Cool and COMFORTABLE: Park and Donelan publish their work on thermal design.

Hall, Olivia M.

Just a few months after graduation, Caroline Donelan '16 celebrated another important achievement. The Fiber Science & Apparel Design (FSAD) student published her first academic paper, which appeared in the September/October issue of AATCC Journal of Research, issued by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC). The article, "Evaluation of Cooling Garments for Improved Design and Thermal Comfort Based on Thermal Manikin Tests," draws on research conducted in the summer following her sophomore year under the guidance of co-author and FSAD Assistant Professor Huiju Park.

While Donelan's focus is on apparel design, a passion she has been nurturing since second grade, she knew coming into Cornell that she wanted to take advantage of everything the department had to offer. "A big draw for me to the FSAD program was that it's not just an art school," she says. "We also have opportunities to do research and learn more about the materials we work with."

She successfully applied for a Human Ecology Undergraduate Research Program summer stipend and turned to FSAD's thermal manikin, Walter, to analyze how three types of passive cooling vests--evaporative, conductive, and phase change--perform over time and under different environmental conditions. Invented by department chair Jintu Fan, Vincent V.C. Woo Professor in Fiber Science & Apparel Design and Director of Cornell Institute of Fashion and Fiber Innovation, the manikin uses heaters and pumps to circulate water under a sweating skin of breathable fabric, simulating the human body's thermal regulatory function.

Walter provided Donelan and Park with data on evaporative resistance (how garments transport moisture through the fabric surface) and thermal insulation (how warm or cool the garment is) that allow for an objective rating of cooling technologies frequently used in protective clothing. "There are many claims about cooling effects and perception, but until now there hasn't been a way for consumers to rate or compare different technologies without depending totally on human perception," Park says.

Donelan continued to analyze data and work on a formal paper throughout the following year, setting aside time from her regular coursework. "Writing a research paper as an undergraduate is tough stuff, and it's rare," Park acknowledges. "During the review process, we sometimes got very challenging questions, but I was very impressed with Caroline's positive attitude, patience, and persistence." Her effort was rewarded not only with the paper's acceptance for publication but also with a fourth place finish in the AATCC's Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Student Paper Competition.

Donelan's work with Park also piqued her interest in sportswear, which culminated in a senior thesis project designing more comfortable track uniforms and, most recently, in a position as a technical developer at Nike in Beaverton, Oregon. "The research that I've done helps me think differently about the materials we use and all the features that go into the apparel that we wear," Donelan says.

Park considers such a full-picture perspective a major strength in his former student--and the department from which she graduated. "Caroline always wants to understand scientifically why a design impacts the wearer in a certain way," says Park. "That's what makes Cornell FSAD strong--this very active collaboration between the two areas within the department. It's very meaningful to see an undergraduate design student publish a paper in a scientific journal. Caroline shows our strength through her work."