Tejasveer Chugh (’25) is the 2023 Congressional App Challenge winner of the 15th district. Since middle school, he has always been passionate about computer science and coding. With his new app, Chugh hopes to improve the community and the environment.
Building the App
“I joined the 2023 Congressional App Challenge because I think it is an opportunity for me to showcase my skills and bring them into a positive impact. I think it’s a good place to bring together different people throughout the district at a good cost,” said Chugh.
Chugh’s primary motivation was to tackle problems faced by the agricultural industry due to climate change.
“I created an app called Plantsol to help detect plant disease. The global agriculture industry is facing massive issues in that regard, so I wanted to help out,” said Chugh.
Incorporating AI technology, Chugh’s app, Plantsol, helps users detect if their plants are affected by diseases. After detection, the app can even suggest possible avenues of treatment.
“To utilize this app, you take a picture of a leaf of the plant that you would like to scan. By using deep learning or AI, it will automatically tell you which disease is affecting the plant and some recommended solutions,” said Chugh.
Time management played an important role in Chugh’s success. With only a few weeks available, he needed to determine what he should prioritize.
“One of the takeaways I have from this contest is that I learned to manage time. In the beginning, I had a super ambitious view of the App. But then, there’s only a limited amount of time, so I have to drop some features,” said Chugh.
What’s next
Chugh looks forward to widening and diversifying Plantsol. He wishes to keep moving forward with his talent in the field of computer science.
“I definitely want to expand on the app. I wanted to add more features and make it more accessible. And in terms of college, I want to head in the direction that allows me to make an impact, [which is] probably computer science,” said Chugh.
