BASKING RIDGE, N.J.,
Feb. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- Today nine middle and high school teams from across the
country were awarded top prizes in the fifth annual Verizon
Innovative Learning app challenge, a nationwide contest that
encourages students to design mobile app concepts aimed at creating
solutions for societal issues in their schools and communities.
DePere Middle School students were named the winner of the national
app challenge Fan Favorite award after its Pass It On app concept
garnered 11,269 public votes. Additionally, eight student teams
were named Best in Nation winners by a panel of experts for their
inspiring mobile app concepts.
The Best in Nation and Fan Favorite award winners will receive a
total of $20,000 from the Verizon
Foundation for their school, club or organization, tablets for each
student team member, the opportunity to build their concepts into
working apps with experts from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an all-expenses-paid trip to the
Technology Student Association (TSA) Conference in Orlando, Fla., in June 2017. Winning
teams include:
- Pass It On – an app that allows students to report not
only bullying but also positive behaviors through their mobile
device to school staff. (DePere Middle School, DePere, WI). see
video *Fan Favorite
Winner
- Empower – an app that connects people with autism to
employers, volunteers and caretakers in a convenient and effective
way (Sharon Middle School,
Sharon, Massachusetts). see
video
- In-Reach – an app that helps people with PTSD log their
symptoms to better determine their triggers and provides access to
forums about local PTSD specialists (North Pole Middle School,
North Pole, Alaska). see
video
- Waste Free America – an app that grocery stores and
restaurants can use to communicate with individual local users, who
will then pick up edible food the stores and restaurants cannot
sell and transport it directly to agencies in need (Capital Day
School, Frankfort, Kentucky).
see video
- Farmersbook – an app that uses a social media-style
platform to create an economically and environmentally friendly
marketplace for home and hobby gardeners to sell their produce to
individuals looking for fresh, locally-sourced fruits and
vegetables. (Meeteetse Junior High, Meeteetse, Wyoming). see video
- See Something. Say Something. – an app that prevents
teen suicide by combining real-time crisis intervention with
community and social engagement (Taos Academy Charter School,
Taos, New Mexico). see
video
- Under My Wing – an app
that addresses the high number of assaults among young adults by
offering self-defense educational tutorials, emergency contact
features, and integrated recording capabilities to increase
security (Greenwich High School, Greenwich, Connecticut). see video
- Take Me There – an app that can be adapted to an
individual user's needs to provide accessibility information beyond
what a typical mapping tool includes, such as costs, walking
distances and accessibility ramps locations (STEM High School,
Redmond, Washington). see
video
- Soteria – an app that guides pedestrians through
San Francisco on safer commuting
routes by using Google Maps and crime data, and includes features
such as an automatic rerouter, the SFPD Twitter feed and an
emergency call function (Girls Who Code Intuit, Mountain View, California). see
video
"The jobs that will define our future are in fields like
science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and it is the
mission of Verizon Innovative Learning to ensure that all kids have
an equal chance at taking advantage of these opportunities that can
lead them to better economic futures," said Justina Nixon-Saintil, director of education
programs for the Verizon Foundation. "The app challenge -- a
hands-on learning experience that immerses students in a real world
project, is one way we engage students and encourage them to think
about how they can solve important problems with technology."
In this year's app challenge, more than 1,800 middle and high
school teams from across the country submitted mobile app concepts
that were reviewed by a panel of judges assembled by TSA. The panel
composed of education and industry experts selected eight of those
concepts as national winners. In the Fan Favorite element of the
competition, the Pass It On concept finished in first place with
the most public votes – 11,269.
Over the past four years, winners of the Verizon Innovative
Learning app challenge have worked with experts from the MIT App
Inventor team to build apps that help blind students navigate
schools, track sports-related concussions, make learning easier for
autistic classmates and more.
Launched in 2012 in partnership with TSA and the MIT App
Inventor team, the app challenge was one of the first programs
created by Verizon Innovative Learning, the education initiative of
the Verizon Foundation. Over the past five years, Verizon has
committed $160 million to provide
free technology, access and immersive, hands-on learning to
students and teachers, particularly in underserved communities. As
part of that initiative, this month Verizon announced #weneedmore,
a national campaign to call attention to the millions of students
across the U.S who lack technology in schools and exposure to
careers in the science and technology sector.
To learn more about #weneedmore and how to support bringing
hands-on learning in science and technology to students across the
country, visit weneedmore.com.
About Verizon Innovative Learning
Verizon Innovative
Learning, the education initiative of the Verizon Foundation,
brings technology and hands-on learning opportunities to middle and
high school students in underserved schools and communities. We not
only fund the programs, but we also create and administer them in
partnership with leading nonprofits. We diligently measure the
impact of our work and refine our programs to ensure we're making a
difference. We've reached more than 220,000 students so far – and
we're just getting started. For more information about Verizon's
philanthropic work,
visit www.verizon.com/about/responsibility; or for
regular updates, visit Facebook
(www.facebook.com/verizonfoundation) and Twitter
(https://twitter.com/VZFoundation).
About the Technology Student Association
(TSA)
The Technology Student Association is a national
organization devoted exclusively to the needs of students
interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Open to young people enrolled in or who have completed technology
education courses, TSA's membership includes over 190,000 middle
and high school students in 2,000 schools spanning 48 states. TSA
partners with universities and other organizations to promote a
variety of STEM competitions and opportunities for students and
teachers. TSA is supported by educators, parents and business
leaders who believe in the need or a technologically literate
society. From engineers to business managers, our alumni credit TSA
with a positive influence in their lives.
Visit http://www.tsaweb.org for more
information.
Media contact:
Jessica
Thorpe
908.864.3691
jessica.thorpe@verizonwireless.com
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SOURCE Verizon