Students participating in the PVC kayak engineering competition line up at the University of Louisville. Photo by Nathan Lyttle, Kentucky Department of Education, March 17, 2026
(LOUISVILLE, KY) – About 1,700 Kentucky students from across the Commonwealth showed off their technological skills during the 2026 Kentucky Technology Student Association (KYTSA) state conference on March 16-18.
KYTSA is a career and technical student organization that supports students engaged in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, in conjunction with the national TSA organization. It is the only career and technical student organization aligned to engineering, aviation, media arts and computer science career pathways in Kentucky. More than 16,000 Kentucky students participated in the program during the 2025-2026 school year to learn through competitive events, leadership opportunities, community service and other activities.
Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher said KYTSA provides a variety of vibrant learning experiences for students.
“The students in KYTSA show a tremendous level of engagement in whatever project they are working on, learning how to engage with emerging technologies that are critical to the world around them,” Fletcher said. “The excitement these students have for what they are learning is tremendous and you can see how much more the lessons resonate with them because of that.”
Marlei DeVore, senior at Russell County High School and KYTSA president, said she loves the fun and competitive nature of the conference.
“TSA is such a fun environment. Everybody has so much energy that they bring together from across the state, and it’s like a magical moment when we’re all here,” DeVore said.
Middle and high school students competed in 81 different competitions during the multi-day event, including architectural engineering, coding, media creation, drone challenges and a variety of other technology events.
Students from Washington County High School compete in one of the drone competitions. From left to right: junior Andrew Bartley, junior William Riley, sophomore Jake Doss and sophomore Haylee Stump. Photo by Joe Ragusa, Kentucky Department of Education, March 17, 2026
Several competitions involved students building something, whether that be miniature bridges made of balsa wood, kayaks made from PVC pipes or a variety of 3D printed projects.
Kallie Wright and Mason Baldwin, a pair of 7th-grade students at Belfry Middle School (Pike County), 3D printed a toddler training wheelchair using blueprints from a nonprofit called Make Good.
A wheelchair for young children could cost several thousand dollars because of the size and special accommodations needed for such small children, but Wright and Baldwin printed four of them for about $140 each.
Wright said they learned about accessibility with their neighbors in mind as they explored the 3D printing technology, using multiple printers over four-to-six days to produce each wheelchair.
“A regular wheelchair for someone like me or you is a lot cheaper than one for a toddler, because it is actually less complex,” Wright said. “This one has to have restraints and cushions, and it’s just smaller. … We learned that without a lot of money, there’s plenty of toddlers out there who don’t get this option.”
The wheelchair they produced for the KYTSA conference has already been dedicated to a girl in the community.
Kallie Wright and Mason Baldwin, a pair of 7th-grade students at Belfry Middle School (Pike County), 3D printed a toddler training wheelchair as part one of the KYTSA state conference competitions. Photo by Jennifer Ginn, Kentucky Department of Education, March 17, 2026
The KYTSA conference also featured a college and career fair and social events for students. Amanda Boggs, KYTSA coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Education, said it’s exciting to honor students for the amount of work they put into their engineering projects.
“A lot of these projects, kids have put in hundreds of hours (of work) – if you see some of the board games, the architectural design – so they’re excited to be able to show it off and talk to a judge and just get other people to look at their work,” she said. “And it’s a fun event where they all get to hang out with fellow kids who are passionate about the same types of things.”
Boggs also said 200 teachers volunteered as judges and event organizers.
The top three finishers in each competition were honored with awards at the end of the conference. The winners at the state level have the opportunity to compete in the national TSA competition in June.
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