Our Team
Cornell AutoBoat has 4 sub-teams, each with their own unique function. While members are encouraged to work on the team that coincides with their affiliated major, members can work on any sub-team that they choose, and they can even work on multiple sub-teams if they are interested. Scroll to learn more about the role of each sub-team!
About Us
Cornell AutoBoat aims to push the boundaries of novel maritime technology by designing, manufacturing, and testing an autonomous boat capable of image recognition and complex path planning by using computer vision.
Members of AutoBoat will develop industry-critical skills and will advance their technical expertise by engaging in an interdisciplinary setting that emphasizes professional engineering practices.

Mechanical Sub-Team
The Mechanical sub-team designs and manufactures the mechanical devices and structures that form the boat. This involves designing in CAD, creating simulations, developing manufacturing techniques, and other technical skills. There are boundless opportunities for Mechanical members to get a valuable hands-on experience in engineering, and the skills that are developed on this project are applicable to almost every industry. Applicants for this sub-team are typically engineers, but need not a particular set of skills to be a successful member.

Sebastian Meza
Email: sdm233@cornell.edu
Year: 2024
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: New York City, NY

Eric McNamara
Email: erm226@cornell.edu
Year: 2022
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Ramsey, NJ

Justice Starks
Email: jms844@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA

Ben Melcher
Email: brm99@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Ithaca, NY

Joelle Lim
Email: jjl289@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Chatham, NJ

Jeffrey Xiang
Email: jjx5@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Sharon, MA

Slava Koblov
Email: sk3328@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Jeremy Zarge
Email: jz642@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Boston, MA

Benjamin Malekan
Email: bm529@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Long Island, NY

Michelle Yu
Email: mjy34@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Sathya Chilukuri
Email: sc2675@cornell.edu
Year: 2026
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Portland, OR
Electrical Sub-Team
The Electrical sub-team develops the circuitry and sensing apparatus for the boat. By using an array of sensors that communicate with on-board microcontrollers, the electrical sub-team helps acquire information about the boat’s environment that is then incorporated into the algorithms that control the boat. Members on this sub-team work closely with the CS team, and applicants can expect to get an experience on both the hardware and software sides of the project.

Jacob Lashin
Email: jwl266@cornell.edu
Year: 2023
Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Hometown: Bellmore, NY

Zi Liang
Email: zl348@cornell.edu
Year: 2024
Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Hometown: New York, NY

Henry Geller
Email: hng8@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Electrical and Computing Engineering
Hometown: Baltimore, MD

Audrey Sackey
Email: aas332@cornell.edu
Year: 2024
Major: Electrical and Computing Engineering
Hometown: Greensboro, NC
Computer Science Sub-Team
The CS sub-team develops the algorithms that govern the boat’s behavior. They are taking on several design challenges such as Computer Vision, Image Recognition, AI and Machine Learning, Control Algorithms, and more. This aspect of the project is critical to team performance in the competition. Applicants for this sub-team don’t need to have experience with machine learning or computer vision, but the most appealing applicants effectively demonstrate their interests and passion in working on these aspects of the project.

Eric Zhang
Email: ewz4@cornell.edu
Year: 2023
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: College Station, TX

Rochelle Kris
Email: rhk79@cornell.edu
Year: 2023
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Huntington, NY

Amelia Kovacs
Email: ajk296@cornell.edu
Year: 2024
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Groton, MA

Taha Jafry
Email: taj43@cornell.edu
Year: 2024
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Houston, TX

Giorgi Berndt
Email: gb449@cornell.edu
Year: 2024
Major: Computer Science, Economics
Hometown: Alexandria, VA

David Schultz
Email: dms489@cornell.edu
Year: 2024
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Ossining, NY

Henry Gao
Email: ag836@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Albany, NY

Rachael Close
Email: rlc355@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Albany, New York

Jeremy Zarge
Email: jz642@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Boston, MA

Kevin Cui
Email: kc734@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Joanna Lin
Email: jl2748@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Operations Research and Engineering
Hometown: Bronx, NY

Jeffrey Xiang
Email: jjx5@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Sharon, MA

Carter Zhu
Email: yz553@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

William Chiang
Email: wc475@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Miami, FL

Alan Chen
Email: aac77@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Concord, MA

Daniel Wong
Email: djw329@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: New Hyde Park, NY

Samuel Park
Email: sp994@cornell.edu
Year: 2026
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Melville, NY

Grace Kim
Email: gsk68@cornell.edu
Year: 2026
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Princeton, NJ

Josue Ortiz
Email: jdo57@cornell.edu
Year: 2026
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Long Island, NJ
Business/ Outreach Sub-Team
The Business sub-team organizes the team’s funding for supplies, apparel, software licensing, and works with Outreach as the team’s public facing arm. The Outreach sub-team organizes events with local schools and organizations to link our team with the Ithaca community, as well as to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists. We work with students from third grade to high school and work with local organizations like the Ithaca Sciencenter. Applicants for this sub-team can be in any major, but must have a strong willingness to learn. Beyond that, we look for a dependable team player, someone the entire team can rely on to get the job done.

Giorgi Berndt
Email: gb449@cornell.edu
Year: 2024
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Alexandria, VA

Joanna Lin
Email: jl2748@cornell.edu
Year: 2025
Major: Operations Research and Engineering
Hometown: Bronx, NY

Saujas Modi
Email: sbm224@cornell.edu
Year: 2026
Major: Operations Research and Engineering
Hometown: Queens, NY

Eric Zhang
Email: ewz4@cornell.edu
Year: 2023
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: College Station, TX