- Sep 5, 2025
- Oct 12, 2023
- by Emily Groff
- Holistic Human Health, Social Impact + Justice
Visiting Scholar Ruth Browne honors alumna’s collaboration to improve lives
We have to work together to drive change. That was the central message that Ruth C. Browne, president and CEO of Ronald McDonald House New York (RMH-NY), shared as Cornell Human Ecology’s inaugural Flemmie Kittrell Visiting Scholar.
Browne is an innovator in the field of urban health and education who focuses on building consensus and engaging stakeholder communities. During her visit, Oct. 4-6, she met with students, faculty and staff; visited classes; delivered a public
Juan Hinestroza
Juan P. Hinestroza, a U.S. Fulbright Scholar and a PMP®, is the Rebecca Q. Morgan ’60 Professor of Fiber Science & Apparel Design, and directs The Textiles Nanotechnology Laboratory in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.
Professor Hinestroza has extensive experience in a variety of research environments, including academia, the military, non-profit organizations, start-ups, and large corporations. He has worked in institutions across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and
- Mar 20 ,2026
- by Karen Steffy
- Human Centered Design
- Human Ecology Building T01
Understanding the chemical principles underpinning the fundamental features of life beyond biochemistry within the origins of life context
Investigating prebiotic chemistry and the fundamental features of life like metabolism, information, self-reproduction, natural selection and computation, is significant within the origins of life research. In this context, one of the key elements constitutes the synthesis of chemistry-based natural-life-mimicking artificial or synthetic living systems, starting from a homogeneous aqueous blend of a few strictly non-biochemical compounds, using a technique called polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA). In one of the studies, gradient sequence-controlled polymers were generated through PET-RAFT-PISA
- Feb 3, 2026
How to stop being a ‘desk shrimp’ and improve your desk posture
Alan Hedge, professor emeritus in the human-centered design department at Cornell University, provides expert advice on desk posture and the health effects of poor ergonomics.
- Mar 2, 2026
People are 'washing' their clothes in the snow, but does it actually work?
Fran Kozen and Larissa Shepherd, experts in the Department of Human Centered Design, explain the tradition and limits of snow washing wool in the snow.
Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao
Dr. Kao is an Associate Professor in Human Centered Design, with graduate field faculty appointments in Information Science, and Electrical & Computer Engineering at Cornell University. She founded and directs the Hybrid Body Lab. Her research practice themed Hybrid Body Craft blends cultural and social perspectives into the design of on-body interfaces. The goal is to shift towards more inclusive and diverse designs for emerging soft wearable technologies, which often appear in the
