Civil & Environmental Engineering students enrolled in the Senior Design Capstone course designed a site plan for an ADA-compliant cultural education center at Camp Courageous. 

MFA students designed and installed a public art piece for the Manchester community, driven by a process of public engagement so that the piece reflected the values, stories and/or identity of the community.

Update from Manchester:  "The City received an anonymous gift of $5,000 to assist in the development of the park area." (Spring 2024)

Recent Cinema Arts grad Philip Rabalais worked closely with Manchester city leaders and residents to create a dynamic promotional video for the community.  Enjoy the video below!

Working closely with Waterloo’s Center for the Arts, MFA student Sean Tyler designed and installed two murals at the gateway to the downtown district.

Recent Cinema Arts grad Philip Rabalais teamed up with current film student Timmer Penny to create a short film documentary of the Hero Hustle, an annual event that takes place in Manchester Iowa.  Enjoy the video below!

Students from the School of Urban & Regional Planning course Community Development in the Upper Midwest interviewed several Chin Burmese residents of Columbus Junction to produce a short film about their sense of home in their new community.

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students provided designs and cost estimates for the renovation of a historic opera house in Volga, Iowa.

As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the School of Urban & Regional Planning assessed current community interests, planning tools, and environmental needs to develop strategies for aligning preservation of Iowa City's unique historic downtown architecture with other community values. 

As part of their Senior Design Capstone course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students prepared a design report and cost estimates for a "Showcase Pavilion & Outdoor Performance Venue" in North Liberty's Centennial Park.

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. 

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.

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.