REP. GRAY ANNOUNCES 2025 CONGRESSIONAL APP CHALLENGE WINNER
MERCED, CA - Congressman Adam Gray (CA-13) today announced that Aahlad Bysani is the winner of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for California’s 13th Congressional District.
Bysani is a student at River Islands High School in Lathrop. Working alone, he developed Terra Bloom – an app that helps users detect and explore harmful algal blooms around the world. Through satellite data available to the public, users can select a geographical location then calculate bloom intensity using different indices. The app visualizes data in real time, turning complex satellite imagery into an accessible, user-friendly app for monitoring water health and identifying patterns.
“We spend millions of dollars to restore our wetlands and rivers, but it can sometimes be difficult to know the impact we’re having,” said Rep. Gray, who has been at the forefront of river restoration in the Valley. “This incredible app helps fill that gap. It will enhance our ability to remain good stewards of our rivers, lakes and streams. I’m impressed, just like our judges.”
Bysani’s Terra Bloom allows people to explore blooms in real time, track changes over time and better understand the health of specific waterways anywhere on the planet.
Aahlad’s application was chosen from among dozens of entries across District 13, which stretches 160 miles across Merced and parts of San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Madera and Fresno counties. Submissions were judged by a panel of three award-winning computer experts from across the country.
“I wanted to raise awareness and empower users to learn about and protect the ecosystems that sustain us,” says Aahlad Bysani. “The Congressional App Challenge helped me see the value of creating technology that can make a difference, and it inspired me to continue developing tools that help people understand and protect our environment. I’m very honored the judges chose my app as the winning one.”
About the Congressional App Challenge
The Congressional App Challenge is an annual competition sponsored by the Internet Education Foundation (IEF) that, since 2015, has encouraged more than 40,000 middle and high school students across all 50 states to explore coding and STEM fields by creating original apps. The challenge has reached students from diverse, rural, and underserved communities across the country.