations manager at Google in Council Bluffs; and Matt Sexton, the Community Development Manager at Meta Platforms, Inc. in Altoona. The judges determined that the Devs Do Good app exceeded in its impact, structure, and function, which made the app the 2021 Congressional App Challenge Winner for Iowa’s Third Congressional District.
“Participants in the nationwide Congressional App Challenge showcase skills and thinking that are integral to future success, both for the students individually and for Iowa’s economy,” said Matt Sexton with Meta’s Altoona Data Center. “This program provides a valuable and unique opportunity for local students to hone STEM skills today so they can help us all address the challenges of tomorrow.”
The Congressional App Challenge is a nationwide …….