By Sarah Marquart
Julia Beitel's path to Cornell Tech began years before the program she now studies even existed. Fascinated by natural systems, she began exploring sustainable design as a high school student in Seattle, Washington - studying aquaponics in the Bahamas and using data to understand how scientific research could be applied to real-world challenges. By connecting sustainable systems, data analysis, and design, she sought tangible solutions to issues like food insecurity.
That early experience taught her the value of thinking across disciplines - a mindset that would ultimately shape her path from Cornell University undergraduate to member of the inaugural Master of Science in Design Technology cohort, where she's helping define a new approach to design and innovation.
As an undergraduate, Beitel joined the Milstein Program in Technology and Humanity in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences, an enrichment initiative for students eager to explore the nexus of liberal arts and emerging technologies. The program's small cohort, speaker series, and summer residency at Cornell Tech provided exactly the kind of setting she had been seeking.
