- May 24, 2023
- Student Life
Class of 2023 reflects on an exceptional four years
On May 27 and 28, nearly 300 Cornell Human Ecology students will receive their bachelor’s degrees and officially become CHE alumni.
The Class of 2023 had an unusual four years – they unexpectedly moved to remote classes in their second semester, and Cornell didn’t fully resume in-person instruction until fall 2022. Still, whether they were on campus, at home, in the workshop, or even in Tanzania or Denmark, students in the Class of 2023
- Jun 27, 2024
- by Juan Vazquez-Leddon
- Holistic Human Health, Sustainability + Society
Ecology offers framework for understanding human behavior
Marlen Z. Gonzalez, assistant professor of psychology, has frequently heard behavioral scientists say “context matters” when trying to make sense of problems caused by human behavior.
Her answer: Align the science of human behavior with the science of behavioral ecology, or how animals – in this case, humans – interact with their environment. In a comment published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, Gonzalez and Marissa Rice, a postdoctoral researcher in Gonzalez’s Life
- Feb 18, 2026
- by Marisa LaFalce
- Social Impact + Justice, Sustainability + Society, Student Life
Jiayi Guo ’26 is designing a sustainable future
When Jiayi Guo enrolled in Introduction to Environmental Psychology in her first semester, she had no idea the course would shape both her undergraduate experience and her post-graduate ambitions.
“I was super interested in the class, and I knew that I wanted to explore research a little bit,” said Guo, a design and environmental analysis major. “So I emailed the professor and asked is there any way I could get involved?”
The professor — Gary
- Feb 20 ,2026
- by Karen Steffy
- Human Centered Design
- Human Ecology Building T01
What Roles Will Humans Play in the Future of Data Annotation?
Talk Abstract:
Large language models (LLMs) have rapidly and impressively taken over many tasks once handled by human annotators in constructing text datasets. But does this mean we no longer need humans in the annotation loop? What roles should humans play in future data annotation pipelines? In this talk, I will present two recent studies that explore the evolving role of humans in the landscape of text data annotation. First, we ask whether a well-designed
- Oct 28, 2024
- by Marisa LaFalce
- Community Engagement, Technology + Human Thriving, Donor, Student Life
Designers in Residence offer fresh perspectives and new challenges
Amid a riot of colors and textures, faculty and students from Cornell Human Ecology’s Department of Human Centered Design (HCD) marvel at the swatches and garments on display in the MVR 1250 gallery.
Knitwear experts Thijs Verhaar and Lyske Gais spent two weeks embedded in HCD as the 2024 Designers in Residence. During the residency, they attended classes; hosted workshops, a gallery exhibit and a lecture; and made themselves available to faculty and students.
Verhaar
- Sep 22, 2025
- by Marisa LaFalce
- Student Life
Student designs show the transformative potential of fabric and fashion
Each year, five Human Centered Design students get to pursue a design project of their choice from concept to execution, thanks to scholarships from the Barbara L. Kuhlman Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the fiber arts and related fields.
The current cohort of students are selected by a faculty committee and worked under the mentorship of Fatma Baytar, associate professor, and Melissa Conroy, senior lecturer, focusing on the stories they wish to