Student Highlight: Griffin Pundt
Griffin Pundt, a third-year student in the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Computing Security program, worked with a team of 3 other Hacking for Diplomacy students to improve C-UAS operations overseas amid emerging technology threats faced by the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
Rochester Institute of Technology students Matthew McBride and Griffin Pundt present their solutions recommendations at final presentations in May 2024.
Roshan Daniel, Senior Project Manager for C-UAS Solutions Development and the team’s H4Diplomacy problem sponsor, challenged the students to streamline and automate parts of the highly manual and labor-intensive counter-drone process. The team ultimately proposed a solution centered on a storage repository for logs and reports, coupled with an algorithm to automate report generation and log analysis.
The discovery-driven methods used in H4Diplomacy quickly showed students the importance of networking and leveraging resources. Pundt shared that the team “got very far in this process because [they] relied on other people...using other people's connections". This networking enriched their research and facilitated critical introductions the team would later use to test their hypotheses around the root problem.
Pundt also highlighted the role of their H4Diplomacy mentor, Chief Growth Officer at Synertex, Rob Mennell, whose guidance was instrumental. Mennell’s expertise and network provided the team with more robust discovery, helping them refine their process and present a solution to a validated problem. The mentorship extended beyond technical advice, offering strategic guidance on presenting their findings effectively.
Perseverance was another key lesson for the student team. In his interview, Pundt opened up about the challenges the student team faced in navigating the nexus between academia, government, and industry. More specifically, the students quickly gained perspective on the bureaucratic and often slow-moving landscape of diplomatic and security-related inquiries that DOS personnel experience in their day-to-day work. This perspective was key in helping the students understand how to improve their discovery process during the course.
Teamwork was the third cornerstone of the team’s success. Pundt praised his team for their collaborative spirit, especially during in-person meetings. He remarked on the difficulty of aligning four college students’ schedules but noted that face-to-face interactions were "extremely beneficial to our success as a team". This hands-on collaboration fostered a cohesive approach to problem-solving and innovation, and would ultimately lead to the students visiting a DOS/DS testing facility in Summit Point, WV, where they engaged directly with the technologies they were studying. The team’s site visit provided practical insights and a tangible connection to their work.
Pundt found the H4Diplomacy program to be a transformative experience for him and his team. They learned to harness resources, persevere through bureaucratic challenges, and work cohesively as a team. Their solution has the potential to streamline and automate critical processes within the Department of State, showcasing the impact of academic initiatives on practical, governmental challenges. Looking forward, Pundt also shared more about how the class introduced him to new career opportunities with DOS/DS that he plans to pursue following graduation.