U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced that Jamie O’Keefe, a junior at Exeter High School, won the district’s 2020 Congressional App Challenge. Hosted by the U.S. House of Representatives, this competition highlights the importance of STEM education and encourages middle and high school students to explore coding and design in creative ways.

Jamie created an app titled “Augmentia,” which enables users to test the design viability and structural integrity of various objects in augmented reality. His submission demonstrated the utility of “Augmentia” for students, doctors, engineers, architects, and other professions.

“The challenge highlights the value of computer science and STEM education, and Jamie’s submission does exactly that by demonstrating how technology can support our education and our work,” said Congressman Pappas. “It takes hard work, creativity and determination to create an app like this, and I am so glad to see how it paid off for Jamie and congratulate him on the development app ‘Augmentia.'”

“I firmly believe that STEM is the future. We’ve seen incredible advancements in the past century. Today’s world is nearly unrecognizable when compared to a year like 1970, just a few decades ago, and we have every reason to believe that this trend will continue. This speaks to the hold that STEM has in virtually everyone’s lives, and I know that there’s still much to be discovered,” said Jamie O’Keefe. “I see Augmentia as a proof of concept when it comes to augmented reality and integrating features that make the experience more immersive. I’m going to use the app as a stepping stone to bigger and more powerful applications.”

The announcement of the winner coincides with Computer Science Education Week – an annual celebration meant to inspire students to pursue an education in computer science and recognize the good work of students and teachers in this field.

In past years, winners of the Congressional App Challenge are invited to #HouseOfCode, an event held in Washington, D.C. every spring for the winners from each district to meet their representatives and discuss their apps. Winners of this year’s Congressional App Challenge will participate in a virtual #HouseOfCode to be held in the spring of 2021.

Earlier this month, Jamie met virtually with Congressman Pappas to demonstrate how his app is used and discuss his history with coding, inspirations for creating the app, and future aspirations. Jamie’s app, “Augmentia”, will be displayed in the Capitol building and on the House website, and Jamie’s accomplishments have been formally entered into the Congressional Record.

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