Punahou students made a strong showing at the AFCEA TechNet Indo-Pacific Conference on Oct. 29, held at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, where technology professionals, educators and students from across the state gathered to explore innovations in cybersecurity and robotics.
Two Punahou CyberELT teams – representing the Open and JROTC divisions – competed in the AFCEA TechNet Capture the Flag cybersecurity competition, demonstrating advanced skills in digital forensics, networking and operating systems. The Punahou Open Division Team captured first place, while the JROTC Division Team earned an impressive second place, showcasing teamwork, problem-solving and technical expertise against other schools.
Meanwhile, the Punahou Robotics FTC Team 6962 Pokébolts, represented by Tyler Wee ’26, Kala‘i Kelekolio ’26, Travis Dumaran ’28 and Vincent Lau ’28 presented their engineering and programming projects. Students demonstrated the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) DECODE season game – an archaeology-themed challenge requiring teams to design autonomous and teleoperated robots capable of identifying, sorting and arranging artifact game pieces using artificial intelligence and coded precision.
Through both competition and collaboration, Punahou students highlighted the innovation, curiosity and technical skill that drive the School’s STEM programs – proving that the future of technology in Hawai‘i is in capable hands.
