Members
The people behind NiCE
Members
Neal Goturi
nrg43 (at) cornell.edu
Neal Goturi is a freshman at Cornell University, where he is pursuing a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations. He has led and supported successful climate and energy legislation in Maryland, including statewide utility cybersecurity standards and local all-electric construction standards, and has testified before legislative bodies on energy and regulatory reform. Beyond nuclear energy, Neal is a staff writer for the Cornell Undergraduate Law and Society Review and a nationally ranked competitor on Cornell’s British Parliamentary debate team.
Marlon Clarke Jr.
mac638 (at) cornell.edu
Marlon Clarke Jr. is a freshman at Cornell University studying mechanical engineering. He became interested in nuclear power after participating in a high school research project. He is currently a part of the Cornell NiCE communications team, creating publications for upcoming events.
Itzel Melendez
iam42 (at) cornell.edu
Itzel Melendez is a freshman in the college of arts and sciences. Her interest in nuclear comes from a longstanding history developing climate-conscious curriculum for schools and programs, and an interest in clean energy and physics. Currently, she helps with Cornell NiCE's club newsletter!
Ezra Burghouts
ejb332 (at) cornell.edu
Ezra Burghouts is a freshman from Westchester, NY majoring in mathematics. He is interested in the engineering side of nuclear power and excited for its future in NY! In his free time he enjoys hiking and making art.
Ivy McConarty
Im394 (at) cornell.edu
Ivy McConarty is a freshman at Cornell University studying Mechanical Engineering. Her interest in nuclear energy stemmed from a high school summer internship program at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. Beyond NiCE, she is a Mold Subteam member of Cornell's Concrete Canoe project team and a Prospective Students Outreach Committee member of Cornell's Society of Women Engineers.
Logan Carr
lmc389 (at) cornell.edu
Logan Carr is a freshman at Cornell University studying mechanical engineering. He is involved with Cornell Engineering’s Design Build Fly project team as a member of the Aerodynamics Subteam. His interest in nuclear energy stems from his aspiration to serve in the U.S Nuclear Navy through the NUPOC program.
Ahrar Sameeo
aas434 (at) cornell.edu
Ahrar Sameeo is a freshman from New York City majoring in Electrical & Computer Engineering and minoring in Dyson Business for Engineers. He enjoys working out and playing pool outside of classes. He hopes to commission in the U.S. Navy as a submarine officer and work in the nuclear energy industry afterwards.
Walter Lumpkin
wl799 (at) cornell.edu
Walter Lumpkin is a freshman from Seattle majoring in Chemical Engineering. He is pursuing a commission as a Naval Nuclear Submarine Officer and is interested in the nuclear energy industry post service. Outside of NiCE, he enjoys playing the piano, lifting weights, and working in his engineering project team!
Alejandro Ferrer Gomez
af676 (at) cornell.edu
Alejandro Ferrer Gomez is a freshman from Madrid studying Physics at Cornell University with a high interest in applied physics, especially in nuclear energy and its applications in industry. He helped NiCE become a chapter of the American Nuclear Society with the proposal. Besides nuclear energy, Alejandro is a radio host for WVBR and an editor for Logos, the undergraduate philosophy journal at Cornell and of CMG The Mag, for which he writes album reviews.
Evan Brezicki
ejb323 (at) cornell.edu
Evan Brezicki is a sophomore Chemical Engineer at Cornell University. He first became involved in the nuclear space when joining Cornell NiCE last fall, and he now gives biweekly nuclear technology news updates to members in meetings every other week. Outside of NiCE, Evan is heavily involved in his ChemE Car team where he is the pressure subteam and safety team lead, is a teacher and the secretary of the Cornell Piano Society, and is currently auditioning to become a chimesmaster!
Silas Dorsky
sad282 (at) cornell.edu
Silas Dorsky is a freshman majoring in Materials Science and Engineering from New York City. He was first drawn to nuclear due to research he conducted on materials for nuclear fusion in high school. Outside of the classroom, Silas enjoys playing baseball and is a part of the Cornell Club Baseball team.
John Martini
jtm334 (at) cornell.edu
John Martini is a freshman from Long Island, New York majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He has a strong interest in nuclear energy, inspired by the reactor systems used in the U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarines. Outside academics, he is interested in hiking, traveling, and going to the gym.
