Lenovo : Game-changing apps created by high schoolers from the Lenovo Scholar Network National Mobile App Development Competition

Lenovo and NAF, a nonprofit organization focused on high school education, announced the six winners of this year's competition, in May. Here's a rundown of what these three award winning teams worked on:
Lace Up

Submitted by:Cox Mill High School, Academy of Information Technology; Concord, N.C. Sure, there are plenty of running apps out there. But Cox Mill juniors Rohit Nemani and Praneeth Arrepu wanted more out of their experience. 'Nike and other apps tell you the pace, but when I ran for cross country, I wanted to know instantaneous pace while I was running to know if I was going too fast or too slow,' Nemani told local paper the Independent Tribune. 'We made this app so you can check automatically and it would let you know through headphones.' Lace Up alerts you when your pace changes during your run so you can keep pushing toward your running goal. It also provides insights on courses close to your location and even suggests music from your playlist that matches your speed. 'I was always fixed on pursuing business administration as a major [in college]. This opportunity has really inspired me and shown me that going for a computer science minor would be a pretty good idea,' said Arrepu.
Respirate

Submitted by:Enloe High School, Academy of Health Sciences; Raleigh, N.C. You may not have heard of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but it's the third-highest leading cause of death in America. And Enloe High sophomores Jeffrey Li and Udai Virk knew enough people who suffered from the debilitating lung ailment - which makes it hard for those who suffer from it to breath -they wanted to devote an app to provide resources for and awareness of it. 'Pulmonary rehabilitation is relatively expensive as it's not always covered by healthcare providers,' said Virk, 'and many times it's an outpatient program, so not many people can invest [the time in] it. Respirate incorporates all of the aspects of pulmonary rehabilitation and puts them all into the touch of a screen.' That includes helpful videos, checklists and other resources. Best of all, Respirate is free - and already available to Android users. This experience showed us the career option of working as an app developer, or even broader, as a programmer in general. We [learned] that apps can be created to address problems in the world and bring a legitimate positive impact with it,' said Li and Virk.
SpeakEZ

Submitted by:Lee County High School, Academy of Engineering; Sanford, N.C. Not all of us can dominate the debate team or crush a timeless valedictorian speech. But at some point, we're all going to have to get up in public and talk. Studies have estimated as many as three out of every four people have anxiety around public speaking, or glossophobia. That's what a trio of Lee County High juniors took on with their entry. 'By using SpeakEZ, you address your pace, your connotation and you get general tips about your stage presence,' explained junior Brandon Ramirez. 'The result is a more confident speech.' 'Being able to gain experience in app development at a young age is an opportunity that I'm extremely grateful for. We feel very proud to know that our work is being displayed on a national level,' said Ramirez.