Project Examples

This guide provides details about the courses involved in the IISC partnership, as well as examples of past and potential projects. The list of project examples is intended to show examples of what services are available to community partners, but does not reflect all potential project opportunities.

Planning

Second-year graduate students in the School of Urban & Regional Planning work on community-based projects in their capstone course. Planning teams of 4 to 5 students work on a project for the full academic year, with a significant emphasis on engaging local residents and stakeholders to gather public input. 

Digital Archiving

Graduate students in the School of Library and Information Science work as a large group to take on significant digital archiving projects. Over the course of a semester, groups assist in the design of online databases, content management systems, and visualizations for archives, collections, and records that are not currently accessible online. Public libraries and city archiving departments are examples of past partners. IISC communities could check with library directors and city archivists for needs and opportunities.

Civil & Environmental Enginnering

College of Engineering seniors, working in groups of 2 to 4 students, complete capstone projects during either the fall or spring semester. Each project includes design alternatives, final design renderings, and complete cost estimates. Ideal projects for students include multiple elements from the four department focus areas: hydrology, transportation, environment, and structures.

GIS Mapping & Analysis

Geography students study the interactions of people with each other and their environment. Focus areas include environmental monitoring and policy, climate change, ecosystem processes, sustainability, public health, geographic information systems, and more. IISC also works with a Geography-based student organization, ICIGO, on GIS applications, web content, map-making, and other visualizations

Law

The Community Empowerment Law Project, a program in the College of Law, works to strengthen communities, create economic opportunity, and advance social justice. Teams of 3 or 4 law students, under the guidance of a licensed attorney on the faculty, undertake matters ranging from entity formation and strategic planning to coalition building and the design of advocacy plans. Projects are typically one semester, with the option to extend as needed.

Public Art

Master of Fine Arts students in the School of Art & Art History collaborate with IISC community partners to create public art works that reflect the community’s values and identity. Typically, the public art works are murals, but other past public art examples include large-and-small scale sculptures, as well as restoration of existing murals. 

Marketing & Branding

The Marketing Institute in the Tippie College of Business attracts top upper-level students to work with real-world “clients”. Two options are available, depending on the clients needs. One option spans the full academic year, and groups of 4 to 5 seniors use a data and analytical approach to develop a strategic marketing and branding plan. The other option lasts one semester, with teams competing against one another and “pitching” their creative marketing and branding concepts to clients.

Film

Students in the Department of Cinema Arts create short video profiles of individuals working to make a difference in the partnering IISC community. The filmmakers will also interview other members of the community to provide testaments about the contributions and impact of the featured citizen.