Strickland Announces 2026 STEM Program Winner

Lacey, WA - Today, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) announced Suhaas Meka, as the winner of the inaugural 2026 Congressional STEM Award Program for Washington's 10^th Congressional District.

"After considering many outstanding submissions, I am proud to announce Suhaas as the winner of the Congressional STEM Award Program," said Strickland. "Congratulations to all students who participated, and thank you to our judges."

"I am honored to be selected as the winner of Congresswoman Strickland's 2026 STEM Award Program. Through my project, GRIP-CTS, I wanted to explore how technology can help prevent injuries before they occur and encourage healthier habits for people who use digital devices every day. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my work and hope it inspires other students to use STEM to solve real-world problems," said Suhaas Meka, Grade 7, at Nova Middle School.

"I was impressed by Suhaas Meka's ability to take a real-world health concern and develop a practical engineering solution. His GRIP-CTS project combined hardware design, programming, and data analysis to investigate how different devices affect wrist posture and potential carpal tunnel syndrome risk. The project demonstrated creativity, strong technical skills, and a clear focus on solving a problem that is increasingly relevant for students and technology users," said Dr. Travis Knowles, Professor of Chemistry at South Puget Sound Community College.

"This year's winner impressed me with a prototype that tracks hand positioning in real time across phones, tablets, and laptops to flag carpal tunnel risk-creative, practical, and aimed at making people's lives better. It's remarkable work from a middle school student, and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next" said Dr. Radana Dvorak, St. Martins University Chair of Computer Science and competition judge.

"Suhaas Meka's combination of a very creativity problem choice and the technological know-how to put forth a solution was very impressive," said Professor Thad O'Dell, Professor of Mathematics at South Puget Sound Community College.

"GRIP-CTS (Glove Risk Index for Posture - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) is an incredible example of how STEM innovation can be applied to real-world problems. Prolonged smartphone and device usage among students and younger generations has been linked to wrist strain and early CTS symptoms, with warning signs that go unnoticed until pain sets in. GRIP-CTS shifts the focus toward prevention through the creation of a low-cost device that integrates sensors into a wearable glove to monitor a user's full range of wrist motion with real-time visualization of risk levels. By turning strain we can't feel into something we can see and correct, it's a brilliant step forward in protecting the long-term health of a digital-first generation," said Dr. Dave Song, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Pacific Lutheran University.

This year is the first year Congresswoman Strickland created and hosted the Congressional STEM Award Program, creating a new tradition for students in STEM-related fields to explore their passions and encourage creativity in the computer science field. To learn more about the winner, visit here.

Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She is Whip of the New Democrat Coalition, Secretary of the Congressional Black Caucus, and is one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress.

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