Area teens are urged to take part in the “design your own app” competition for high school students, which is called the U.S. House Student App Challenge.
“Jobs in computer programming and design are expected to grow by 50% in the next few years, ” U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D, 5th, said.”Manufacturing is the backbone of Connecticut’s economy. We have exciting job opportunities in high-tech manufacturing, but I’ve heard time and time again from manufacturers that they can’t find workers with the right skill sets. Our students need to be prepared for the jobs of the 21st century, and this competition will help students gain experience with computer programming at a young age. I look forward to hearing about their creative ideas and trying out some new apps.”
The U.S. House Student App Challenge nationwide congressional academic competition where high school students compete by programing an “app” for mobile, tablet, or computer devices. One winner will be selected from each participating congressional district. The competition is open to all high school students who live in or are eligible to attend public schools located in the 5th District. Students (by themselves or in teams of up to 4 people) enter the competition by submitting a YouTube or VIMEO video demo explaining their app and what they learned through the competition process by April 30, 2014.
Esty will hold a workshop on April 5 from 1 pm to 5 pm at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, CT. This free workshop will provide students with the opportunity to use computer-programming resources at NVCC to create their apps and record their submissions. The winner will be announced on May 18 at 2 pm at a reception at NVCC.
Esty is a co-founder of the U.S. House Student App Challenge, the first annual nationwide congressional STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) academic competition. She serves on the U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and introduced the STEM Jobs Act to support teacher professional development in the STEM fields.