Carnegie Mellon University, School of Design

10/07/2026

From the Revolutionary era to the late nineteenth century, the number of newspapers in the United States rose from 37 to more than 20,000, an astonishing period of growth that Alex Wright (PhD ’22) describes as “essentially unprecedented in the history of printing and publishing.”

In his new book, "Empire of Ink," Wright explores the early history of American newspapers and the people who made them. The book also examines some of the lesser-known characters and sociotechnical developments that reshaped the media landscape during this period.

https://design.cmu.edu/news/empire-ink-alex-wright-phd-22-newspapers-systems-and-history-information

10/06/2026

Sneha Rao, a current master's student at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Design (MDes '27), was just featured in Smithsonian Magazine for her work on "Tact," an edible pregnancy test that allows people with vision impairment to feel its results on their tongues.

Design student Sneha Rao is developing Tact, an edible pregnancy test that allows people with vision impairment to feel its results on their tongues

10/05/2026

Many people are drawn to doctoral research because they want to work at the level of systems change, but assume a PhD requires stepping out of professional practice. This program is designed differently.

The PhD in Transition Design at Carnegie Mellon University is structured for experienced professionals who want to pursue rigorous, design-led research while remaining embedded in the systems they seek to transform. The four-year program combines an intensive in-person first year with a flexible, low-residency research phase over the remaining three years.

Research focuses on design as a strategic lever within complex systems—shaping long-term transitions toward more sustainable, equitable, and resilient futures across domains such as organizations, cities, policy, materials, services, and culture.

If you’ve ever wondered whether a PhD could fit alongside your professional life—and how research can intervene meaningfully in complex systems—join our upcoming online Information Session. Applications for fall 2027 will open in GradCas on November 1.

Hosted by Jonathan Chapman, Director of Doctoral Studies, School of Design.

Info Sessions take place on:

November 5, 2026 (11 am - 12 pm ET)
January 28, 2027 (2 pm - 3 pm ET)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc9mc-y39JKM2pGagiAC90vkqiaDNYVANpFmycJd-V6iIlN7g/viewform

09/24/2026

The Fall edition of the CFA Magazine is now live! Read about all of the exciting things in the College of Fine Arts including Michele Hratko's (BDes '27) book on copyright, creativity & design culture, a conversation with new Head of School Jonathan Chapman, and Robert Bollinger on why he gives back to the School of Design.

https://cfa.cmu.edu/magazine

09/21/2026

We want to thank everyone who took part in last week's Design Nexus Summit, but today want to give a special shout out to Senior Michele Hratko (BDes '27) and Amber Lo (MBA '26, Tepper).

Michele designed all of the visual identity for the Design Nexus Summit. From social media posts to signage, Michele's design work truly captured the dynamic conversations and insights that came out of the Design Nexus Summit.

Amber, who is currently a Community Builder & AI Product Marketer at Adobe, worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help organize the Design Nexus Summit and connect us with our sponsors for the event.

Thanks again to all of the speakers, sponsors and attendees!

09/18/2026

Today at the Design Nexus Summit we had an incredible time talking about design, careers, and fun facts with Amazon's Byron Merritt, Aditi Sharma, and Jennifer Harvey.

09/18/2026

We wrapped up day 2 of the Design Nexus Summit with an incredible evening of talks and a community reception with students, faculty, guests and alumni.

Thanks so much to Violet Whitney from Spatial Pixel, Special Faculty Robert Bollinger, and Beth Sidhu from SPORT BEACH for their time and insight.

Day 3 of the Design Nexus Summit is already underway: https://design.cmu.edu/design-nexus/design-nexus-summit

09/17/2026

This morning we started today's Design Nexus Summit activities with a cozy fireside chat between Head of School Jonathan Chapman and Julienne DeVita, Sr. Engagement Manager, Creative Higher Education & Design Futures at Adobe.

At Adobe, Julienne works in Creative Higher Education, where she develops insights to support the next generation of creatives and artists as they navigate emerging technologies and an evolving creative landscape.

As the founder of Liminal, a design futures agency, Julienne blends strategic foresight, systems thinking, and design methodologies to help organizations explore long-term change and make future possibilities more tangible.

Lots more to see at the Design Nexus Summit: https://design.cmu.edu/design-nexus/design-nexus-summit

09/17/2026

We couldn't ask for a better way to kick off the 2026 Design Nexus Summit than with this set of incredible speakers followed up by some lively Q&A with CMU students.

Thanks so much to Patrik Hübner, Brooke Hopper, & Andrew Witt for your time and expertise as we get this year's Design Nexus Summit underway.

Check the schedule for today's events: https://design.cmu.edu/design-nexus/design-nexus-summit

09/16/2026

The Design Nexus Summit starts TODAY! Joining us tomorrow for a Fireside Chat with School of Design Head Jonathan Chapman is Julienne DeVita, Sr. Engagement Manager, Creative Higher Education & Design Futures at Adobe.

Julienne DeVita is a design-futures practitioner, educator and researcher whose work combines strategic foresight, systems thinking and design to help organizations anticipate change over five- to twenty-year horizons. Her research addresses creative learning, AI ethics and social justice; she has developed an AI Design Ethics Toolkit and published peer-reviewed work on AI as a relational element in creative education.

We'll see you all at the Design Nexus Summit: https://design.cmu.edu/design-nexus/design-nexus-summit