Applied EngineeringArcadia High SchoolContact

Our team

Meet the people behind AE.

AE brings together future engineers, programmers, designers, entrepreneurs, artists, and students who are simply ready to learn.

2026–2027 roster

Team Captains

Five student-led subteams

01

Mechanical

Hull design, CAD, fiberglass, resin, aluminum fabrication, steering, motor mounting, hydrodynamics, and structural testing.

Subteam leads

  • Vi Tran

    Vi Tran

    Mechanical Lead

    Grade 12
  • Darren Chen

    Darren Chen

    Mechanical Lead

    Grade 11
  • Iris Shi

    Iris Shi

    Mechanical Lead

    Grade 11
  • Nico Hupfauf

    Nico Hupfauf

    Mechanical Lead

    Grade 11

Team members

  • Arshak Akbar

    Mechanical Member

    Grade 12

  • Henry Wu

    Mechanical Member

    Grade 11

  • Jerry Li

    Mechanical Member

    Grade 11

  • Matthew Huber

    Mechanical Member

    Grade 10

  • Melissa Chen

    Mechanical Member

    Grade 10

  • Shalini Sakthivel

    Mechanical Member

    Grade 10

  • Aedan Conklin

    Mechanical Member

    Grade 9

  • William Chen

    Mechanical Member

    Grade 9
02

Electrical

Solar wiring, batteries, motor controllers, power distribution, sensors, waterproofing, safety systems, and reliability testing.

Subteam leads

  • Jayden Chen

    Jayden Chen

    Electrical Lead

    Grade 12

Team members

  • Alston Yuan

    Electrical Member

    Grade 12

  • Austin Lam

    Electrical Member

    Grade 12

  • Dylan Lin

    Electrical Member

    Grade 11

  • Katie Chen

    Electrical Member

    Grade 11

  • Harikesh Dhamotharan

    Electrical Member

    Grade 10
03

Software

Raspberry Pis, driver displays, telemetry, navigation, object detection, mapping, data acquisition, and autonomous systems.

Subteam leads

  • Aki Kanumuri

    Aki Kanumuri

    Software Lead

    Grade 12

Team members

  • Ronit Rao

    Software Member

    Grade 12

  • Winston Wang

    Software Member

    Grade 11

  • Kevin Le

    Software Member

    Grade 10
04

Outreach + PR

Grants, sponsorships, fundraising, social media, photography, video, community partnerships, recruitment, and events.

Subteam leads

  • Chloe Chan

    Public Relations Lead

    Grade 12

Team members

  • Aaryan Panpaliya

    Public Relations Member

    Grade 12

  • Jayden Tran

    Public Relations Member

    Grade 12

  • Julia Chen

    Public Relations Member

    Grade 12

  • Ryan Wu

    Public Relations Member

    Grade 12

  • Allison Chen

    Public Relations Member

    Grade 11

  • Vincy Yeung

    Public Relations Member

    Grade 11
05

Art + Design

Boat graphics, painting, decals, presentations, branding, competition aesthetics, and our team’s visual identity.

Subteam leads

  • Evelyn Lee

    Art Lead

    Grade 12

Team members

  • Kyleen Lin

    Art Member

    Grade 12

  • Sophie Chu

    Art Member

    Grade 12

  • Tiffany Hou

    Art Member

    Grade 12

  • Sophie Poon

    Art Member

    Grade 11

  • Lola Chen

    Art Member

    Grade 10

Who joins AE?

Curiosity matters more than experience.

Our selection process looks for students who are dependable, collaborative, and willing to learn—not only those who already have technical skills.

Members work side by side throughout the school year, often meeting beyond scheduled workdays when a component needs testing or a deadline approaches.

100%

Student-driven decisions and technical development

2+

Team meetings every week throughout the season

9

Months of research, building, testing, and iteration