SAIC Celebrates Young Innovators at the SD STEAM App Innovators Challenge Award Ceremony

Location: Hilton San Diego Delmar , CA
15575 Jimmy Durante Boulevard – Hilton Del Mar CA

Time: 1:00-6:00 PM PST 10/12/2024

The San Diego STEAM App Innovators Challenge (SAIC) is thrilled to invite everyone to either show in person or virtually attend the SD STEAM App Innovators Challenge Award Ceremony! This prestigious event celebrates the outstanding creativity, innovation, and technical excellence of young app developers from around the world.

With over 100 impressive entries submitted from six different countries, 2024 year’s participants have demonstrated extraordinary talent, vision, and commitment to using technology for positive change. We are proud to honor their remarkable achievements at this exciting event.

As the leading volunteer organization for this competition, the ESC Club would like to extend heartfelt appreciation to all the teachers, coaches, parents, and students who dedicated their time, energy, and passion to this journey. Your unwavering support has been the cornerstone of the Challenge’s success.

On behalf of the SAIC Committee & Amazing Grace Christian School, ESC Club also wishes to sincerely thank our panel of volunteer judges for their invaluable contributions. Your dedication, thoughtful evaluations, and encouragement have been instrumental in recognizing and uplifting the next generation of innovators.

We are deeply honored to have distinguished special guests — Director Park, Dr. Meng, and Mr. Richard — join us for the ceremony. Your presence and inspiring leadership provide encouragement to these young visionaries as they strive to shape a better future through innovation.

Last but certainly not least, we offer a special thank you to our online audience for joining us in celebrating these inspiring young talents. Your support helps foster a global community committed to creativity, collaboration, and impactful change.

Together, we are building a brighter future powered by the ingenuity of young minds!

ESC Club Award

Winner: Yimo Liu
1. Yimo is from Mesa Verde Middle School in San Diego, CA
2. The App is called “Petcare Pro”.
3. The purpose of the App is to “help new pet owners navigate through owning a pet for the first time.”

MIT APP Inventor Award

This award recognizes outstanding projects developed using MIT App Inventor, celebrating creativity, innovation, and technical skill in app development. It honors participants who effectively leverage the platform’s capabilities to create impactful applications that address real-world problems or enhance user experiences.

Winner: Alex Tang, Jonathan Han, Junpeng Zhao, Andy Liang, Joshua Wang –Team of ESC Club Members
1. They are from Westview high school. Pacific high middle school and oak village middle school.
2. The App is called “Feed me Smart”.
3. The purpose of the App is to “app assists new immigrants solve their first priority confusion for food supplies and quickly join their community and to learn how to live their new life in the United States.

Excellent Educator Award

This award recognizes professors from higher education institutions who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and support for the App Innovation competition. These educators dedicate their time and expertise to provide valuable technological guidance, ensuring that the competition is conducted professionally and with integrity. Winner: Wei Wang, Yongjie Zheng, both are professors of Computer Science Department

Youth Team Award for Grade 8-10
This award recognizes a team of students in grades 8 to 10 who have demonstrated exceptional performance across multiple aspects of their project, including creativity, problem statement, design, technical skill, communication, collaboration, and impact.
1.1 Team Bronze Award (1st):
Terrence Wang, Emily Chui, Roger Tang, Jeremy Wang.
- They are from The Stony Brook School in New York.
- The App Name: “GlyciWise”.
- The purpose of this app: “assist individuals with diabetes or prediabetes in making healthier food choices by providing easy access to the glycemic index of various foods.”.
1.2 Team Bronze Award (2nd):
Suri Li, Alicia Fei, Harry Chen.
1. They are from the Sage Hill School of Newport Coast, CA.
2. The App Name: “AlzAssist”.
3. The purpose of this app: “develop a valuable tool in Alzheimer’s care for both patients and their caregivers in daily life and emergencies.”.
1.3 Team Silver Award:
Victor Young and Forest Young.
1. They are from the Skyline High School of Utah’s Salt Lake City.
2. The App is called “FlameFender”.
3. The purpose of the App is to “classify and predict wildfires, detect humans in wildfires, and help and guide firefighters to stop fires and save lives.”
1.4 Team Gold Award:
Emma Liu, Joshua Wang, Jonas Shen, Jaden Shen.
1. They are from the Bishop’s School and the Oak Valley Middle School in San Diego, California.
2. The App Name: “Easy ESL”.
3. The purpose of the App is to “provide Cutting-edge AI-powered contextual and personalized learning for refugee and immigrant students”.

