Albany, NY - With energy efficiency as the key theme, the New York State Chapter of Technology Students Association (TSA) announced its plans to "energize" its 23rd annual TSA Conference thanks to the support of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

Several categories of the annual NYSTSA Competition include:

Architecture - Students will design a "green" school building for 800 students.

Public and Extemporaneous Speaking - Students will speak on a variety of energy-related subjects ranging from energy policy, behavior modification, advertising messaging, renewable energy, and green building design.

Technical Display - Students will design and prepare a small scale model of an interactive display that teaches the public about energy efficiency. The winning display will be built from the model and placed in a museum in New York State.

NYSTSA is also adding three new categories this year:

Commercial Video Advertising - Students will create a mock 30- to 60-second television commercial on energy efficiency, such as ENERGY STAR^® lighting or appliances, ENERGY STAR homes, smart meters, renewable energy (wind, solar, etc) in a new home development, and Home Performance with ENERGY STAR.

Website Challenge - Students will design, build, and present a website.

Solar Vehicle Challenge - Students will build solar-electric cars to race at the competition.

Other contest categories include:

Aerospace Technology
Desktop Publishing
Promotional Video Communication
Research & Design Metric
Structural Engineering
Mouse Trap Vehicle
Simple Machines
Technical Problem Solving
Electronic Systems
Technical Drawing
Technical Research & Technical Writing

NYSERDA will also provide prizes and awards to individual students and schools, as well as providing judges and technical assistance.

"NYSERDA is pleased to support this statewide competition and introduce energy education as a theme for several events. We need to educate students on the value of energy efficiency and its environmental benefits," said Peter Smith, acting president of NYSERDA. "NYSERDA feels this competition will help stimulate interest, and for some of these students, this may possibly lead them to choose an energy-related career path. We are excited to tap into the creative minds of New York State Technology students and look forward to what they will have to offer."

The TSA Competition is scheduled for April 23-24, 2004, at the State University of New York at Oswego. This two-day event is attended by approximately 500 students around the State. Students in middle school (Grades 5-8) and high school (Grades 9-12) are competing in their respective levels. Winners from the State competition are invited to attend the National TSA Competition, which will be held June 20-24, 2004, in Nashville, Tennessee.

For more information, visit www.tsaweb.org or call Bill Rock, Somers Middle School, 914-277-3399.

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