On this page, you'll find descriptions of individual projects and overviews of the communities with which we've partnered.

Use the filter to search for kinds of projects, e.g., public art or engineering, or to locate a specific community.

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Burlington - Parks and Recreation Facility Design and Engineering

Published
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

The City of Burlington seeks designs for a new building to house its Parks and Recreation division. The building needs to include offices, public meeting areas, storage, and locker rooms. For their capstone project, students in Civil and Environmental Engineering will provide designs, pricing, and a timeline for the project.

old brick building

Burlington - Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Buildings

Published
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

There are several existing buildings in Burlington, including the former Dial Soap building that is nearly 127,000 square-feet, that the city hopes to rehabilitate and adapt for new uses. As part of their capstone work, students in Civil and Environmental Engineering will assess the buildings and create designs for adaptive reuse.

Red welcome sign

New Sharon - Subdivision Design and Engineering

Published
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

Plans for a new subdivision to be located in New Sharon will be designed by students in Civil and Environmental Engineering as part of their capstone. 

welcome sign to the city of New Sharon

New Sharon - Adaptive Reuse

Published
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

Students in Civill and Environmental Engineering will provide designs for combining two existing buildings into one, multi-use structure. 

a park in summer

Burlington - Crapo Park Amphitheater Evaluation and Rehabilitation

Published
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

For a capstone project, students in Civil and Environmental students will review the structural integrity of an amphitheater and create designs for rehabilitation.

person with a blonde pony tail standing with back to camera looking at a board with a lot of writing and post-it notes

Pathfinders - Strategic Communications Tools and Practices

Published
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

For a capstone project, Journalism and Mass Communications students will review current strategic communications practices and tools utilized by Pathfinders RC&D and create new ones to address gaps in the organization's approach. 

Jefferson County park

Jefferson County Parks Engineering and Design

Published
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

As part of their Senior Design capstone project, a team of civil & environmental engineering students will provide designs, preliminary engineering reports, and cost estimates for a variety of improvements to county parks in Jefferson County. 

red brick building with an accessibility ramp

Pathfinders - Digital Archiving and Storytelling

Published
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

Students from the School of Library and Information Science will assist Pathfinders RC&D staff in managing, archiving, and exhibiting the vast collection of the organization's records, helping tell the story of Pathfinder's impact across the region since its formation in the 1970s. 

overhead view of a small town's downtown business area

Pathfinders - Rural Development Policy Briefs

Published
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

Students in the course Policy and Persuasion will work with staff from Pathfinders RC&D and the South Central Iowa Local Workforce Development Board to develop policy directions for issues related to five focus areas: rural development, innovation, workforce, health, and community capacity.

person with a work time card

Navigating Youth Employment Law

Published
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

A team of students in the College of Law's Community Empowerment Law Project will study youth employment and child labor in the south central Iowa workforce region and help both employers and workers understand best practices as well as state and federal regulations. 

Dancer

Burlington - Empowerment through Creative Expression Workshops

Published
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

MFA visual arts candidate Marian Tejada will design and lead workshops for youth in Ottumwa that encourage self-expression, community building, and empowerment. 

A young man in a yellow hat, dark sweatshirt, and tan pants in a wheelchair on an outdoor dirt path.

Pathfinders - Mapping of Park Accessibility

Published
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

Participants in the student organization Iowa Community Integrated Geography Organization (ICIGO), will work with data and an existing map to make it more robust. They will add a crowdsourcing feature to the map and overlay it with census information.To increase users, ICIGO students will research platforms on which the map and its information can be shared and make recommendations for packaging. 

Mutchler Center Engineering Project Team

Pathfinders - Mutchler Community Center Building Improvements

Published
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

For their capstone projects, students in Civic and Environmental Engineering will provide designs to update a community center. They will provide design options, project timelines, and pricing to remedy some of the building's currently problematic features. This includes the entryway and the main floor gaming and weight area. Additionally, the student team will provide a redesign of the parking lot to address traffic flow.

new house

West Burlington - Property Subdivision Site Engineering and Design

Published
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

Students in a capstone Civil and Environmental Engineering program will design a site plan for the subdivision that will maximize the number of homes that can be developed. They may include plans for a pocket park as part of the project, setting the example for future developments. 

park

West Burlington - Luers Park Stormwater Drainage Engineering and Design

Published
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

For their capstone project, Civil and Environmental Engineering students will focus on drainage of Luers Park in West Burlington. They will assess the current situation and develop plans toward alleviating current hydraulic problems.  

Digital image of two rows of trees with a path down the middle.

West Burlington - Trail Engineering and Design

Published
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

For their capstone project, students in Civil and Environmental Engineering will design a 10-foot wide trail that includes pedestrian cross improvements at several intersections. The trail will run near a recreation complex, several schools, residential and commercial areas, and a senior housing unit. 

Snake Alley in Burlington

West Burlington & Burlington - Arts and Culture Master Plan

Published
Friday, August 16, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

For their capstone project, graduate students in the School of Planning and Public Affairs will create the first comprehensive arts and cultural plan for West Burlington and Burlington, communities that share a border and strong sense of collaboration while maintaining distinct identities.

drawing of cyclists and pedestrian

West Burlington & Burlington - Transportation and Land Use Plan

Published
Thursday, August 15, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

The Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission (SEIRPC) has produced several transportation-related plans, including the Greater Burlington Bike & Pedestrian Plan (2020) to the Region 16 Passenger Transportation Plan (2021). This capstone project for students in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development will build upon these efforts to sustain recent momentum around multi-modal transportation options and identify new opportunities to increase mobility for residents, particularly for residents without reliable access to transportation. 

snow plow on highway

West Burlington & Burlington - Shared Services Study

Published
Thursday, August 15, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

During the fall semester, the MPA capstone team will conduct research (e.g. literature review, case studies) to better understand the service needs of West Burlington and Burlington, as well as locating effective approaches undertaken by other communities. During Spring semester, the team will focus on engaging stakeholders, analyzing existing local conditions, cost/benefit analyses, and developing recommendations.  

overhead photo of people signing an application

Pathfinders RC&D - Reducing Administrative Burdens for Families in Need

Published
Thursday, August 15, 2024
Academic year
2024-2025

For their MPA capstone project, a group of students will conduct research (e.g. literature review, case studies) to better understand the burden to families and individuals that need to access multiple service providers. They will locate approaches that other communities have developed to make connecting with services more streamlined by offering a single point of contact. During the Spring semester, the group will focus on engaging stakeholders, analyzing existing local conditions, and tailoring recommendations to the region.