Wendy (Fangzhuo) Tang is an interdisciplinary designer currently focused on design engineering, with a strong interest in mobility intelligence and robotics. She is actively learning mechatronics through hands-on making and self-driven projects. Her path reflects a major shift from her original training, but revealed a strong focus in mechanism and structure.
She attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts for high school (2016–2021), studying fine art such as painting and sculpture, which gave her a strong foundation in 2D and 3D perception, material sensitivity, and visual communication. However, she found herself drawn more toward academic realism and the study of anatomy and form—approaches that felt increasingly disconnected from the contemporary art world.
For college, Wendy chose Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design (2022–2026), where she discovered a design language that allows her to better communicate with people. She spent long hours in metal and wood shops, learning not only craft, but also design principles rooted in real-world manufacturability, mechanics, and human-centered problem solving.
Through this process, she uncovered an engineering mindset that had never been formally recognized before. What has always driven her is a curiosity about how things work—how they are able to move, and how systems behave. Her study of anatomy further expanded this interest toward the study of more complex systems, made possible by current advancements in technology.
Today, Wendy is looking for an environment where she can continue learning and working with passionate teams as an interdisciplinary designer who brings art, engineering, and science together.