Department of Design Tech

Left: During the Fall 2022 Cornell Tech Open Studio, students Thanut Sakandaraseth (M.S. MDC '23), Kseniya Yerakhavets (M.Arch. '23), and Thomas Wallace '24 discuss their project, Automata Mangrove, with Jenny Sabin, Professor of Architecture and Chair of the multicollege Department of Design Tech. Top right: Automata Mangrove (2022), detail. 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 Human Ecology (CHE), Cornell Engineering, and Cornell Tech in New York City.
Degree Programs
Master of Science, Design Technology (M.S. DT)
The M.S. in Design Technology is a two-year research and project-based degree offered jointly by AAP and Cornell Tech. Students pursue research in areas that bridge disciplines and domains with the aim of generating innovations across science and design for applications spanning digital tools, products, responsive materials, and the built environment.
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Thursday, September 14, 2023
"Garbatrage" Spins E-Waste Into Prototyping Gold
The Cornell Chronicle reports on a paper co-authored by Cornell Tech faculty Wendy Ju and doctoral student Ilan Mandel that introduces a framework for prototype builders centered around repurposing underused devices.
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Friday, September 1, 2023
Design Tech Announces New Master of Science in Design Technology at Cornell
The multicollege Department of Design Tech launches a new master's program that brings experts and students together across disciplines to identify and address design problems with collaborative research and making.
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Cornell's Jenny Sabin Awarded the 2023 Rippmann Memorial Prize by DigitalFUTURES
Bustler: Sabin was recognized for standing "at the forefront of a new direction for 21st-century architectural practice — one that investigates the intersections of architecture and science and applies insights and theories from biology and mathematics to the design of responsive material structures and ecological spatial interventions for diverse audiences."
Friday, September 15, 2023
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How Might Buildings and Their Integrated Materials Systems Behave Like Organisms?
ArchDaily: A conversation with Architecture Professor Jenny Sabin exploring the critical link between research and practice and her interdisciplinary approach that fosters collaboration with both scientists and engineers.
Thursday, September 7, 2023
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Jenny Sabin — Architecture Driven by Humans, Powered by AI
The Academic Minute: Design Tech Chair Jenny Sabin speaks about the intersection of artificial intelligence and architecture in projects such as her Ada pavilion as part of Cornell University's Impacts of AI Week.
Friday, August 25, 2023
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October 8–10, 2023
ACM Symposium on Computational Fabrication
Attend an event exploring the use of computational tools for the creation of physical things.
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Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Design Tech Virtual Open House
Register to attend this virtual open house for prospective graduate students in Design Technology taking place on November 1.