Maui STEM whiz kid raising money for robotics team

MAKAWAO (HawaiiNewsNow) - A boy from Maui is making big moves!

Kai Liu is an eight-year-old Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) whiz from Makawao.

The soon-to-be third grader loves building things – from stacking pegs as a baby, to making gravity machines, Snap Circuits and Crunch Labs inventions.

He even saved up all his money to create his very own gaming computer and game called Flappy Banana. It is no surprise that Kai has the highest score.

Because Kai will be starting third grade at Pukalani Elementary School this fall, he is starting something bigger than ever before. He was too young to join his school’s robotics team. So, he started his very own called Team Explosive!

“Kai is a really smart kid. He’s been really into all things STEM since he was little. He really loves experiments. He really likes math, engineering, and video games,” Kai’s dad Jian Liu said.

Kai’s goal is to raise $5,000 so his team can buy everything they need to join robotics competitions and hopefully one day make it to the World Championships.

“Really going to help repay some of the shipping costs and any competitions that we might want to participate in,” Jian said. “T-shirts and miscellaneous thing that the team can use.”

Kai and his friends can compete until they are 15 years old, so the money will go a long way.

Kai hopes his story inspires others to go after their dreams. If you want to help him achieve his, click here.