Harrison Rurka
hr366 (at) cornell.edu
Harrison Rurka is a sophomore civil engineering student from Raleigh, North Carolina. He is interested in nuclear energy advocacy given its viability as a solution to future energy crises. He is currently a member of Cornell NiCE’s ANS drafting team.
Amy Li
al2675 (at) cornell.edu
Amy Li is a freshman pursuing Mechanical Engineering, with an interest in food development and clean energy. Her responsibility is to debunk nuclear myths and keep you up to date with @cornell_nice on Instagram! In her free time, she hunts for campus food resembling her NYC eats and exercises her artistry in fashion drawing, origami, and ukulele.
Andy Glesmann
arg292 (at) cornell.edu
Andy Glesmann is a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering. His interest in nuclear comes from a passion for clean and sustainable energy. He has been a member of Cornell NiCE since Fall 2025.
Juliette Tonnel
jet245 (at) cornell.edu
Juliette is a sophomore studying Materials Science and Engineering and minoring in Aerospace. Having always been passionate about climate change, she discovered the benefits of nuclear energy in high school and since then has wanted to pursue a career in the field. Juliette is particularly interested in nuclear applications in space. As an engineering student, she is passionate about reinvigorating the nuclear engineering program here at Cornell.
Eli Zucker
ebz5 (at) cornell.edu
Eli Zucker is a freshman pursuing physics and astronomy in the college of arts and sciences. His interest in nuclear stems from his cousin who is starting a job at Helion Energy, a company hoping to build the first net positive fusion power plant. Eli hopes to someday join his cousin in this kind of work. Currently he is helping NiCE become an American Nuclear Society chapter and learning the physics that makes nuclear energy possible.
Bryant Yang
by323 (at) cornell.edu
Bryant Yang is a freshman studying Chemical Engineering with an interest in sustainability and clean energy. He became interested in nuclear energy after taking Prof. Van Dover’s Intro to Materials Science class and is excited to explore how it intersects with ChemE. Outside of NiCE, he enjoys playing on Cornell’s Club Ultimate Frisbee team and supporting the Chemistry Peer Advisors program.
Yosef Herrera
yjh4 (at) cornell.edu
Yosef Herrera is a freshman at Cornell University studying Government and Classics. He is interested in becoming a Radiation Oncologist and is interested in all aspects and applications of Nuclear Science. In his past he has done Nuclear Experimentation with a Farnsworth Fusor that he used to do Neutron Activation. His work surrounding nuclear science has led him to placing at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair and he has received various awards from different nuclear organizations.
Pete Olhava
pjo42 (at) cornell.edu
Pete Olhava is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Math and Computer Science. He is interested in the physics behind nuclear energy and the potential it has as a renewable source of energy. Beyond Nuclear Energy, Pete is loves being in nature, playing poker, and traveling.
Jonathan Distler
jhd94 (at) cornell.edu
Jonathan Distler is a junior at Cornell University studying mechanical engineering with a minor in physics. He became interested in nuclear power after a growing disillusionment with other energy alternatives and the inability for the current grid to keep pace with the growing energy demands of the rapidly evolving technology field. He is currently a member of Cornell's Aerospace Adversary Lab, HRC2 Lab, and Cornell Hyperloop Project Team, and will be working at Valar Atomics during Summer 2026 to develop Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
Diana Michaelson
dam378 (at) cornell.edu
Diana Michaelson is a senior at Cornell University pursuing a dual BS/MHA degree with a B.S. in Health Care Policy and a minor in Russian in the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy. She is the founder and president of Cornell Nuclear is Clean Energy (NiCE) and helped lead the effort to establish Cornell as the first Ivy League American Nuclear Society chapter. For Diana, the connection between health care and nuclear energy is clear: advancing health equity depends on reliable, sustainable energy, and nuclear power's low-carbon, long-term affordability makes it a critical tool for equitable, resilient health systems. On campus, Diana is also involved with the Dean’s Advisory Council, Cayuga Healthcare Consulting, Women in Healthcare Leadership, the DEBUT Project Team, and the Health Futures Club.
Andreas Psillos
ap2354 (at) cornell.edu
Andreas Psillos is a junior pursuing engineering physics, with an interest in plasma physics and nuclear fusion technology. He is a research assistant within the laboratory of plasma studies, working under Professor Lavine in pulsed power. In addition, Andreas is a subteam lead in Cornell Concrete Canoe and a member of the Hellenic Student Association.