A screenshot from Aharshi Bhattacharjee’s app demonstration, this year’s Congressional App Challenge winner from Wake Tech Early College.
Raleigh, N.C. — Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) announced Aharshi Bhattacharjee, a junior at Wake Tech Early College, as the winner of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District. Aharshi created the app MotionBloom, which provides therapy assistance for patients with Parkinson’s disease and other motor control disorders. The app submissions in this year's competition showcased the incredible talent and creativity of students across Wake County.
“I am always inspired by the talent, ingenuity, and passion that I see from Wake County’s students during the Congressional App Challenge,” said Congresswoman Ross. “These young minds are using technology to address real-world issues and create bold solutions to some of our most pressing challenges. I especially want to congratulate Aharshi Bhattacharjee, this year’s winner, for his innovative app that tracks and improves therapeutic treatment in real time for those with Parkinson’s disease. Aharshi’s app and the submissions of every student exemplify the kind of forward-thinking ideas that will help propel our state and country to new heights.”
Bhattacharjee designed and coded the app MotionBloom as an interactive rehabilitation system and tremor data logger to assist with therapy for patients with Parkinson’s disease and other motor control disorders. The data logger pairs with a custom-made wearable ring to relay data to a phone or computer in real time. His interest in this topic came from observations and research in which he learned that using real-time sensory cues to help patients monitor and adjust their own movements is a viable approach to rehabilitation for those with Parkinson's.
The competition was judged by a panel of five leading STEM educators and professionals in North Carolina’s 2nd District:
- Roger Christman, Department Chair of Art, Communication, and Simulation and Game Design at William Peace University
- Joyce Santhananathan, Senior Technology Architect, ADMCOE, Infosys
- Prassanna Rao Rajgopal, Industry Principal – Cybersecurity, Infosys
- Pratim Biswas, Senior Product Manager, Infosys
- Gaurav Bansal, Senior Director Head of Financial Services AI Sales, Infosys
Established by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, the Congressional App Challenge is a nationwide competition for middle school and high school students designed to expose students to the world of app development without requiring prior coding experience. Each participating congressional district selects a local winner who then competes with winners from other participating districts for further awards.
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