After an exciting school year of invention and innovation, Oregon MESA’s 2026 State Champions traveled to Maryland to represent our state at the MESA USA National Engineering and Design Competition (NEDC), hosted by Maryland MESA at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Competing alongside the top MESA teams from across the country, our students showcased their engineering projects, connected with peers from across the nation, and brought home an incredible three national medals.
Following their victories at Oregon MESA Day 2026, Team K.O.L.D. from Parkrose Middle School and Team GTW from Early College High School in Salem packed their bags and headed to Maryland for four days of competition, learning, and unforgettable experiences.
The week began with a tour of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory before students met fellow competitors from across the country at the opening reception.
On the second day of competition, both Oregon teams participated in the Project Symposium, where they discussed their engineering designs and answered technical questions from judges. Later that afternoon, they presented their projects during the Public Poster Session, sharing their inventions with attendees and receiving feedback from engineering professionals.
The following day, students took the stage for the Technical Pitch competition, presenting their inventions to a panel of judges. That evening, they celebrated the competition with an outing to Washington, D.C., visiting iconic landmarks and exploring the nation’s capital together.
The week concluded with the NEDC Awards Ceremony, where Oregon students were recognized for their outstanding work.
Team K.O.L.D. designed Project PONCHOS, an affordable temperature-regulating poncho created to support students experiencing discomfort during extreme weather. After researching housing insecurity and climate-related challenges in their community, the team developed a lightweight wearable system that uses heating pads and cooling fans to help regulate body temperature while remaining affordable and accessible for students.
Their innovation earned:
- 🥇 First Place – Project Symposium
- 🥈 Second Place – Technical Project Poster
Team GTW created C.O.S.M.O. (Collaborative Observing Social Management Object), a collaborative interactive console designed to support social connection and emotional development in special education classrooms. Powered by a Raspberry Pi, the dual-sided arcade-style console features cooperative games that encourage communication, teamwork, and relationship-building while supporting students with diverse learning and sensory needs.
Their project earned:
- 🥉 Third Place – Technical Pitch, one of the competition’s most competitive awards.
We are incredibly proud of Team K.O.L.D. and Team GTW for representing Oregon with creativity, collaboration, and determination. From sharing their ideas with engineering professionals to earning national recognition, these students demonstrated the power of using STEM to solve real-world challenges and improve their communities.
Read more about these award-winning projects and their journey to the national competition here.