Virtual Reality App Wins
2017 Congressional App Challenge
in Florida’s 25th District

MIAMI – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25) announced that the winner of the 2017 Congressional App Challenge for Florida’s 25th District is VRExperience, an app created by students Diego Landaeta and Diego Mansilla. The students attend Ronald W. Reagan Doral Senior High School in Doral, Florida. They described their app as “a simple walking simulator throughout a pleasant forest. With our app we are trying to open the eye of discovery in science, history and medicine through simulations of real life scenarios.” The team used the Unity Engine and coded the app with C#. The app was highly praised by the judges, an independent panel of local technology and STEM leaders, who rated the submissions anonymously based on a point system.

The Congressman also recognized the teams whose apps received the second- and third-highest points in the overall ranking. The winner and runner-ups are as follows:

1st Place: “VRExperience” created by Diego Landaeta and Diego Mansilla from Ronald Reagan High School in Doral

2nd Place: “Plant Dex” created by Hadrian Gonzalez, Ted Bliss, Emilio de Leon, and Vanessa Tascon [not in photo] from Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy in Hialeah (pictured with Congressman Diaz-Balart), described as “a virtual tour of our school’s native arboretum” to engage and educate users about native tree species.