Building a STEM Future for Hawaiʻi Youth
Pitch Day 2025 was Fin-Tastic!
On April 12th, our five finalist teams presented their Lightning Pitches to a live audience of over 120 participants, sharing their solutions to real and local problems surrounding Food Security in their communities. With the support of their team coordinators, families and friends, and joined by this season's FishTank teams, our judges, local STEM professionals, SME (subject matter experts) and NexTech supporters, and our student volunteers, we celebrated their accomplishments. We left inspired and motivated to grow our own and support our local growers.
Well done to ALL our teams!!! We're so proud of every student who chose to explore FishTank this season. There was so much learning and personal growth witnessed, from overcoming obstacles, following your curiosity, redirecting your focus, and going out into the community to learn and challenge your thinking from experts in the field.
Mahalo nui to everyone who helped make our in-person event so memorable! You can view all teams' project presentations in our Pitch Day Program. Stay tuned for the full report.
Here are scenes from our event.
NexTech Hawaiʻi Mission
UH Hilo MEGA Lab shares augmented reality app of 3D corals!
Our emphasis is STEM skills and career learning through a framework of relationships, relevance, and rigor. We offer tuition-free, project and place-based STEM learning programs for elementary, middle, and high school-aged youth. We offer year-round programs that are open to all Hawaiʻi Island families. The active return of students to our programs as participants and mentors is a sound measure of our success. Learn more.
Learn 3D Printing and CAD!
NexTech’s 3D Printer Program is a tuition-free 6-week exploration and learning opportunity for Hawaii Island students and their families. To learn more and to reserve your spot, visit our 3D Printer Program page.
Career Connected Learning - our secret sauce
This is a critical part of our NexTech STEM mission to inspire students toward their desired careers and build professional ties for future learning and career experiences. This approach is foundational to our programs and is especially evident in our Exploration Workshops and Career Mentoring.
STEM Exploration Workshops
Our workshops offer a closer study of STEM subjects through hands-on activities and interaction with STEM professionals.
Career Mentoring
High school students are carefully paired with a STEM mentor. Younger students meet with mentors in small groups. Essential career skills (leadership, communication, collaboration) are emphasized, and students are offered interest assessments through tools like the Hawaii RIASEC Career Explorer.
FishTank Design Competition
FishTank is a first-of-its-kind program developed on Hawaiʻi Island and inspired by the hit TV series “Shark Tank.” It is an annual STEM engineering design competition open to 6-12 grade students on Hawaiʻi Island. Each competition focuses on a complex local issue, and teams compete for honors and awards and curated learning opportunities. FishTank participants work on authentic issues and develop new engineering mindsets. Learn more…
Coding + Robotics Camps
Our STEM Camps are multi-day events for Hawaiʻi Island youth focused on building STEM skills and guidance for future study in STEM. At our camps, learners develop computer coding skills, CAD/3D printing, drone programming/ operation, robotics, engineering design, ecological field methods, resource stewardship, and leadership skills. STEM Camps are offered multiple times a year and evolve as new project ideas and lessons are developed by our team. Learn more…
The Success Factory - NexTech Hawaii delivers free educational programs and develops community engagement opportunities to enable STEM awareness and career readiness for Hawaii Island youth.