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Winter 2015
January 2015 - Vol. 9, Issue 1
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In This Issue
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| The National Officers' Program of Work, by Steven Stokes, National TSA President | | TSA Alumni Association, by Leigh Anne Hamlin, National TSA Vice President | | National TSA Conference in Dallas, by Laura Wilson, National TSA Secretary | | Fundraising, by Jay Son, National TSA Treasurer | | First Ever Virtual Session, by A.C. Williams, National TSA Sergeant-at-Arms | | STEM in the Real World, by Joshua Mathew, National TSA Reporter |
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Each year, the newly elected national TSA officer team develops a Program of Work during their annual summer meeting. The plan is then submitted to the Board of Directors for approval. This year's national officer team chose to focus primarily on communication with the state delegations and local chapters. The approved plan of work for this year consists of four projects: the first ever virtual session, membership growth awards, a national TSA conference promotional video, and state president Google hangouts.
Perhaps the most exciting project of the national officer team is the first ever virtual session. On January 25, 2015 at 4pm ET, your national officers will answer questions submitted in advance and give updates on our initiatives for the year. The national officers think this a great way to communicate with the entire membership and are excited for this first ever virtual session!
Every year, TSA recognizes states and chapters with exceptional membership numbers. While the current awards do an excellent job of recognizing TSA's larger states, the national officers wanted a way to recognize states that experience significant membership growth. Therefore, TSA will be adding two new membership awards this year. This award will recognize the states with the highest percentage of membership growth for both high school and middle school chapters, and will be presented at the 2015 national TSA conference.
The national officers will produce a video to promote the national TSA conference. This year the video will be sent to the states so it can be shown at the several state conferences. Each video will be accompanied with a short, personalized message from one of the national officers.
This year's officer team felt it was vital to increase communication with our state delegations. The largest component of that effort is the Google Hangouts with the state presidents. The first of these hangouts was held in November and the second will be held in February. These hangouts serve to involve the states in national TSA initiatives as well as allowing the state presidents to discuss issues and successes in their states.
The national TSA officer team works to serve the members of national TSA. If any member has a question regarding our program of work, they can contact the national officers at their official TSA email addresses listed on the TSA website at www.tsaweb.org.
The national officers send their best wishes for a heathy and happy new year.
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As a proud member of the Class of 2015, I can definitely say that I am ready and excited to graduate this spring. As an equally proud member of the Technology Student Association, I can say that I am definitely not ready for my TSA experiences to end. I have been a member of this outstanding organization for seven years and TSA has become an important part of my life. It has been a tremendous influence in shaping me into the person I am today and quite frankly, I cannot imagine my life without it.
However, thanks to the National TSA Alumni Association, I can continue my involvement with TSA. Many of my alumni friends have expressed their appreciation of the alumni association. This association helps members transition into the real world while still having TSA play an active part in their lives.
Additionally, membership in the TSA Alumni Association is not limited to former TSA chapter members. Past and present TSA advisors, corporate members, and TSA supporters who have been associated with TSA for more than five years are eligible to become official National TSA Alumni Association members. Information about the National TSA Alumni Association, along with the complete set of bylaws and a link to join can be found under the "For Adults" tab on the TSA website at www.tsaweb.org. Additionally, everyone is invited to keep up with the TSA Alumni Association on Facebook through the "National TSA Alumni Association" page, which is only one "like" away.
I encourage you to extend your TSA involvement beyond your last year in high school. Join the National TSA Alumni Association and stay involved!
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The 2015 National TSA Conference will be held June 28-July2, 2015 at the spectacular Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, just outside of Dallas. During this annual conference, over 65 middle school and high school technology-based student competitions will be held. This is an opportunity for students to compete against TSA members from across the nation. All TSA members have the opportunity to compete in most competitions, regardless of whether they competed at the state level.
Also taking place during the national TSA conference will be leadership training, the TSA Meet and Greet, and student and advisor recognitions. Approximately 5,000 people from across the country are expected to attend the national conference in June.
Between dragster races and VEX robotic competitions, signing up for interview times and checking in your top twelve posters, attendees can check out all the hotel has to offer. In their signature glass atrium, you can find restaurants ranging from barbecue to Tex-Mex to burgers. You can browse the stores or simply enjoy the four and a half indoor acres of lush gardens and waterways. However, if you want to explore further, the Grapevine Mills Mall is just minutes away via a short path that is easily accessible from the hotel. During free time, you may want to explore the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Make plans to attend the 2015 national TSA conference. It's an event that you do not want to miss!
