Hough Recognized in App Competition

Left to right: Hough students Jaswanth Deevela, Christopher Lock and Aaron Smieszek

Three juniors from Hough High School placed second statewide in the Ready, Set, App competition, a mobile app development challenge organized by the North Carolina Business Committee for Education.

Competing as Hough Haptics, the team of Jaswanth Deevela, Aaron Smieszek and Christopher Locke developed SensoryScope, a mobile app that helps users evaluate the sensory environment of public spaces before visiting. The app provides location-based ratings and user feedback on noise levels, crowd density and overall stimulation.

It is designed for users with sensory sensitivities such as autism and ADHD as well as general users seeking more comfortable planning.

About 70 teams entered the competition. Eight finalist teams were selected to present at Lenovo’s U.S. headquarters in Morrisville. Finalists delivered 10-minute presentations followed by five-minute question-and-answer sessions.

Hough High School was a first-time entrant and earned second place overall. Each team member received a Lenovo Legion Go S, valued at about $1,000.

The student-led team handled development and plans to continue refining SensoryScope, add features and pursue publication on major app stores. They also plan to enter additional competitions and industry showcases.