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WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced the 2021 Congressional App Challenge winner, Nikhil Radosevich, a student at Bethlehem High School who created EarthStripes, an app that helps users visualize the effects of climate change in their location.

“As our climate crisis grows, we continue to look for new ways to address the rise in global temperatures, both through new technologies and through increased civic engagement on this critical issue,” Congressman Tonko said. “With his EarthStripes app, Nikhil Radosevich has expertly combined both of these approaches in an inventive way, and I am proud to acknowledge his contribution to our Capital Region’s long history of technological innovation. I applaud not only Nikhil’s ingenuity and his creative and technical skills, but also his passion and drive to address the climate crisis and to help young people engage directly with their representatives on this serious issue.  I am grateful to Nikhil for his hard work, and I congratulate all the students who participated in this year’s App Challenge.”

EarthStripes allows users to submit a location and view a graphic showing the average temperature in that location over the past 125 years.  Each “stripe” on the graphic represents one year, with bluer stripes signifying cooler than average temperatures and redder stripes signifying warmer than average temperatures.  The app also includes information on the causes of recent temperature changes in each location and prompts users to contact their local representatives to help spark change.

You can visit the app’s website EarthStripes.org to enter your location, learn more about the app and its development, or sign up for email updates from Nikhil.

The Congressional App Challenge was created to encourage innovation and engagement in coding and computer science and STEM education. The App Challenge is open to all eligible middle and high school-aged students in New York’s 20^th Congressional District, regardless of coding experience.

To view photos of Tonko’s meeting with Nikhil, click HERE, HERE and HERE.

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