Two Blaine High Schoolers placed in the top 16 at the 2026 National Technology Student Association Conference in Washington, D.C., June 22 through June 26.
Junior Andrew Baer and senior Aiden Ernst secured their spot at nationals after earning third place in robotics at the state competition in April.
Baer and Ernst placed between top 16 and top 11. The duo first competed in the preliminary round, which included timed trials where their robot was required to perform tasks.
“The robot had to go through a set of obstacles and collect certain items laying around in a small arena and deliver them back to a specified drop off area in 10 minutes,” Ernst said.
Passing this round moved them into the semi-finals, which was for those who placed in the top 16 in the preliminary round.
There was no competition associated with this round, just a team interview. This helps evaluators determine students’ growth and skills and verify that the work was well-divided between teammates.
Baer and Ernst spent months working on their bot and made major and minor adjustments along the way for optimal functionality.
Some of the features included omnidirectional wheels, an arm to right the robot if tipped over and a pair of googly eyes displayed on a screen that point in the direction the robot drives.
The two were the only Blaine students competing at nationals, up against over 60 other teams.
“I met people from all over the nation,” Baer said. “It was really cool. I don’t think I’ve ever had any experience quite like it.”
For Baer, his goal is to go back and take home the first place title next year.
“Aiden’s graduating, but I’m going to be left for one more year, and I think it would be really fun to close off high school by going straight up to nationals and stealing the lead away from everybody else,” he said.
