- Jan 16, 2026
- by Marisa LaFalce
- Alumni
Sehar Mapara '24, luxury retail designer
Sehar Mapara is a recent graduate who majored in design and environmental analysis (DEA). She is now an architectural designer with MAOarch Architecture, a woman- and minority-owned boutique firm specializing in luxury retail, workplace and commercial projects. In addition to her day-to-day work at MAOarch, she has participated in New York and Paris design weeks.
Mapara shared insights into how her undergraduate experience informs her work:
Q. What do you do as an architectural
- Jan 16, 2026
- Holistic Human Health, Social Impact + Justice, Sustainability + Society, Technology + Human Thriving
Functional apparel designs improve comfort and hygiene
In FSAD 6900, students take a holistic approach to fashion design. The graduate-level course is taught by Heeju Park, Vincent V.C. Woo Professor of Human Centered Design, who is also affiliated with the Department of Design Tech. It emphasizes understanding human performance and environmental challenges, developing functional prototypes, and scientifically evaluating those prototypes using advanced technologies.
At the end of the class, two groups unveiled forward‑thinking projects that improve performance and comfort in women’s apparel
- Mar 17, 2025
- Holistic Human Health, Alumni
Graduate student illuminates past and future of human development
When Kathleen McCormick ’16 told people that she studied human development, they often responded with confused stares. “You mean psychology?” some asked.
McCormick had earned a bachelor’s degree in human development at Cornell Human Ecology and returned to pursue her doctorate. Yet even she sometimes struggled to articulate a succinct definition of the field, also called human development and family science (or studies). When she cast about for resources detailing the field’s origins and progression
- Mar 1, 2025
- Holistic Human Health, Technology + Human Thriving
Scientists describe new type of fat in human bellies
- Apr 5, 2024
- by Michael DiGrado '25
- Technology + Human Thriving
Wearable tech expert Galina Mihaleva inspires as Designer in Residence
In March, the Department of Human Centered Design (HCD) welcomed internationally acclaimed designer Galina Mihaleva as the 2023-2024 designer in residence. Mihaleva, an artist, fashion and wearable technology designer and educator, is an associate professor at ASU FIDM, part of Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Her artistic practice and research highlight the dialogue between body and dress, driven by the idea of having both a physical and a psychological
- Sep 6, 2023
- by Galib Braschler
- Holistic Human Health, Technology + Human Thriving, Student Life
How CHE undergrads spent summer '23
From clinical work with tuberculosis patients to interning in Nike’s footwear department to engaging with the local community at the Center for Discovery, Cornell Human Ecology students had a summer to remember. We asked five undergrads to share their summer experiences in their own words, from what surprised them most, to the biggest lessons they learned, to how they anticipate applying the newfound knowledge from their summer experience to their continued studies in CHE.