The 2010 National Technology Student Association (TSA) Conference was held in Baltimore, Maryland from June 28, 2010 to July 2, 2010, and hosted by Delaware TSA. Members from across the nation and Germany attended this exciting conference to compete in various events and meet students from around the world. The Conference was held in the Hilton Baltimore Hotel, Baltimore Marriot Inner Harbor, and the Baltimore Convention Center. Members prepared throughout the year to participate in over 65 different competitive events that revolve around STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) values that students focused on during the school year. This year’s conference was based on the theme “TSA: Tomorrow’s Leaders” which promoted the technological future of its members.
The members prepared to compete in a wide variety of technology based events such as System Control Technology, Graphic Design Challenge, Challenging Technology Issues, Electronic Gaming, Manufacturing Prototype, and Engineering Design. This year, a few new events were added to the Competitive Events Guide including Go Green Manufacturing and Robot TOBOR.
Nearly 2,000 TSA members participated in the TSA Leadership Academy which was sponsored by the Edison Venture Fund and Wiley Publishers. Leadership Academy attendees also enjoyed watching the Baltimore Orioles take on the Oakland Athletics at Camden Yards Ballpark on June 30. The Orioles won with a score of 9-6. Peter Andrews, a graduated senior from Mount Pleasant High School and the National TSA President, threw out the first pitch.
The following students and advisors were recognized for their outstanding work and participation throughout the year:
- Bob Bogdziewicz, Lake Forest High School advisor, was Delaware TSA’s High School Teacher of the Year.
- Walter Novak, Springer Middle School advisor, was Delaware TSA’s Middle School Teacher of the Year.
- Steven Vanderloo, Delaware TSA President from Concord High School, received the Gold Achievement Award.
- Pratyusha Gupta, Immediate-Past President of Delaware TSA from Caesar Rodney High School, was elected to serve as the National TSA Secretary.
- Peter Andrews was recognized for his accomplishments as 2009-2010 National TSA President.
Delaware showed extraordinary performance in the competitive aspect of the National Conference with 21 top ten finishes! Congratulations to the following top ten finalists!
| Event | Place | Finalist(s) | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Career Prep | 6th | Victoria Muir | Springer Middle School |
| Digital Photography | 10th | Quan Bui | P.S. DuPont Middle School |
| Electronic Gaming | 4th | Emily Wong, Eric Tommer, and Alex Nguyen | Springer Middle School |
| Graphic Design | 3rd | Quan Bui | P.S. DuPont Middle School |
| Leadership Strategies | 7th | Michael Krueger, Emily Wong, and Abbey Goslin | Springer Middle School |
| Problem Solving | 3rd | Lonnie Simpson and Jacob Shughart | Gauger-Cobbs Middle School |
| System Control Technology | 10th | Eric Tommer, Andrew DiNunno and Emily Wong | Springer Middle School |
| Technology Bowl (written) | 10th | Eric Tommer | Springer Middle School |
| Techno Talk | 5th | Abbey Goslin and Andrew DiNunno | Springer Middle School |
| Website Design | 6th | Katie McGinnis and Ashley Gold | P.S. DuPont Middle School |
| Career Comparisons | 3rd | Pratyusha Gupta | Caesar Rodney High School |
| Debating Technology Issues | 6th | Becky Marshall and Pratyusha Gupta | Caesar Rodney High School |
| Dragster Design | 9th | Lamar Meekins | Seaford Senior High School |
| Essays on Technology | 10th | Jessica Wong | Concord High School |
| Fashion Design | 8th | Pratyusha Gupta, Jen Marshall, Rachel Grunden, and Manisha Yarlagadda | Caesar Rodney High School |
| Future Technology Teacher | 5th | Pratyusha Gupta | Caesar Rodney High School |
| Manufacturing Prototype | 1st | Christine Sauerbrunn, Stephanie Sauerbrunn, Steven Vanderloo, Jack Kersch, Jessica Wong, and Bridgette Spritz | Concord High School |
| Prepared Presentation | 2nd | Becky Marshall | Caesar Rodney High School |
| Technical Sketching and Application | 2nd | Christine Sauerbrunn | Concord High School |
| Technology Problem Solving | 6th | Ryan Hacker and Sarah Clark | Lake Forest High School |
| Transportation Modeling | 3rd | Jessica Harris | Seaford Senior High School |
Not only did Delaware show outstanding performance in the competitive aspect of the conference, but also for the American Cancer Society. TSA’s national service project is to support ACS by raising money for research and awareness. Mount Pleasant High School raised the highest amount of money for the ACS in the country: over $42,000! Delaware raised the third highest amount of money per capita in the nation.
After another successful National Conference, Delaware looks forward to next year’s thirty-third Annual National TSA Conference in Dallas, Texas!