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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. 

 

  • Website Design

Website Design

Design Brief: Community Story

Challenge: Develop a website that captures the essence of a local community and shares stories, history, or significant events that have shaped the community. The website should include an interactive element (e.g., timeline, map, etc.) that the user can interact with to understand the history or stories of the community. Your entry for this event is an exception to the general rules for the 2026 National TSA Conference regarding identifying information and you may include school or chapter name if it is the same name as the community used.

HIGH SCHOOL

 

  • Animatronics
  • Architectural Design
  • Audio Podcasting
  • Biotechnology Design
  • Children’s Stories
  • Coding
  • Data Science and Analytics
  • Debating Technological Issues

Animatronics

 “Time Travelers’ Museum”

Design Problem: Create an animatronic figure or scene from a key moment in American history. The character should "come to life" to explain their world to a young audience. Designed for a children's museum or educational tour. 

Architectural Design

Audio Podcasting

Theme: “History or Mystery” Students create an audio podcast that focuses on a real-life or fictitious historical event from the past.

Biotechnology Design

Topic: Topic: Bioconjugation. Bioconjugation is a biochemical technique that has been applied in various fields, such as medicine, diagnostics, biocatalysis, and materials. From chemical warfare to corrective eye surgery, the applications of bioconjugation are vast. Highlight the science behind bioconjugation and demonstrate one of its many uses.

Children’s Stories

Theme: Students develop and produce a non-fiction, die-cut board book

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

Theme: Identify and use a "Tourism"- related open-source data set for analysis and research. In the scientific poster, cite the source of the data, including the URL/domain and file format. 

Scientific Poster Template

Debating Technological Issues

Theme: Artificial Intelligence and Ethics

  • Subtopic 1: AI decision-making in judicial systems introduces bias and undermines human moral judgment.
  • Subtopic 2: The development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) poses a greater existential threat than nuclear weapons.
  • Subtopic 3: AI-generated art and literature diminish the value of human creativity and cultural authenticity.