Department of Design Tech
Top right: Shuhan Liang (M.S. DT '26) presenting his work during review. Bottom right: Xylo (2022) by Lucas Hitch (M.S. MDC '24), Ivania Rivera (M.S. MDC '24), and Ariana Rosario '24.
The new Department of Design Tech is a multicollege, transdisciplinary initiative pioneering innovation, research, and teaching on topics at the intersection of design and emerging technology that most greatly impact research, industry, and practice in a changing world.
Bridging expertise and catalyzing exploration, innovation, and collaboration in emerging areas, including design + interactions, design + materials, design + media, and design + environments, Design Tech is a generator of new modes, methods, and applications that redefine design practice and research.
Participating Cornell colleges: The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP), Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science (Bowers CIS), Cornell Engineering, Cornell Human Ecology (CHE), and Cornell Tech in New York City.
Highlights
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Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Design Tech Hybrid Open House for Admitted Students, Spring 2025
Register to attend this open house for admitted students, providing an overview of the multicollege Department of Design Tech and in-depth information about the Master of Science in Design Technology program.
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Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Introducing the Department of Design Tech at Cornell University
The new Department of Design Tech at Cornell University is a multicollege, transdisciplinary initiative pioneering innovation, research, and teaching on topics at the intersection of design and emerging technology that most greatly impact research, industry, and practice in a changing world.
Degree Program
Master of Science, Design Technology (M.S. DT)
A two-year research and project degree offered jointly by the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning and Cornell Tech.
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Thursday, May 1, 2025
'Robotability Score' Ranks NYC Streets for Future Robot Deployment
Design Tech Associate Professor Wendy Ju and a team of Ph.D. candidates developed a novel metric that quantifies how suitable urban environments are for autonomous robot navigation.
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Thursday, April 24, 2025
Ratan N. Tata Posthumously Honored with Inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award
Milstein Hall's auditorium was at capacity for the April ceremony, during which speakers shared personal reflections on Tata's wide-ranging impact and legacy.
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Cornell Researchers Are Developing Flexible "Sun-Tracking" Material
Dezeen: A team of Cornell researchers led by Professor of Architecture and Design Tech Chair Jenny Sabin is developing a flexible solar material called HelioSkin that is integrated with sun-tracking capabilities similar to the biomechanics of sunflowers.
Friday, April 11, 2025 -
Jenny Sabin Develops Pliable PV Panel System Using Plant Biology
Archinect: A profile of HelioSkin, a collaborative, interdisciplinary project by Professor of Architecture and Design Tech Chair Jenny Sabin and Professor of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences and Design Tech faculty Itai Cohen.
Thursday, April 10, 2025
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Thursday, March 13, 2025
Smart Heat: Digital Twin and Cornell Researchers Help Ithaca Stay Warm While Moving Toward Carbon Neutrality
Architecture and Design Tech Associate Professor Timur Dogan and Hung Ming Tseng (M.S. AAD '24) are part of a team of researchers at Cornell's Environmental System Lab moving Ithaca toward carbon neutrality using digital twins and artificial intelligence.
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Friday, January 17, 2025
Bioinspired and Biobased 4D Printing for Adaptive Building Facades
Design Tech Assistant Professor Tiffany Cheng coauthored a paper on a 4D-printed weather-responsive shading system currently installed on the south-facing skylight of the livMatS Biomimetic Shell.
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Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Virtual, Mixed Realities Converge in New Driving Simulator
Portobello, a new driving simulator developed by a research team led by Design Tech Associate Professor Wendy Ju, blends virtual and mixed realities, enabling drivers and passengers to see virtual objects overlaid in the real world.
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June 6–September 5, 2025
AAP Summer Exhibition 2025
Visit AAP this summer for a cross-departmental exhibition featuring student work from the 2024–25 academic year that showcases the college's creative and critical practices.
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Saturday, June 7, 2025
Reunion 2025
Mark your calendars and celebrate with old and new friends at the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning during Cornell Reunion Weekend on June 7, 2025.
