Derek Baier
Derek Baier
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Derek Baier (born July 2, 2008) is an American engineer, programmer, robotics competitor, and student from New Hampshire. He is known for his involvement in robotics, software development, electronics, and independent engineering projects. During high school he served as co-president of the Bow High School robotics program and was a member of Team 3773P, which received the Innovate Award at the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship.[1] He maintains the personal website derekbaier.com and publishes software projects through GitHub.
Infobox
[edit | edit source]| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Derek Baier |
| Born | 2008 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Student, Engineer, Programmer |
| Known For | Robotics, Software Development, Engineering Projects |
| Education | Bow High School (2026), Worcester Polytechnic Institute (expected 2030) |
| Website | derekbaier.com |
| GitHub | github.com/deekb |
| Awards | VEX World Championship Innovate Award (2025, Team 3773P), Bowl Award for Engineering (2026) |
Early Life
[edit | edit source]Derek Baier grew up in New Hampshire. From an early age he displayed an interest in computers, electronics, engineering, and understanding how technology works. Family members recall that he frequently disassembled devices, experimented with software, and pursued independent technical projects outside of school.
By middle school, he had developed interests in programming and engineering design, which would later become the foundation of his robotics and software-development activities.
Education
[edit | edit source]Elementary and Middle School
[edit | edit source]Derek attended local public schools in New Hampshire and received academic honors during his elementary school years. A Concord Monitor honor-roll publication listed him among students recognized for academic achievement.[2]
Bow High School (2022–2026)
[edit | edit source]Derek attended Bow High School in Bow, New Hampshire.
During high school he became increasingly involved in:
- Robotics
- Computer science
- Programming
- Electronics
- Engineering design
- Technical leadership
He served as co-president of the robotics club and was part of a successful competitive robotics program. (Concord Monitor)
In 2026 he graduated from Bow High School and announced plans to attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.[3]
Robotics Career
[edit | edit source][[File:Team3773P_Worlds_2025.jpg|thumb|300px|Team 3773P at the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship]]
Derek was a member of the Bow High School VEX Robotics program and served as co-president of the club.
Team 3773P
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Derek competed on Team 3773P ("BowBots Phosphorus"), one of Bow High School's VEX Robotics Competition teams.
The team consisted of:
- Derek Baier
- Allison Baier
- Dirk van der Merwe
- Carter Brennan
and was coached by Connor Parzick and Pam Cafasso.[1]
2025 VEX Robotics World Championship
[edit | edit source]In 2025 Team 3773P qualified for the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas.
Competing against more than 800 teams from around the world, the team received the Innovate Award, an award recognizing an effective and well-documented engineering design process featuring a novel aspect of robot design or gameplay strategy. Bow High School's team earned the award for software and code written entirely by the students.[1]
The team was one of only ten high-school teams worldwide to receive the award that year.[1]
Leadership
[edit | edit source]As co-president of the robotics club, Derek helped guide the program during one of its most successful competitive seasons and worked closely with teammates and mentors to prepare for world-level competition.[3]
Engineering Projects
[edit | edit source][[File:LED_Graduation_Cap.jpg|thumb|250px|Programmable LED graduation cap designed by Derek Baier and collaborators]]
Throughout high school Derek pursued independent engineering projects involving software, electronics, and embedded systems.
LED Graduation Caps
[edit | edit source]For the 2026 Bow High School graduation ceremony, Derek collaborated with fellow robotics students to create custom graduation caps featuring programmable LED matrix displays.
Each cap contained its own Wi-Fi network and could display custom animations, messages, colors, and brightness settings. Derek reported building the devices the day before graduation and completing software development shortly before the ceremony. (Concord Monitor)
Independent Engineering Work
[edit | edit source]Areas of interest include:
- Software engineering
- Embedded systems
- Computer vision
- Electronics design
- Automation
- Robotics software
- Linux systems
- Open-source software
Software Development
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Derek publishes software projects through GitHub and maintains a personal engineering website documenting experiments, tools, and technical projects.
Project categories include:
- Robotics software
- Computer vision
- Automation tools
- Data processing
- Open-source utilities
- Engineering applications
Philosophy and Interests
[edit | edit source]In a 2026 interview, Derek described his fascination with computing and engineering:
Programming has always fascinated me because computer chips made from sand can be used to create technologies people rely on every day.[3]
He has expressed interest in creating technology that combines software and hardware to solve practical problems.[3]
Awards and Recognition
[edit | edit source]| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2025 | VEX Robotics World Championship Innovate Award (Team 3773P)[1] |
| 2026 | Bowl Award for Engineering (Bow High School) |
| Various Years | Academic Honors and Honor Roll Recognition[2] |
Timeline
[edit | edit source]| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Born |
| ~2015 | Begins experimenting with programming and technology |
| 2022 | Enters Bow High School |
| 2024–2026 | Co-president, Bow High School Robotics |
| 2025 | Team 3773P wins Innovate Award at VEX Worlds (Patch) |
| 2026 | Graduates Bow High School (Concord Monitor) |
| 2026 | Receives Bowl Award for Engineering |
| 2026 | Begins studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Concord Monitor) |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 https://patch.com/new-hampshire/concord-nh/bow-high-school-robotics-team-wins-worlds
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.concordmonitor.com/2019/03/15/honor-roll-master-24163750/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 https://www.concordmonitor.com/2026/06/13/this-is-where-the-exponential-growth-happens-bow-high-school-graduates-look-forward-to-bright-futures/
