Kildee Announces Winner of Eighth District Congressional App Challenge

FLINT-Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-08) today announced the winner of the Congressional App Challenge for Michigan's Eighth District.

The Congressional App Challenge is an annual competition for students to create and submit an original app to their Member of Congress. The competition is an opportunity to encourage middle school and high school students to learn to code and explore careers in computer science.

This year's winner, Diya Ramakrishnan, is a sophomore at Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy in Saginaw. Independent judges selected Ramakrishnan as the winner. Her winning app, called "PolypDetect," uses a machine learning model to detect abnormal tissue growths often linked to severe health conditions like cancer or ulcerative colitis from colonoscopy images and videos. A video of the app can be viewed here.

"As a cancer survivor, I understand the importance of early detection," said Congressman Kildee. "Apps like PolypDetect have the potential to save lives and mitigate health conditions for many people. I am truly inspired by the incredible talent in our district and appreciate all the students who challenged themselves to find modern solutions to improve our community."

As the winner, Ramakrishnan's name, app image, app name and congressional district will be featured in a rotating electronic display in the tunnel leading to the U.S. Capitol Building for one year alongside winners from other districts across the country.