The Lenovo App Challenge

While attending the NAF Next Conference in Washington D.C, MBSA students Jeffrey Li and Udai Virk won the 2018 Lenovo Scholar Network App Development Competition title of Fan Favorite for our app Respirate. The app that they created is called Respirate, a user-friendly app that supplements for pulmonary rehabilitation, Which is an effective treatment towards Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other respiratory diseases.

Overall the find App Challenge gives participants the ability to create solutions to problems that they experience themselves or, even, problems they see across the globe.

Among the exposure that students gain is the ability to learn how to use MIT App Inventor 2. This is the software that Udai and Jeffrey, along with all other participants, used to create their submissions. The App Inventor in itself is extremely simple and straightforward, meaning students do not need any sort of background in app development before participating. Both Jeffrey and Udai had little experience coding, and largely relied on tutorial videos, their advisor, Mrs. Ogren, and logic to create their application.

Jeffrey and Udai’s next step is to participate in the Congressional App Challenge (CAC), which is a competition that allows winners from each district to be put on display in the US Capitol Building. The purpose for the CAC is to inspire students in the country to explore STEM, Computer Science, and coding through hands on experiences. The students will connect with their constituents through personal interactions that will innovate policymaking by connecting Congress to new technologies.

Overall, the Lenovo App Challenge was a fantastic opportunity that Jeffrey and Udai were able to take advantage of, and it is open to all MBSA students for the 2018-2019 school year as well. On behalf of MBSA, we would like to greatly emphasize our appreciation for Lenovo, for the Lenovo Scholar Network and technology, and NAF, for the opportunity for its students.