PiTech News

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Early Emergency Detection and Project Risk Prediction for NYCHA

As a PiTech PhD Impact Fellow this summer, I worked on two data-driven projects with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), both aimed at improving the safety and resilience of their large portfolio of buildings. NYCHA manages hundreds of developments across the city, many of which face aging infrastructure and growing maintenance challenges

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Report: Fellowship PiTech Initiative Cornell Tech Report: Fellowship PiTech Initiative Cornell Tech

Making Environmental Data More Accessible through a Digital Tool for NYC Flood Preparedness

This summer, as a Siegel PiTech PhD Impact Fellow working with the Mayor's Office of Environmental Justice, my project focused on three critical aspects of this accessibility challenge:

  1. Understanding user needs through collaboration with environmental justice experts and community stakeholders

  2. Consolidating data sources from technical platforms into a unified digital tool with a user-friendly interface

  3. Designing intuitive interactions that make complex environmental data actionable for residents

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Report: Fellowship PiTech Initiative Cornell Tech Report: Fellowship PiTech Initiative Cornell Tech

Building Data Infrastructure for NYC FIRST: An Educational Third Space for STEM

How can we build data systems that help young people thrive in STEM? New York City’s educational landscape is full of afterschool programs, classrooms, and community hubs, but NYC FIRST’s growing network of STEM Centers occupies a unique position: it is a “third space” – not quite school, not quite home, but a vibrant, in-between environment where students, mentors, and community members collaborate, take risks, and discover their STEM identities (Bhabha, 1994; Beal, 2024).

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Report: Fellowship PiTech Initiative Cornell Tech Report: Fellowship PiTech Initiative Cornell Tech

Bridging Supportive Care and Independent Living through Smart Home Enabling Technology in IDD Residences

This summer, as a Frederick and Susan Rubinstein PiTech PhD Impact Fellow, I worked with the Center for Family Support (CFS) on a “Smart Home Integration Proposal” for residential care settings. CFS is a non-profit dedicated to promoting independence and community integration for over 1,050 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) across New York and New Jersey through services like group homes, day programs, and self-directed support.

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Report: Fellowship PiTech Initiative Cornell Tech Report: Fellowship PiTech Initiative Cornell Tech

Introducing the 2025 Siegel and Rubinstein PiTech PhD Impact Fellows: Our most ambitious summer yet!

PiTech is excited to kick off another summer for the PiTech PhD Impact Fellowship— our most ambitious one yet!

The program has more than doubled in size this year, growing from 10 to 21 fellowship placements. This expansion reflects a rising recognition among students and public interest organizations of the value in bringing together cutting-edge expertise and responsible tech perspectives into the non-profit and public sectors. 

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