U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) is excited to announce that innovative students from Kentucky's 5th Congressional District can participate in the Congressional App Challenge, an app competition for U.S. high school students.

"The Congressional App Challenge for our region will work in concert with the SOAR mission to promote STEM-related education in our schools and showcase the young high-tech ingenuity already being displayed by many of our students," said Rogers. "I am eager to see the Apps that students submit for this challenge and look forward to displaying the winner on a national platform."

The Congressional App Challenge submission period will run from November 9, 2015 through January 15, 2016 and must include a video of students presenting each app. Winners will be selected by a panel of local judges and the winning app for Kentucky's 5th District will be featured on a display in the U.S. Capitol building. 

The challenge was created because Congress recognized that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills are essential for economic growth and innovation, and that the U.S. has been falling behind on these fronts. STEM occupations are projected to grow by 17% between 2008 and 2018, compared to 9.8% growth for non-STEM occupations and according to some estimates, the U.S. may be short as many as 3 million high-skilled workers by 2018. To maintain American competitiveness, it’s crucial that the United States invests in our youth now, and helps them acquire these necessary STEM-based skills. The app challenge highlights and encourages students to pursue those skills.

The Internet Education Foundation will be serving as the operational “sponsor” of the Congressional App Challenge. For more information, please visit congressionalappchallenge.us.

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