TerraBloom wins Rep. Adam Gray’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in California’s 13th District.
Rep. Adam Gray has named Aahlad Bysani of River Islands High School as the winner of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in California’s 13th District. Their app TerraBloom is an interactive application that helps users detect and explore harmful algal blooms around the world.
When asked what inspired the creation of TerraBloom, Aahlad Bysani said, “Harmful algal blooms are a growing threat to our oceans, lakes, and rivers, affecting ecosystems, wildlife, and even human health. I first became interested in this issue while learning about water quality and seeing reports of blooms affecting communities around the world. I realized that while satellite data exists to track these blooms, it’s scattered, complex, and difficult for most people to access or interpret. I wanted to build a tool that could make this information understandable and actionable for anyone—from students and researchers to concerned citizens. My goal was to create an app that is interactive, user-friendly, and allows people to explore blooms in real time, track changes over time, and better understand the health of our planet’s waters. With TerraBloom, I hope to raise awareness and empower users to learn about and protect the ecosystems that sustain us.”
The 2025 Congressional App Challenge marked another record-setting year for the program. A total of 394 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives hosted App Challenges in their congressional districts, the highest level of participation in the program’s history. More than 13,800 students from across the country participated, submitting over 4,600 original apps focused on real-world challenges ranging from health and accessibility to education, sustainability, and civic engagement.
The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives that encourages middle school and high school students to learn to code, explore computer science, and build practical technology solutions for their communities. Each participating Member of Congress selects a winning app from their district, and winning teams are invited to showcase their projects to Members of Congress, staff, and industry leaders at the annual #HouseOfCode celebration on Capitol Hill.
The Challenge is proudly bipartisan and reflects a shared commitment to expanding access to STEM education and preparing the next generation of American innovators for the future workforce. The program is a public-private partnership made possible through funding from the Broadcom Foundation, AWS, Infosys Foundation USA, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others.
The 2026 Congressional App Challenge will launch in May, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.