Ball aerospace engineer Allie Robinson, left, looks at an app designed by Jonathan Jenn, a seventh-grader at Southern Hills Middle School, during the fourth annual App-A-Thon. The event was hosted by the office of Colorado state Rep. Joe Neguse on Saturday at Ball Aerospace in Boulder. (Dana Cady/Staff Writer)
Local middle and high school students brought new technology ideas to life Saturday at the fourth annual App-a-Thon.
Saturday’s app-a-thon, held at Ball Aerospace in Boulder, was sponsored by the office of Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colonel. Although Neguse was unable to attend the event, representatives from his office joined about 30 students to network and workshop ideas with programmers ahead of the Congressional App Challenge.
Launched in 2015, the Congressional App Challenge allows students across the country to submit ideas for web or mobile applications to Washington for a vote. So far, Nekuse’s office has received 20 applications, and 20 more students have expressed interest in the challenge and plan to apply by the Nov. 1 deadline.
Ball Aerospace’s Paul Carliner encouraged App-a-Thon attendees to “think space” when considering their future careers, adding that engineers are always in demand.
“In the future, your generation, middle school and high school students, will be the astronauts who will take us to the moon and Mars,” Carliner told the students.
Lafayette Mayor JD Mangat, who also attended the app-a-thon, emphasized to students the real-world benefits of apps. Mangat said one idea he saw last year was an app that would identify whether waste is recyclable or compostable.
“To this day, so many people don’t have that education, and apps have made it easier,” Mangat said. “The city of Lafayette should be using it. …These are real, concrete solutions that you’re building with your own hands.”
Jonathan Jen, a seventh-grader at Southern Hills Middle School in Boulder, plans to submit his original “memorization game” app to the challenge.
“This is my first large-scale coding project,” says Zheng. “I’ve always loved making games.”
A returning participant from last year’s App-a-Thon was Boulder High School senior Lucien Allison. Allison, who designed a photo encryption app this year, said one of his favorite things about App-a-Thon is the opportunity to meet other people interested in technology.
“You can talk to people about technology over the internet, but it’s much better to meet in person and talk about how these things work,” Allison said. “I really enjoy being able to talk to people who have far more expertise than I do.”
Some App-a-Thon participants were interested in participating in the challenge but didn’t have an idea for an app yet. No matter where students were at, industry partners served as mentors, offering advice and encouragement.
“My goal is to expose all kids to STEM, regardless of their background,” said Craig Foster, a mentor and owner of the Louisville company Code Ninjas. “We just want to get them excited about how much this can add to their toolbox.”
Students can register for the Congressional App Challenge at congressionalappchallenge.us.