The 2023 Congressional App Challenge for her district: Scarborough High School junior Matthew Fagerlund, according to Maine First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. Matthew’s app “GiRAPHER” teaches middle school and high school students how to graph the equations they are likely to encounter in their math classes.
“Each year, the Congressional App Challenge gives Maine students the opportunity to showcase their technological skills and creativity. I commend the bright young Mainers who submitted their apps for this year’s competition — your hard work has not gone unnoticed,” said Pingree. “Matthew’s winning graphing app not only has practical use for students in Maine and across the country but works to close the gap between simply getting homework done and having the knowledge to solve math problems on their own. Matthew should be very proud of his achievement. Congratulations!”
“I am very fortunate to have such a great math program here in Maine, which has allowed me to really see how and why math works the way it does,” Matthew said. “GiRAPHER is designed to help students visualize mathematical graphs in the way that my teachers have helped me to see them.”
In his submission, Matthew said he has been disappointed by the lack of interest many of his peer have in math.
“I know that the overall opinions of math as a class could be improved if out-of-class individual instruction was simpler to receive,” Matthew said in his submission. “My app seeks to fill that gap by providing the needed assistance to students completing homework assignments (without doing it for them).”
Go go https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPQE8qf-v00 to watch a demo of the winning app.
The Congressional App Challenge is a nationwide competition created in 2013 by leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives and at the Internet Education Foundation who sought to foster an appreciation for computer science and STEM. The Congressional App Challenge seeks to encourage middle and high school students to pursue careers in tech through a nationwide coding challenge.
Every year, members of Congress challenge students in their districts to create and submit their original apps for a chance to win the competition. Winning apps from each district will be displayed and recognized at an event in Washington, D.C. this spring.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
