Computer Science, taught by Ms. Taricco, aligns closely with the AP Computer Science A curriculum. It's a project-based class, and some of the biggest projects we get to complete throughout the year include this website, completing mini-labs using Java, and creating and designing an app that can be used to help someone in our community.
One of the mini-labs we completed to learn Java was a stars lab in which we programmed 10 randomly sized and located stars to appear on the screen when the program was run. I added a fun little addendum in which the stars also got a different colour. Take a look at what the finished product looked like, or click here to view the code!
Another one of the mini-labs that we completed was a line art lab. It was cool to work on such a mathematical concept, and even though I thought it would be really difficult, it was actually relatively easy. As an added bonus, it looked really good! Click here to view the code!
Apps for Good was one of the biggest projects we worked on during junior year. In this project, I got to work with my team, Varsha Alladi, Ishana Saroha, and Adel Benchemam, to develop an app aimed towards people with diabetes. Our app took in the user's input, such as their desired sugar per meal amount and the different ingredients they had at home, to generate a weekly meal plan. Our app, which is called DiaBite, was developed using Android Studio.
Over 38.4 million people over the world suffer from diabetes making this the most common metabolic disorder worldwide. Patients with diabetes have specific requirements regarding the food that they consume, making meal planning a difficult task. Additionally, one feature that is not currently available in the market is for an app to develop recipes based on the ingredients existing in a user’s inventory. Currently, people tend to find recipes and then go to the store to get ingredients resulting in increased time, effort, and food waste when unused ingredients are left over or forgotten. Moreover, research from Acosta and Technomic shows that 85% of people struggle with meal planning, often deciding what to cook on the same day, which results in poor dietary choices and unnecessary stress. With these two problems in mind, our app aims to solve these problems by serving as both a meal planner that is able to develop and organize recipes based on ingredients a user has in their kitchen. Despite the importance of diet in diabetes management, there is a lack of digital tools that assist individuals in creating meal plans based on available ingredients while also following dietary restrictions. This gap highlights the need for DiaBite.
Our app mainly aims to help people with diabetes plan their meals accordingly, so the target audience would be an individual with diabetes who needs to cook meals daily, or a caretaker looking after a diabetic individual that is in charge of preparing their daily meals. However, this app can be used by a diverse population of users, such as those who would like assistance in meal planning. According to research done by Acosta and Technomic, 85% of people struggle with meal planning and end up deciding what to eat and prepare the same day that they are eating the meal (Garver, 2018). Additionally, around 11.6% of the US population (38.4 million people) suffers from diabetes, which means that creating an app that helps support diabetic people with meal planning is especially useful (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024). DiaBite, while focused on diabetic individuals, can help all individuals with meal planning, and would be able to reduce the current amount of food waste by ensuring that users would not need to buy new ingredients when they do not need them.
DiaBite is designed to simplify meal planning for individuals with diabetes while addressing the unique challenges they face. Using the Spoonacular API, the app creates personalized meal plans tailored to a user’s dietary restrictions and the ingredients available in their kitchen. By combining dietary customization with efficient meal planning, DiaBite minimizes food waste, reduces the stress of daily meal preparation, and ensures users can adhere to their nutritional guidelines with ease.
The development process of DiaBite involved four main steps: research, design, implementation, and testing. Our research began with identifying the challenges faced by individuals with diabetes in meal planning and validating the problem through credible data sources. This research provided a strong foundation for understanding user needs and the gaps in existing solutions. During the design phase, we created detailed wireframes and flowcharts to visualize the app’s functionality, focusing on a user-friendly interface and integration of features like ingredient tracking, sugar monitoring, and recipe generation. Implementation involved coding the application using the Spoonacular API to develop personalized meal plans while ensuring that the recipes that were recommended adhered to the user’s sugar intake preferences and the user’s available ingredients. Lastly, lots of testing was conducted to evaluate the app’s functionality, accuracy, and user experience. Multiple test cases were designed to simulate various sugar restrictions and ingredient combinations, enabling us to refine the app and ensure its reliability.
The minimum viable product (MVP) includes three core functionalities. First, a dynamic meal planning calendar allows users to view personalized plans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all generated based on maximum sugar per meal intake needs and ingredient availability. Second, each planned meal contains a recipe featuring detailed ingredient lists and step-by-step instructions. Third, a sugar-tracking function monitors users’ desired sugar intake and generates weekly meal plans based on their restrictions, maintaining safe dietary levels.
One of the most unique aspects of DiaBite is its ability to generate meal plans and recipes based entirely on the ingredients users already have at home, promoting efficiency and reducing food waste. Unlike other apps that focus on recipe generation or sugar tracking as standalone features, DiaBite integrates these functions to provide a personalized and sustainable approach to meal planning. By prioritizing the use of existing ingredients, the app saves users time and money while minimising the environmental impact of wasted food. This innovative feature not only simplifies the meal preparation process but also sets DiaBite apart as a holistic and user-focused solution in the market.