2 Youth Individual Winner for Grade 8-10

Youth Individual Award for Grades 8-10: This award recognizes an individual student in grades 8 to 10 who has demonstrated exceptional creativity, skill, and commitment in their project.

2.1 Individual Bronze Award:

Jasen Mei.
1. He is from San Francisco’s Lowell High School.
2. The App is called “Pre-Workout”.
3. The purpose of this app is to “make dieting and meal planning easier based on the individual’s needs.”

2.2 Individual Silver Award Winner:

Yimo Liu.
1. He is from San Diego’s Mesa Verde Middle School.
2. The App is called “Petcare Pro”.
3. The purpose of the App is to “help new pet owners navigate through owning a pet for the first time.”

2.3 Individual Gold Award Winner:

Andy Liang–ESC Club Member
1. He is from the Homestead High School of Cupertino, CA.
2. The App is called “Beyond Sight”.
3. The app’s purpose is to “allow visually impaired individuals to both visualize and navigate the world around them which helps them with their independence, navigation, and interactions with surrounding objects or people.”

3.1 Junior High Achievement Team Award:

Alina Zheng, Alan Zheng, Madeline, Nie.
1. They are from the Allen High School of Allen, TX.
2. The App’s name is “Kidney Buddy”.
3. The purpose of the app is to “The Kidney Buddy app utilizes AI to simplify diet and health management for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)”

3.2 Junior High Achievement Individual Award:

Winner: Cody Duan.
1. Cody is from the Alhambra High School of Alhambra, CA.
2. The app’s name is “Firing the Engine”.
3. The purpose of the app is to “provide a mobile, in depth CAD platform for students and kids to use.”

4. Special Award

4.1 Best Visual Creative Award

This award recognizes the project that demonstrates exceptional creativity and visual impact. It celebrates innovative design, artistic expression, and the effective use of visual elements to enhance communication and storytelling.

Winner: Jie-Ling Chiu, Pei-Rong Huang
1. They are from National Experimental High School at Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan
2. App name: “Ａ Mixed Reality App for Virtual Learning by Doing”
3. Purpose: “Use an ＭR app to help students who cannot attend school due to illness or family emergencies.”

4.2 Impact Excellent Award

This award honors the project that makes a significant and positive impact on its intended audience or community. It recognizes exceptional efforts in addressing real-world challenges through innovative solutions, demonstrating not only creativity but also a deep understanding of social, environmental, or technological issues.

Winner: Christopher Cheng, Eric Wang, Ethan Li, Isaac Chen
1. They are from Plano West Senior High School of Plano, TX
2. App name: “SignSpeak – AI-powered Sign Language Translator”
3. Purpose: “AI-powered Mobile App that helps to bridge communication gaps for individuals with hearing impairments by translating text or voice into AI-generated, real-time videos of ASL (American Sign Language) or ASL into text or voice..”

4.3 Youth achievement Team Award

This award recognizes a team of young individuals who have demonstrated outstanding collaboration, dedication, and achievement in their project. It honors their collective efforts in overcoming challenges, showcasing innovation, and making significant contributions to their field.

Winner: Joyce Yan, Ella Luo, Nanxi Wei
1. They are from Pinewood School in Mountain View, CA
2. App name: “EDR (eating disorder recovery)”
3. Purpose: “Our purpose is to help individuals recover from eating disorders through personalized, attainable steps, helping them to adopt healthy eating habits and positive body image.”