Marcelo Deras

About Me

Hi, I’m Marcelo Deras. I’m currently studying Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell University, where I’m actively involved in the Cornell Maker Club as a Trainer on the Executive Board.

Whether I’m leading safety trainings in the lab, assisting others with equipment like 3D printers and soldering irons, or developing projects from scratch, I'm always thinkering and learning.

Before Cornell, I led the design efforts for my FTC Robotics Team 21503, where I helped bring home a Connecticut State Record and a World Tournament Qualification.

My interest in robotics has carried over into college, where I’ve continued building projects like a self-balancing robot and a custom electrocardiogram (ECG) device using filters and Arduino.

Outside of engineering, I’ve worked with the Ithaca ReUse Center, helping intake and process hundreds of donated items sustainably.

I'm especially interested in embedded systems, analog circuits, and 3D modeling. I'm excited to learn through more projects!

Experience

Trainer on Executive Board, Cornell Maker Club– Ithaca, NY

Mar 2025 - Ongoing

    • Lead trainees through a 40 minute explanation of the lab safety protocols and location of usable items in our Electrical lab and Mechanical lab. After trainings the trainees get access to our labs
      Communicate in weekly meetings to discuss future plans for trainings, future plans for organization of the labs, and general updates for progress that has been made since the last meeting
      Answer questions and guide makers through the labs and assist with usage of lab equipment (i.e., 3D printers, soldering equipment, power supplies, etc.)

    • Front of House Support, Donation Intaker, and Processor of Furniture, Ithaca Reuse Center -- Ithaca, NY

    Sep 2024 – Ongoing

    • Organize electronics, furniture, automotive parts, gardening supplies, and household items in the store.
      Intake approximately 300 donations a workday of reusable items.
      Process, inspect, price, and display furniture and household items for sale.

    • Lead Computer Aided Design Technician, Ace Robotics 72 FTC Team 21503 Trumbull, CT

    Sep 2022- Feb 2024

    • Earned a Connecticut State Scoring Record (2023) the FTC State Tournament win (2023), and World Tournament Qualification (2023).
      Designed the final robot with lift, intake, and drive systems in Onshape, including a linear slide, claw, Mecanum wheels, and a hexagonal piece scooping mechanism.
      Expanded team membership threefold (2024) and collaborated with programmers to refine encoder measurements for autonomous movement.

    • Projects

    ESkateboard

    Electrocardiogram

    Developed Differential Amplifer, Notch Filter, and Low Pass Filter. In connection with pennies as electrodes, a heart rate signal is recorded and your heart rate is supposed to be monitored in real time. Project was created for the Cornell 2025 Make-a-thon

    FTC Robot

    First Tech Challenge (FTC) Robot

    As a part of FTC Centerstage, developed a hanging mechanism, pixel collector, and paper airplane shooter utilizing a linear slide, 3D printed parts, servos, and other motors.

    Self-Balancing Robot

    Self Balancing Robot

    Created a self balancing robot utilizing an Arduino Uno, L298N Driver Module, an MPU6050, and 3D printed parts modeled on OnShape.