Students in the Department of Communication Studies conducted interviews and analyzed data to better understand how Iowa City area residents perceive and consume local art, and to learn about awareness of the local arts non-profit Public Space One. 

Graduate students in the School of Urban & Regional Planning, in conjunction with the City of Iowa City and National Advance Driving Simulator, completed a plan to help Iowa City prepare for the anticipated impacts of automated vehicles on the built environment and community.

As part of the Environmental Policy and Management course, students from the School of Urban and Regional Planning assisted the City of Iowa City with an adaption plan for Terry Trueblood Park. 

As a part of the 8 Generational Plan: Envisioning Cities course taught in the School of Urban and Regional Planning, a group of 10 UI students will present their long-term visions for Iowa City as America’s Next Great Regenerative City. This collaborative innovation tournament is the culmination of a new course titled “Eight Generational Planning: Envisioning Cities for Year 2228.” The team of judges, led by Iowa City Mayor Throgmorton, includes local elected officials, planners, researchers, and architects. 

Juniors in the Tippie College of Business Marketing Institute created advertising campaigns for Travel Dubuque to promote the outdoor recreational opportunities in the Dubuque area, with a particular focus on attracting mountain biking enthusiasts to the area's growing trail infrastructure. 

Students in the Course Advanced Strategic Communications developed communication strategies and defined key goals for the celebration of Columbus Junction's sesquicentennial.

In 2024, Columbus Junction will commemorate 150 years as a community.  By getting an early start on planning with the students at the University of Iowa, Mallory Smith, Columbus Junction Community Development Director, is hoping to use the sesquicentennial event as an opportunity to celebrate the ever-changing Columbus Junction community and promote city improvement projects.

Students from the School of Urban & Regional Planning course Community Development in the Upper Midwest worked with Latinx teens in Columbus Junction's Upward Bound program to produce videos and books that help tell the 150 year story of the community through interviews and historical artifacts.

Graduate and advanced undergraduates in urban planning, the social sciences, the humanities, and the arts examined the many challenges facing small- to medium-sized towns in Iowa and elsewhere in the Upper Midwest and work towards community-based solutions.

Students from the Tippie College of Business Marketing Institute developed branding and marketing strategies for the Boone Forks region, consisting of Boone, Hamilton, and Webster Counties, which is one of Iowa's four Parks to People regions.

Three years ago, Hamilton, Boone, and Webster Counties received funding from Iowa’s Parks Foundation to develop a master plan as a region focused on achieving economic, social and natural resources balance and improvements.

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students provided designs for an innovative open shelter in a unique overlook area in Boone County, as well as the design of an access road and parking facility, and related cost estimates.

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students provided evaluation, design, and cost estimates of the superstructure and substructure for a single span pedestrian bridge that connects campground A to campground B in the Don Williams Recreation Area in Boone County.

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students provided design alternatives for a Nature Center building in Boone County.

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students provided an evaluation of the spillway at the Don Williams Recreation Area and design of a barrier to prevent the loss of game and pan fish, and the related cost estimates.

As part of his graduate capstone project, Sport and Recreation Management student, Parker Hesse, provided recommendations for the design of a new disc golf course at Don Williams Park in Boone County. 

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students provided design alternatives for a "natural" amphitheater in Boone County's Don Williams Park, featuring materials native to Iowa, a functional stage and structure, trail connections, evaluation of flood events, and related cost estimates.

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students provided a design for an information building/shelter at Grant’s Woods located just north of the High Trestle Trail trailhead, site improvements, and related cost estimates.

Students from the University of Iowa and Grinnell College will conduct research, collect data, and engage community members in the city of Newton to develop projects and programs to promote health and prevent obesity. 

College of Law students in the Community Empowerment Law Project (CELP) conducted a study to help officials in Winneshiek County and Northeast Iowa understand the implications of anticipated mineral mining activities, as well as legal safeguards for environmental protection and transfer of wealth. 

As part of their Senior Design Capstone course, Civil & Environmental Engineering student designed a method to protect county roads and bridges from the migration of the Skunk River in Keokuk County. 

As part of their Senior Design Capstone course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students designed a new city hall building for the City of Beacon, and provided recommendations for teardown and disposal of the existing building, including ways to divert materials from the landfill. 

As part of their Senior Design Capstone course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students created designs for development of a new residential neighborhood in Bellevue, as well as a stormwater management plan for the site.