By Risha Rohera
Theme Editor
Many students at Mira Costa download and explore various applications on their phones, but senior Abha Nath has gone above using other companies’ apps and has created her own for the Android.
Nath, also president of H2O for Life Club, recently created the free Android app “Aqua Monitor,” which was released in October. Aqua Monitor allows users to monitor their daily shower time and compare their water consumption habits to other citizens of the country based on their locations, age groups and genders.
“[Users] are [also] able to share their results using social media networks, including Twitter and Facebook,” Nath said. “The app was created to help people across the nation reduce their water consumption habits in efforts to become more aware of water conservation.”
Nath’s new “Aqua Monitor” app is a continuation of her passion for water conservation. After traveling to India several years ago and witnessing the poor water quality and lack of conversation efforts, Nath decided to establish the H20 For Life Club at Costa. Last year, Nath created an award-winning website (www. angeles.sierraclub.org/water/hsproject.html) that detailed the current water crisis in California.
She created the app using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) App Inventor, which is a part of the MIT Center for Mobile Learning’s Media Lab. By using a web browser or connected phone, the inventor enables users to create an app for Android.
“The basic functionality of the app turned out to be really easy to use,” Nath said. “I was able to program a majority of the app, but the aesthetic performance wasn’t there. Advanced programmers helped to educate me on how to make the app much more appealing to the eye.”
Nath created “Aqua Monitor” in an effort to raise awareness in the national community about the detrimental effects of the shortage of water in California. Using the app will give people more information about their water consumption habits.
“We haven’t seen the drastic effects of limitations that could be posed on our state,” Nath said. “This is an important problem that can be fixed if we take the proper steps.”
The Los Angeles Chapter of The Sierra Club, a grass-roots environmental organization, as well as the H2O for Life Organization has endorsed the Aqua Monitor app. Nath had an internship at The Sierra Club the summer before her senior year.
“Apps like this are important to have,” senior Lily Hubbard said. “It is not only helping and promoting a great cause, but it is also helping people learn about ways to conserve water and how to apply what they learned about it in a fun and unique way.”
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