Fiber Science and Apparel Design
Field Description
The common focus of the field is the study of fibrous materials and their use as apparel, as engineering structures (such as composite materials), in biomedical applications, and in home furnishings. The Field of Fiber Science and Apparel Design is applied and multidisciplinary, with faculty members drawn from the Colleges of Human Ecology and Engineering.
Students are expected to develop strength in their base discipline as well as gain appropriate breadth to support the area of specialization. Active research programs exist in high-performance fibers and fiber-reinforced composites; Green composites; detergency and surface chemistry; perfume treated fabrics; textile materials in biomedical and geotechnical applications; polymers for electronics; liquid-crystal polymers; textile-dye chemistry; crystal morphology of fibers; electrospin of fibers; cellulose; apparel and fashion design, design ethnography; sizing and fit of apparel; functional apparel; cultural and historic studies of clothing and textiles; mass customization and technology; and technology management in the apparel industry.
For M.A. and M.S. degree candidates, the Special Committee consists of at least two Graduate Faculty members. For Ph.D. students, a minimum of four committee members are required: one faculty member representing the major, one for each of the two minor areas, and a fourth member appointed by the Director of Graduate Studies to act for the field. The oral and written Admission to Candidacy examination and the final oral examination are required for the Ph.D. degree. The field does not require a foreign language.
Outstanding facilities for research and study are available in the College of Human Ecology and the College of Engineering. Textile and polymer science laboratories are equipped with modern instrumentation for chemical, physical, and mechanical analysis and with a controlled temperature and humidity room. Apparel design studios are equipped with industrial sewing equipment. Video image-capture and photography equipment is available in a visual analysis lab. The functional apparel lab houses a variety of human-factors testing equipment, including a full-body scanner.
Contact Information
Website: https://www.human.cornell.edu/fsad/academics/graduate/homeEmail: fsad_graduate@cornell.edu
Phone: 607 255-2809
T57 Human Ecology Building
37 Forest Home Dr.
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
Data and Statistics
Field Manual
Subject and Degrees
Apparel Design
Fiber Science
Human Ecology
Concentrations by Subject
Apparel Design
- apparel design
Fiber Science
- fiber science
- polymer science
- textile science
Human Ecology
- apparel design
- fiber science
Faculty
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Apparel Design: apparel design; Human Ecology: apparel design
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Apparel Design: apparel design; Human Ecology: apparel design
- Research Interests: feminist, gender, and sexuality studies
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Fiber Science: fiber science; polymer science
- Research Interests: fiber formation from renewable resource polymers, particularly cellulose; rheology of polymer solutions; fiber spinning from lyotropic liquid crystalline solutions; solution spinning, melt spinning and electrospinning fibers; relationships between polymer and spinning dope properties and fiber properties
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Fiber Science: fiber science; Human Ecology: fiber science
- Research Interests: developing computational models and experimental techniques to further the understanding of the mechanical and thermal behavior of polymer and ceramic matrix composites
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Apparel Design: apparel design; Human Ecology: apparel design
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Human Ecology: apparel design; Fiber Science: fiber science
- Research Interests: textile nanotechnology and smart fibers
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Fiber Science: fiber science; polymer science
- Research Interests: modeling and simulation of spinning processes; nanofiber formation via electrospinning
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Apparel Design: apparel design; Human Ecology: apparel design; Fiber Science: textile science
- Research Interests: Intersection of material innovation, human computer interaction, body art
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Apparel Design: apparel design; Human Ecology: apparel design
- Research Interests: Communications Design. Her research and teaching focus is on using design to foster social and environmental justice and sustainability, as a means for empowerment and self-determination of Indigenous and marginalized communities.
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Apparel Design: apparel design
- Research Interests: design; fashion; visual ethnography; consumption
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Apparel Design: apparel design
- Research Interests: Asian American art; comparative modernities; contemporary art; East Asian art; history of photography; Islamic art; modern art; Native American and indigenous studies; South Asian art; Southeast Asian art; theory and criticism; visual studies
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Apparel Design: apparel design; Human Ecology: apparel design
- Research Interests: Collaborative practice, Installation art, Interdisciplinary art, Painting, Public art, Sculpture, Sustainability, Collage, Mixed media, Fiber art, Textile art, Wearable art, Plastics, Site-specific installation, Multiples, Gender studies, Queerness, Documentary filmmaking, Curation.
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Fiber Science: fiber science; polymer science
- Research Interests: polymer synthesis; macromolecules with unusual optical and mechanical properties; liquid crystal polymers; dispersion polymerization
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Apparel Design: apparel design
- Research Interests: functional apparel design; smart clothing development; thermal comfort; mobility evaluation of protective clothing; sports wear design
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Apparel Design: apparel design; Human Ecology: apparel design
- Research Interests: Black American beauty culture; beauty retail spaces; experiential retailing; identity (re)construction through design, place, and material culture, specifically within the context of Filipina/x national dress; critical theory & pedagogy
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Fiber Science: fiber science
- Research Interests: wearable robotics
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Fiber Science: fiber science; Human Ecology: fiber science
- Research Interests: Nanofibers, fiber formation, Immersion Electrospinning, and its potential applications
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Fiber Science: fiber science; Human Ecology: fiber science
- Research Interests: electrospinning of nanofibers and nanomaterials
- Campus: Ithaca
- Concentrations: Apparel Design: apparel design
- Research Interests: architectural design; urban design; design theory; genre theory