Congressional App Challenge winners announced

Congressional App Challenge winners announced

Christopher Mendoza, Zachariah Burch and Joshua Mari Tamarra, all students from Santa Fe’s Capital High School, are the winners of the 2020 Congressional App Challenge for the Third Congressional District. Mendoza, Burch, and Mari Tamarra’s app, “Solar Age,” helps homeowners estimate their annual electricity usage and cost.

The Congressional App Challenge is a national app creation competition for students of middle and high school age. Student apps were judged on the quality of their ideas, including creativity and originality. Students from the district were encouraged to participate in STEM and computer science events throughout the year, including coding boot camps organized by STEM Santa Fe, a local nonprofit.

Second place went to Academy for Technology and the Classics student Vinaya Kurapati for her, “R3 (Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle)” app; third place went to Santa Fe Girls’ School student Ruby Sallah for her app, “Science Sleuths”.

“While this year has been challenging for many New Mexico students, I am incredibly proud of this year’s participants in the Congressional App Challenge,” says former Congressman (now Senator) Ben Ray Luján.  “I know that the winning  app has the potential to be an important tool for homeowners, and I congratulate this year’s winners and honorees on pursuing a STEM education.”

Students awarded Career Pathways Scholarships

The LANL Foundation has awarded Career Pathways Scholarships to 22 Northern New Mexico students who are pursuing a two-year degree, trade or certificate. The recipients in the spring 2021 award cycle are studying in high-demand fields, including nursing, information technology, radiation technology and welding.

Career Pathways Scholarships, which are supported by donations from Laboratory employees and a grant from Laboratory operator Triad, are awarded in the amount of $750/semester for up to four semesters, depending on each student’s individual needs. Some students are enrolled full time, others attend part time while working and caring for their families. Recipients can be entering higher education for the first time, or making a career change.

A full list of Spring 2021 Career Pathways recipients is available on the LANL Foundation website, and here is more about the Career Pathways Scholarships.

Laboratory history movie now offered in Spanish

Thanks to the work of a small but motivated team, the Laboratory’s Bradbury Science Museum is pleased to offer “Racing Toward Dawn,” its signature 20-minute history movie, in Spanish. Originally released in English in February 2019, the movie acknowledges the technical contributions made by women and other minorities during the Manhattan Project. It also emphasizes the science that drove Project Y at Los Alamos and the science that directly influences the Lab’s global security mission today. 

The Spanish-language version is called "Carrera hacia un nuevo amanecer”. Museum guides Patricia Moore and Isolina Viloria wrote the Spanish version of the script, with Patricia providing the narration. Film editing and closed captioning were provided by David Tietmeyer and Brian Bingamon, media production specialists with the Lab’s Technology Services and Solutions group.