Belmont's Chenery App Developers Best in State, In Running for National Prize

A group of Chenery Middle School 7th graders are in the running to be recognized nationally for developing a mobile phone app that solves a need at the school after its concept application was choosen best in Massachusetts by middle schoolers.

The group of Belmont developers – Owen Pickette, John Travia, Jack Doyle, Alexandra Grayson, Calvin Perkins and Faizan Sayeed – set out to develop a mobile App called "Science Quest" that incorporates STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) that addresses a need or problem at the Chenery as part of the Verizon Innovative App Challenge, according to their advisor, Leon Dyer.

The event provides the opportunity for middle school and high school students, working with a faculty advisor, to use their STEM knowledge, their ingenuity, and creativity to come up with an original mobile app concept.

The goal of the Challenge is to provide an engaging and empowering learning experience to increase student interest and knowledge in STEM and mobile technology.

As judged the best app by a Massachusetts middle school, the group is in the running to be named one of the ten (five middle school and five high school) overall winning teams that will receive $10,000 cash grants plus professional support and training to help them bring their designs to life by building their apps and bringing them to the marketplace.

Students on each winning team will receive a Samsung Galaxy Tab and be invited to present their developed apps in person – on their new tablets – at the 2013 National Technology Student Association Conference in Orlando, Florida in June.