# 1,700 Kentucky students compete in annual STEM technology showcase  
**Published:** 2026-03-27T17:57:31.000Z  
**Source:** [Kentucky Teacher](http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/03/kentucky-students-showcase-technology-skills-during-2026-kentucky-technology-student-association-state-conference/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/1-700-kentucky-students-compete-in-annual-stem-technology-showcase

LEXINGTON, Ky. — About 1,700 Kentucky students from across the Commonwealth displayed their technological prowess during the [2026 Kentucky Technology Student Association state conference](http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/03/kentucky-students-showcase-technology-skills-during-2026-kentucky-technology-student-association-state-conference/) held March 16-18 in Louisville, showcasing projects developed through months of intensive work in engineering, coding and innovative design.

The [Kentucky Technology Student Association](https://kentuckytsa.org/) 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.

Middle and high school students competed in 81 different competitions during the multi-day event, including architectural engineering, coding, media creation and drone challenges. Several competitions required students to design and construct physical projects, including miniature bridges made of balsa wood, kayaks constructed from PVC pipes and various 3D printed items.

Among the notable projects was a toddler training wheelchair designed and 3D printed by seventh-grade students Kallie Wright and Mason Baldwin from Belfry Middle School in Pike County. The pair learned about accessibility while working on the project, which has already been dedicated to a girl in the community. Students also engineered board games, wearable garments and animatronic museum displays as part of the conference competitions.

"A lot of these projects, kids have put in hundreds of hours," said Amanda Boggs, KYTSA coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Education. "They're excited to be able to show it off and talk to a judge."

The conference drew support from 200 teachers who volunteered as judges and event organizers. Top three finishers in each competition received awards, with winners advancing to the opportunity to compete in the national TSA competition in June.

More than 16,000 Kentucky students participated in the program during the 2025-2026 school year, learning through competitive events, leadership opportunities, community service and other activities.

## Sources

- [Kentucky Teacher](http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/03/kentucky-students-showcase-technology-skills-during-2026-kentucky-technology-student-association-state-conference/)
- [Kentucky Technology Student Association official website](https://kentuckytsa.org/)

---

This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Kentucky Teacher, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2026/03/kentucky-students-showcase-technology-skills-during-2026-kentucky-technology-student-association-state-conference/.