New Jersey student Aditya Choudhary wins the 2021 Congressional App Challenge Contest

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Aditya Choudhary of Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School in New Jersey has won the 2021 Congressional App Challenge (CAC) for developing the winning app ‘Trackie’.

The app created with ‘ingenuity and creativity’ according to Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) in his announcement, helps students and their parents calculate exact time of the school bus arrival. The app is specifically aimed at being of help during the winter times when waiting outdoors for the bus becomes difficult due to inclement weather. “This incredible app helps students and their parents monitor school bus arrival times to prevent students from waiting outside in the cold for an extensive amount of time,” said Rep. Smith (R-NJ) in his announcement letter.

The award becomes more meaningful considering the fact that not many students are attracted to the STEM disciplines. STEM education brings the aspect of practical world to academic education, by encouraging students to apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in connecting their school education to community work and to the global enterprise.

Aditya Choudhary’s app ‘Trackie’ seems to do just that. The simple app allows parents and students to connect with each other and with the arrival of the bus. Evaluated by a panel of judges, ‘Trackie’ won the first place from a total of 8 apps submitted by 20 students from several middle and high schools around the Fourth District.

Immigrants from the Indian town of Samastipur, Bihar, Aditya’s parents Parina and Sadanand Choudhary, are very proud of their son who has become an inspiring example to many in the community.

The CAC was established in 2014, to foster STEM skills among students and emphasize the importance of these skills for the future, especially in areas of the U.S. economy like cyber-security and intellectual property. The app challenge is sponsored nationally by the Internet Education Foundation, and was made available by 340 Members of Congress in their congressional districts in 2021, according to a press release from Congressman Smith’s office. The CAC has today become the largest student computer science competition in the world.

Aditya Choudhary’s video submitted to the CAC can be watched at https://youtu.be/X2MCH9hbn3k . More information about the Trackie app and download links are available at the webpage https://trackie.intelgift.com/

Middle school and high school students from New Jersey’s Fourth Congressional District who are interested in participating in the 2022 contest may contact Smith’s Freehold Township office at 732-780-3035 or visit www.congressionalappchallenge.us .