THEMES AND PROBLEMS
MIDDLE SCHOOL
When a decision is made by a member to compete in an event, it is imperative that the member thoroughly read and understand the rules, regulations, procedures, and evaluation criteria for the chosen event(s). National TSA is responsible for addressing mistakes or discrepancies in the competitive event guides and accomplishes this through competition updates on the TSA website. National TSA is not responsible for interpreting, advising, or suggesting ways that a member might develop a viable response or solution to a competitive event challenge.
- Biotechnology
- Career Prep
- Challenging Technology Issues
- Children's Stories
- Coding
- Cybersecurity
- Data Science and Analytics
- Digital Photography
Biotechnology
Career Prep
Theme: Select a career from one (1) of the following:
- Bioenergy Technicians
- Data Architect
- Machine Learning Engineer
- Nurse Practitioner
Challenging Technology Issues
- Genetic Testing and Counseling
- Animal Testing for Scientific Research
- The Use of Drones for Surveillance
- Privatization of Space Travel
- Nanotechnology in Consumer Goods
Children's Stories
Coding
To prepare for MS Coding competition, teams should have knowledge of concepts (software development, computer science, and coding topics) that will be on the Coding written test. They also should be familiar and comfortable with using the Scratch programming language.
Scratch is a free visual programming language available from the MIT Media Lab (https://scratch.mit.edu/download). An offline version of the Scratch tool should be downloaded and available on each team’s laptop.
Teams that advance to the semifinalist level, based on written test performance, will perform a challenge using the Scratch programming language. Semifinalist teams will receive the challenge on site and will have two hours to complete it. (PLEASE NOTE: Semifinalist teams MUST have a version of this program available for offline use, as there will be no Internet access available during the semifinalist level of the competition.)
Examples of the types of challenges students may be asked to complete can be found at this link: https://scratch.mit.edu/starter-projects
Cybersecurity
Data Science and Analytics
Determine the potential "movie success" of a fictitious feature film based on different public metrics, such as, but not limited to box office revenue, date of release, movie genre (selected by the team), movie production budget, and more.
Digital Photography
HIGH SCHOOL
- Animatronics
- Architectural Design
- Audio Podcasting
- Biotechnology Design
- Children’s Stories
- Coding
- Data Science and Analytics
- Debating Technological Issues
Animatronics
Architectural Design
Audio Podcasting
Biotechnology Design
Children’s Stories
Create a “touch and feel” or interactive storybook that introduces TSA and its benefits to young readers in an engaging manner.
Coding
The following programming languages may be used to complete the assigned problems:
- C version C17
- C++ version C++20
- C# version 8
- Java version 21.0
- Javascript/Node version 18.19
- Python version 3.9
- Ruby version 3.2
- Rust version 1.75
- Swift version 5.10
Data Science and Analytics
Identify and use a "Real Estate," "Housing," and/or "Community" related open-source data set for your analyses and research. In the scientific poster, cite the source of the data, including the URL/domain and file format.
Debating Technological Issues
Topic: Biotechnology
- Subtopic 1: Biometric identification poses a security threat within the digital world.
- Subtopic 2: Gene-editing biotechnologies such as the CRISPR-Cas9 system, set a dangerous precedent for science applications in healthcare.
- Subtopic 3: Brain interface technologies, such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink, provide a unique and beneficial solution to mental health issues.