How Can Robots Improve Our Waterways?

Cody O’Ferrall worked as a fisherman in Alaska before studying here. Now he's building a boat to clear urban ponds of algae.

February 04, 2025

Cody O’Ferrall first discovered an interest in engineering while studying at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where students follow a curriculum focused on the Great Books. There, he developed an interest in physics and the ways that we use math to model phenomena. Those questions, coupled with a desire to solve real problems, eventually led him to the Engineering School, where he’s currently a master’s student in Mechanical Engineering, with a focus on robotics. He plans to graduate in the fall of this year.

While at the Engineering School, O’Ferrall has been working with Professor Joaquim Goes on a project called AQUAS: He and his team members are building a self-driving boat that can be deployed in ponds and lakes in public parks to detect, control, and mitigate outbreaks of harmful algal blooms. Columbia News spoke to O’Ferrall about that project, his favorite New York activities, and how, before joining Columbia, he found his way to Alaska, where he worked for several years as a commercial fisherman.

What’s the goal of the self-driving boat project you’re working on? 

The main goal of the project is to combat harmful algal blooms in the waters of New York City parks by dispersing treatment from aboard a small, autonomous boat. But before we can disperse treatment, we need to verify that there is an active bloom happening. So we have also been developing a set of sensors and water sampling mechanisms to allow us to monitor the area that we want to treat. Initially, we will be using Morningside Pond as a testbed, but we already have another body of water in Central Park that we will move onto next. 

O'Ferrall and his teammates Sean Paul-Bonometre and Marcus Lam prepare the AQUAS boat for a test run in Morningside Pond. (Credit: Minju O’Rourke)

Have you tested the boat yet? When might it be deployed?

We tested the boat in the Uris Pool on campus and also did a brief field test in Morningside Pond. However, we were recently awarded a $10,000 grant by the Paros-PGI Observatory Technical & Innovation Centre (OTIC) to purchase a slightly larger boat. This will allow us to better accommodate the treatment, but means that we will also have to do more testing with the new boat. We plan to test in the Uris Pool again, and then do field testing and deploy in Morningside Pond once things warm up in the spring. This will be perfect timing because it is also the season that algal blooms begin ramping up.

Testing the AQUAS autonomous boat in Columbia's Uris Pool.

You were employed as a lab technician at Columbia. What did that entail?

I was a lab technician at the Makerspace here, but I have since quit to focus on my classwork and this project! That work was primarily training students or researchers how to use the manufacturing equipment available there. I highly recommend everyone check out the Makerspace, if they haven't already. It's free for everyone to use and we have a lot of great stuff. Not just CNC machines and 3D printers, we also have a nice textiles area with sewing and embroidery machines, equipment for making stained glass, and a full woodshop. The sky is the limit in there!

How did you get involved in the AQUAS project?

When I was a lab technician, I also helped some of the engineering clubs. There was a team that had applied for a NASA challenge involving finding astronauts after a water landing. While the challenge ended up not working out for them, they were still interested in working on a boat-related project. The lead of that mission, Minju O'Rourke, reached out to Dr. Goes asking if there were any projects available, and he responded with this collaboration with NYC Parks to treat harmful algal blooms. At that time, I offered to help with the project. I used to be a commercial fisherman in Alaska, so I had lots of experience with boats and operating on the water, and I was also studying robotics. It was a pretty natural fit! The team didn't have anything ready for this pivot, so I began building a prototype boat. And I've just been working on the project ever since.

What brought you to Alaska?

Mostly a desire to try living on a boat. During undergrad, I had a friend who used to work in Alaska as a fisherman. He suggested I try fishing. After graduation, I got a call from the captain of his boat, saying that they needed another crew member for the season. Within a week I was in Alaska on a bush plane, being flown out to a remote cannery where I would meet up with my boat.

I fished for three seasons there. The seasons for this particular fishery are a little over two months long, and we would spend almost all of it on the water. The days are also long during the summers in Alaska, sometimes the sun would only go down for an hour or two a night.

I enjoyed it a lot. I love just being out on the water. The constraints of the lifestyle force you to cut out a lot that's unnecessary from your life. It helps to put things in perspective. I was also really fortunate to have great crewmembers. You're not going to have a good time if you're stuck 24/7 with someone that you don't like.

Is it something you'd go back to, either just to visit or to work again?

I would go back for work, although I'm not as keen on fishing anymore. I think that robotics will become more and more common in fisheries and resource management. That would be work that interests me. I have friends living there, it would be great to go visit them. I would also really like to see Denali.

What do you hope to do after you graduate? 

I want to work in marine robotics. I think that there is a huge potential for robotics in environmental monitoring and remediation. My goal with the AQUAS project is to explore the field and help build a pathway for the young engineers at Columbia who are looking for a project using robotics to address environmental issues.

You went to St. John's College where the curriculum focuses on reading the Great Books. Any favorite Great Books?

Einstein's Relativity is actually a surprisingly good and accessible read! If you're looking for literature, I'm a big fan of Ficciones by Borges.

Any tips on how to enjoy New York City beyond the campus?

My favorite thing is riding a bike through the city, whipping in and out of traffic. It's free and exhilarating! But, if you're looking for something a little more lowkey, I suggest taking the 7 train out to Flushing for some soup dumplings. On your way back, stop in Gantry Park and admire a great view of Manhattan when it's lit up at night.