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Today, eight teams of students across the U.S. were given news they’ve been hoping to hear for months: They are the Best in Nation winners of the Verizon Innovative App Challenge. We at Verizon are proud to recognize these young aspiring app designers, who applied their science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) knowledge, creativity and ingenuity to conceptualize mobile apps that would present solutions to problems in their schools or communities.
These students will be rewarded for their hard work with brand new tablet computers, courtesy of Samsung Telecommunications America, as well as the opportunity to turn their ideas into working, downloadable apps through personal guidance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Mobile Learning @ The Media Lab. In addition, each winning team will receive $20,000 in cash grants to advance STEM education in its school.
It has been exciting to watch these teams of middle- and high-school students move up through each successive round of the App Challenge. These students faced stiff competition from nearly 1,300 teams to become champions in their home states and then in their regions, before ascending to the national stage. The eight Best in Nation teams, and indeed all the teams that entered the competition, have shown enthusiasm, creativity and engagement in their schools and communities that are truly inspirational.
Verizon is focused on stimulating student interest in STEM because – while STEM jobs are integral to a successful future for our country and our company – not enough students are earning degrees in STEM fields. As a result, as many as 3 million STEM jobs are going unfilled. Verizon is taking on this challenge through initiatives like the Verizon Innovative App Challenge, a competition that helps students develop skills in problem-solving, writing, production, presentation, organization and critical thinking, all of which are vital to their success in their futures in education and career.
We at Verizon commend all the student teams that worked hard on their app concepts. We wish every student who entered the challenge a lifetime of success in dreaming up fresh ideas and applying STEM learning to bring them to life.
The winners of the 2014 Verizon Innovative App Challenge are listed below starting with the name of their app concept:
Super Science Girl, Jefferson Township Middle School, Oak Ridge, New Jersey;
Tactillium, Westford Academy, Westford, Massachusetts
Hello Navi, Resaca Middle School, Los Fresnos, Texas
Leave No Trace, North Hills Preparatory, Irving, Texas
Snap Docs, Cheney Middle School West Fargo, North Dakota
FITTASTICK!, Bartlett High School, Bartlett, Illinois
HikeAbout, Open Window SchooI, Bellevue, Washington
Exact 3D Extract, Helena High School, Helena, Montana
Click here for further information about the Verizon Innovative App Challenge, the list of Best in State and Best in Region winners, and apps developed by past winners, now available for download on the Google Play Store.
