Warner Robins Today

U.S. Representative Austin Scott recently honored the winners of the Eighth District's 2024 Congressional App Challenge at a ceremony held at Houston County High School. The top prize was awarded to Houston County High School students Micheal Do and Hieu Tran for their app, Signify, which translates American Sign Language (ASL) into English in real-time.

Rep. Scott expressed his admiration for the participants, stating, "I am always blown away by the creativity and talent of our young constituents, and I congratulate our App Challenge winners on their amazing accomplishment." He also encouraged students to participate in future challenges.

Signify operates by capturing images through a mobile phone camera video recording. It uses a machine learning model trained with hundreds of images to track hand movements in sign language, then compares these gestures with its database to translate them into English. This app will be showcased on the U.S. House of Representatives website and displayed in an exhibit at the U.S. Capitol Building alongside other district winners nationwide.

The first runner-up was Lowndes High School students Aarin Dave and Aarav Dave with their app Redove, which uses extended reality technology to create immersive experiences for long-term or isolated hospital patients.

The Congressional App Challenge is an annual event aimed at fostering student interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It invites middle and high school students from each Congressional District to develop software applications across various platforms.

Students residing or attending school in the Eighth Congressional District are encouraged to prepare for the 2025 challenge. Participants can compete individually or in teams of up to four if two members meet district eligibility requirements. More information will be available this spring.

For further details, visit Rep. Scott's website or contact his Warner Robins office at (478) 971-1776.