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A group of Emerald High School juniors were awarded first place in a state competition for creating an application that uses artificial intelligence to identify early-stage symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
The app dubbed Synapse Match bases its analysis on survey input from the user as well as voice and motor diagnostics.
For creating the app, Rushil Baindla, Imran Mirza, Nikhil Kalburgi, and Riddhish Saravanan won the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for California’s 10th Congressional District, a competition meant to encourage young people to learn to code and boost their interest in STEM.
The winners were inspired to create Synapse Match upon learning that their physics teacher was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Mirza told Pleasanton Weekly.
The instructor is one of more than 10 million people worldwide estimated to have the disease, according to the The Parkinson’s Foundation website — a nonprofit dedicated to providing information and resources about the disease.
“We received a record number of submissions this year and I am amazed by the innovation and ingenuity shown by all of our participants,” Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) said in a statement Dec. 9 announcing the winners. “Congratulations to Rushil, Imran, Nikhil and Riddhish!”
“I was very proud,” Mirza said of the team’s collaborative effort and subsequent win.
Although Mirza has participated in tech challenges before, he said the team’s participation in the app challenge was unique due to its focus on human-centered problem-solving.
“We identified this problem in the community and we made this impactful solution that could help millions of people,” Mirza said.
Given the group’s limited resources, Mirza said that finding a cure to the disease was not an option for the team. However, a program for its early detection was in the cards, he said.
Although not intended to give a definitive diagnosis, the app could be used as the first step in identifying symptoms of the progressive brain disorder such as tremors, slow movement and vocal changes. As a measure prior to receiving medical care, app users avoid financial barriers that may otherwise accompany a visit to the doctor’s office, Mirza said.
Upon formal diagnosis by a medical professional, individuals may decide whether to take medication for disease management, according to the foundation website.
To use Synapse Match, an person would enter biographic information such as age, weight and average sleep time. The user’s input is then compared to individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, an analysis rooted in machine learning algorithms.
Users would also input vocal samples for comparison to speech samples from diagnosed individuals.
A third diagnostic is run based on the user’s ability to trace patterns.
The app also features a chatbot to explain the user’s numerical results as well as information related to Parkinson’s disease.
While not currently available to the public, Synapse Match may become available in the future depending on available funding, Mirza said.
Following Synapse Match, second place was awarded to Adhyayan Veer Singh of San Ramon for creating Scholify, an application that connects students with scholarships that match their interests and aspirations, according to the statement. Third place went to Jayden Wong of Moraga for CellLab, a game meant to bolster enthusiasm for biology education.
The winning apps were selected by a panel of judges from STEM and education fields who live or work in California’s 10th Congressional District, according to the statement.
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