Reps. Bob Goodlatte and Anna G. Eshoo Appoint New Leaders of House STEM and Computer Science Initiative

October 2, 2018

Washington, DC – Today Representatives Bob Goodlatte (VA) and Anna G. Eshoo (CA) announced new leadership for the next session of the Congressional App Challenge (CAC), an initiative to inspire students across the country to learn about STEM education and coding. As co-chairs of the Congressional Internet Caucus, Goodlatte and Eshoo appointed Representatives French Hill (AR) and Suzan DelBene (WA), two recognized leaders in Congress on STEM and next generation workforce issues. The Congressional Internet Caucus initiates the CAC at the start of each Congress.

“I am pleased to announce that Representatives French Hill and Suzan DelBene will be leading this year’s Congressional App Challenge.  The App Challenge, which is only in its fourth year, has already seen tremendous growth and I know that this will continue under the leadership of Representatives Hill and DelBene,” states Rep. Bob Goodlatte. “The Congressional App Challenge is a great opportunity to engage student’s creativity and encourage their participation in the STEM education fields that create jobs and fuel innovation in America. With new apps for electronic devices popping up every day, it’s time for our students to show what they can do.”

Rep. Anna G. Eshoo states, “It’s an honor to welcome Rep. Suzan DelBene and Rep. French Hill as bi-partisan Co-Chairs of this year’s Congressional App Challenge, a competition which invites high school students from across the country to create and exhibit software applications for various platforms for everyday use. The Congressional App Challenge was co-founded by Reps. Eshoo and Goodlatte in 2013, to engage students’ creativity and encourage their participation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education fields. This competition helps students hone the critical STEM skills they need to have the best opportunities in our modern economy. Given Rep. DelBene’s and Rep. French’s experience and interest on a range of technology issues, I’m confident the Challenge will succeed in their capable hands.”

“I’m excited and honored to co-chair the Congressional App Challenge,” said Representative Hill. “During my time in Congress, central Arkansas students have submitted for consideration more than 75 apps and two winners Anne Li and Michael Davis have come to Washington, D.C., for the national reception. I’m looking forward to helping lead the charge in encouraging students in Arkansas and across the country to use their creativity to participate and pursue in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education fields and to make this year’s App Challenge bigger and better than ever.” – Congressman French Hill  

Rep. Suzan DelBene states, “As the product of a STEM education that led to a career in tech, I am thrilled to help encourage the ingenuity of all our nation’s best and brightest students. The App Challenge is a great opportunity for students who are interested in coding to hone their skills, learn new ones, and cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit.”

“We’re thrilled that Representatives Hill and DelBene will spearhead the Congressional App Challenge. Both of them have shown great leadership in STEM and computer science education. We are confident that their leadership will take the Challenge to the next level.” – Tim Lordan, Executive Director, Internet Education Foundation

This year, the CAC runs until October 15, 2018. The #HouseOfCode  Winners’ reception is set for Spring 2019 in Washington, D.C.

About the Congressional App Challenge
The CAC is an initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Members of Congress host contests in their districts for middle school and high school students, encouraging them to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science. The non-profit Internet Education Foundation provides the CAC with supplemental staffing and support. In the first three years of the Congressional App Challenge, the program has yielded 605 App Challenges across 42 states. Over 2,400 functional apps have been created by over 10,000 students, and participant demographics surpass all industry diversity metrics.