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With the school year well underway, state conference time is soon approaching - accompanied by the obligatory rushes to meet project deadlines and last minute tweaking of projects. During this busy time, it is important to remember that it takes funds to ensure that your chapter will be able to attend both state and national conferences. Through the years, my chapter has developed various fundraising ventures that have passed the test of time. I share these ideas with you to encourage successful fundraising events.
Fundraising Booth: One of the ventures that has consistently been successful is a simple booth placed near the entrances of the school. My chapter has used a booth to sell pancake breakfast tickets, coupon books, or anything else we can think of. The booth is most effective on days where the school will have a lot of activity from adults, such as report card night. The key is to make sure you interact with the parents; if you shake their hands and prepare a small script that explains what TSA is and why they should fund it, many parents will be generous regardless of whether or not they need what you offer. Above all, make sure you have the approval from the administration before you set up a booth.
Sponsorships: There are two primary ways that businesses will generally sponsor your chapter. The more common sponsorship is from restaurant chains. Participating restaurants will dedicate a day where they are willing to donate a designated percentage of sales to your chapter supporters. Many times, they will accept a flyer or a "code word" from patrons to recognize the TSA supporters. This is a great time to host a TSA dinner for friends and family and can really bring in a large amount of revenue if properly advertised. The less common sponsorship comes from local businesses that are interested in supporting school organizations. They will often offer to financially sponsor your chapter in return for advertising on promotional items.
Many businesses will sponsor your chapter in a variety of ways, but it is up to you to reach out to local businesses and promote the value of TSA.
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A major goal of this year's national officer team this is to help TSA members from across the nation connect. In addition to attending the national conference, TSA members can be involved in a national dialogue by joining TSA's first ever virtual session on Sunday, January 25, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. ET. During this one hour event, the national officers will answer previously submitted member questions, share updates on their initiatives, and offer leadership for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year.
Beyond answering previously submitted questions, the national officer team will interact with members through the on-stream chat. We encourage all attending members to comment appropriately and give us your feedback during the stream. Participants may participate in the virtual session by using the hashtag #VirtualTSA on social media. The national officers will be checking this tag before, during, and after the session to highlight or answer selected posts or questions.
The national officer team has been very busy since their election at the 2014 national TSA conference last summer. The national officers are excited to share ideas and accomplishments for this year. The website link to the virtual session will be posted prior to the stream by national TSA and the national officers on their social media. Please get the word out about this event in your state. The more members that attend, the more interconnected we will become as an association! Please email me with any questions about this event. This event is the first of its kind in TSA and I could not be any happier than to share it with such an amazing membership. See you on January 25th at 4pm ET!
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STEM in the Real World
By Joshua Mathew, National TSA Reporter
NationalTSAReporter@tsaweb.org
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As a member of TSA, you probably know quite a bit about STEM-science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. While you continue to prepare your projects for upcoming TSA competitions, I encourage you to keep up-to-date with all that is going on within the world of STEM research. Following the latest advancements in STEM fields can provide you with not only a cool research topic for a TSA event, but also valuable insight into what career options you might want to explore in the future.
In this day and age, smartphones have revolutionized the way we connect with the world around us. From checking emails to watching movies to surfing the web, smartphones play an integral role in our daily lives. Despite the various features and benefits of these devices, many users have encountered the shortcomings of limited storage space on smartphones. Although mobile technology seems to be at an all-time high, researchers are still working to develop innovative solutions to complex problems like limited memory storage with the ultimate goal of enhancing the smartphone experience. Recently, a team of researchers at Rice University made a major breakthrough in resistive random-access memory (RRAM) technology. These researchers believe that a new generation of smartphones with a terabyte of memory (that's 1,000 gigabytes) is well within the realm of possibilities for RRAM technology.
Smartphones already serve as personal libraries that house our music, pictures, applications, and more. Just imagine what we can do with phones that hold a terabyte of storage space.
For more information, please visit these sources:
http://news.rice.edu/2014/07/10/rices-silicon-oxide-memories-catch-manufacturers-eye-2/
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/31/tech/cnn-10-ideas-phone-storage/index.html
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The Technology Student Association fosters personal growth, leadership, and opportunities in technology, innovation, design, and engineering. Members apply and integrate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts through co-curricular activities, competitive events, and related programs.
School Scene (ISSN 1066-341X) is published three times a year by the Technology Student Association, 1914 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1540. Telephone: 703-860-9000; Fax: 703-758-4852. Web site: www.tsaweb.org.
Copyright © 2008 TSA.
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