Student Spotlight: Innovating in the Construction Industry
Julia Ang’s (MIIPS ‘25) work experience within the construction industry and her skill development within the MIIPS program
By Hannah Brelsford
After three and a half years in the construction industry, Julia Ang (MIIPS ‘25) returned to school at Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Integrated Innovation Institute as a Master of Integrated Innovation for Products & Services (MIIPS) student to upskill.
Julia studied project and facilities management as an undergraduate student at the National University of Singapore, which led her to the real estate and construction industry. She worked for JLL, a commercial real estate agency, to complete commercial office construction projects.
She found herself wanting to pivot into a product or user experience (UX) design role, so she chose the Integrated Innovation Institute (iii) for its hands-on curriculum and focus on integrating the disciplines of business, engineering, and design.
“I chose the iii because it covers different disciplines, which allows me to explore what I want to pursue in my career.”
The Fast Facts: A Summary of Julia’s Time in the MIIPS Program
Choosing the MIIPS Degree 🤔
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Learning skills beyond project management
Networking and Industry Experience in the Classroom 🤝
- Friday Seminars at MIIPS
- Capstone experience sponsored by PNC Bank and working with a MIIPS alum
An Internship in a New Side of the Construction Industry 🚧
- Product Manager Intern at Muro AI
- Integrating AI into construction workflows
Student Life at CMU 🎒
- Making friends at MIIPS
- Being part of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
- Exploring Pittsburgh
What’s Next 🎓
- Finishing her MIIPS Degree in December of 2025
- Going to all 63 National Parks
Choosing the MIIPS Degree
Initially, Julia had considered a different program at CMU, but she wanted to explore options outside her field to understand what various jobs might entail. This desire for exploration led her to the iii.
Additionally, she wanted to collaborate with individuals from different disciplines to learn from them and get hands-on industry experience. This aspect of the MIIPS degree is what she feels will help her most when she returns to industry.
“This program takes people from all different walks of life, so it allows me to work with people from different backgrounds and learn from their experience too,” said Julia. This type of collaboration has given Julia the ability to speak the language of other domains, making her a better teammate and more well-rounded professional.
As part of the MIIPS curriculum, students are challenged to explore the disciplines of design, business, and engineering, especially when these disciplines are outside their expertise.
“We dive deep into the technicalities behind each discipline. Initially, I did not understand why I needed to learn the technicalities of engineering. But then I came out of that class realizing that it is only when you get your hands dirty doing calculations that you understand why problems should be solved a certain way.” Julia has found herself utilizing her new engineering skills in her internship at Muro AI.
Networking and Industry Experience in the Classroom
Incorporating industry experts and providing students with real-world experience is a fundamental aspect of the MIIPS curriculum. One key element of this is the weekly seminars held every Friday, where industry professionals are invited to speak. These seminars offer valuable networking and learning opportunities for the students.
“Seniors have gotten job offers from networking at Friday seminars. They are a great resource.”
Two notable speakers who participated in Julia's Friday seminars were Katie Dove and Rebecca Pinn.
Katie, the Managing Director and Applied Behavioral Scientist at Irrational Labs, discussed how behavioral diagnoses can help explain changes in metric results. Julia found this particularly helpful, as she considers herself a non-technical product manager.
Rebecca, the Director of Innovation Consulting and Strategy at EPAM Continuum, shared her journey from being a design engineer to becoming an innovation strategist. This demonstrated to Julia that career paths are not always linear.
Another challenging aspect of the MIIPS program is the capstone project experience, where student teams are paired with industry sponsors to work on a problem prompt. Julia and her team were partnered with PNC Bank, where she had the opportunity to work with an iii alum and PNC corporate sponsor, Minette Vaccariello (MPD ‘06), Design Principal, Experience Innovation at the organization.
Julia found it helpful to be working with someone who understood her perspective of being a student. “Having been through this process, she knows what our constraints and restrictions are. She also has a whole understanding of what the capstone process is like.”
“Capstone allowed us to dive deep into a different industry within the shortest time possible.”
Julia found it rewarding to immerse herself in an industry within a short timeframe, allowing her to gain a deep understanding despite having no prior experience. Through this capstone experience, she gained valuable lessons that will shape her future professional endeavors.
Julia also found the experience of being able to present to the sponsors at the end of the project to be extremely rewarding, to get their reactions and see her peers’ work as well. “Everyone has their own set of problems and challenges, so it’s always exciting to listen to everyone’s pitch at every single phase.”
An Internship in a New Side of The Construction Field
Julia is currently a Product Manager Intern at Muro AI, an AI startup agency that focuses on streamlining pre-construction processes. Securing an internship was a challenging process that required significant dedication on her part to find a suitable opportunity for her future. However, the effort proved worthwhile. She landed her internship through networking and relevant experience, which ultimately connected her with the founders of Muro AI.
With her industry experience, Julia provides a specialized perspective on the matter. She also brings valuable insights when interviewing customers, as her previous corporate background allows her to understand their point of view. Currently, Muro AI is in the process of pre-seed funding to raise the necessary capital to fully establish the company, and Julia has enjoyed being involved in this effort.
Student Life at CMU
Outside of the classroom, the MIIPS program has offered Julia great opportunities within the city of Pittsburgh. Before she came to the iii, she was looking forward to meeting and making new friends, which is exactly what happened.
Across the CMU campus, Julia has had the opportunity to take part in numerous hackathons and the startup scene through the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship. One specific hackathon that was special for her was the CMU Hack-a-Startup 2024.
“That was a memorable thing for me as it was my first hackathon ever, and pitching in front of a huge crowd was nerve-wracking yet rewarding.”
Throughout her experience with the larger CMU ecosystem, she has learned valuable product management skills, specifically skills for working in startups.
Additionally, she has been able to explore other opportunities in the city, such as joining the CMU Ultimate team, a sport she has long had a passion for. She has also been able to go out within the city and see some local sports games, such as heading to PNC Park to see the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team or PPG Paints to see the Pittsburgh Penguins.
What’s Next
When Julia came to the III, she was unsure about where she wanted to work and what her career goals were. However, through her work and internship experiences, she feels she is making progress and discovering the intersections of her true passions and skills.
Her experience working with startups has given her a clearer understanding of her career aspirations, which involve developing products from concept to launch.
Outside of work, Julia has a goal to visit all 63 national parks in the United States. Currently based in San Francisco for her internship, she has been able to visit two more national parks. Although she has checked off a few, she is actively working on visiting them all while also completing her MIIPS degree.
