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Completed Student Projects

Find projects from every major and interest!

We are so proud that so many UI students feature sustainability in their personal and class projects. Students from every major and interest have created amazing projects that we love to feature on our site and share with the community. View projects by their topic below, and submit your own student projects here!

ACT: Active Conservation Training, A Guide to Sustainability Curriculum

Topic: Connor Johnson, Jillian Shrader, Kristyna Bradley, Anna Nelson, and Libby Chelsvig created lesson plans for teaching sustainability in topics such as energy, agriculture, waste, animals and ecosystems, and consumption. The project was submitted through GEOG:2013 Intro to Sustainability with Professor Constance Brown.
Submission Date: May 2019
Alternatives to Straws on Campus

Topic: UI Students created this presentation on alternatives to plastic straws and the current barriers to implementation on campus. The project was submitted through GEOG:2013 Intro to Sustainability with Professor Constance Brown.
Submission Date: May 2019
Boat-Deployed Water Quality Sensors

Topic: Matt Meulemans created this infographic, titled "Boat-Deployed Water Quality Sensors." He summarizes how new and old water quality sensors collect data, finding thatn new, boat-deployed systems collect data at high spatial resolution to better target nutrient reduction efforts.
Submission Date: May 2019
Bridging Our World

Topic: Jia Ern Ong created "Bridging Our World" to bring together the many nationalities and cultures that intersect at the University of Iowa through food. The project was submitted through HONR:2600 Fieldwork in Social Innovation.
Submission Date: July 2019
Can We Make Supercapacitors From Plants?

Topic: Rachel Smoak created this infographic, titled "Can We Make Supercapacitors From Plants?" with design help from Stephanie Huang. Rachel summarizes the potential of capacitors, or small-scale energy storage devices, to be used for all energy storage and the possibility of creating better capacitors known as supercapacitors from carbon and nickel which can be found in plants.
Submission Date: May 2019
Collection of Poetry Reflecting on Climate Change

Topic: Macy Scully (English and Creative Writing & Education, 2019) created this collection of poetry reflecting different aspects of climate change, with pieces such as

- "Chemical Romance,"

- "Iowa From a Plane,"

- "It's Only Over If We Say It Is,"

- "Kum N' Go,"

- "One Million Species Threatened With Extinction,"

- and "We're All Okay Here."

This project was created for a seminar entitled Climate Change and the Construction of Paradise taught by Dr. Barbara Eckstein in Fall 2018.
Submission Date: May 2019
Conodants with Associate Professor Cramer

Topic: Mandi O'Grady studies Conodants with Associate Professor Bradley D. Cramer at the University of Iowa during a 10 week stay in the summer of 2019. Mandi is one of 10 NSF grant awarded students who participated in the Interdisciplinary Evolutionary Sciences Research Experience for Undergraduates. These students worked with the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History to produce short videos intended to marry science with fun and accessible communications.
Submission Date: August 2019
The Creation of Myth

Topic: Shalini Jasti (English and Creative Writing & Education, 2021) connected climate change and the rewriting of myths in her project, "The Creation of Myth." This project was created for a seminar entitled Climate Change and the Construction of Paradise taught by Dr. Barbara Eckstein in Fall 2018.
Submission Date: May 2019
Dichloroacetamide Application & Toxicity

Topic: Monica McFadden created this infographic, titled "Dichloroacetamide Application & Toxicity." She summarizes how dichloracetamide, an herbicide, is being used around the US and the world, and information regarding the toxicity of the substance. She finds that dichloroacetamide is a likely human carcinnogen and is highly toxic to aquatic organisms.
Submission Date: May 2019
Eco-Friendly Cleaners and Products

Topic: Dylan Coakley, Alyssa Comer, Hannah Conroy, Haley Erickson, and Ethan Jones made eco-friendly cleaners and products, presented them at the Natural Grocers Demo Kitchen, and created a website containing their results.The project was submitted through GEOG:2013 Intro to Sustainability with Professor Constance Brown.
Submission Date: May 2019
Examining Depression and Anxiety in Rural Advanced Cancer Patients Receiving the Oncology Associated Symptoms and Individualized Strategies (OASIS) Intervention

Topic: Isabella Penniston (Nursing, 2020) examined depression and anxiety in rural advanced cancer patients receiving the Oncology Associated Symptoms and Individualized Strategies (OASIS) intervention. Her research finds various conclusions regarding the efficacy of OASIS and which patients may find the intervention most beneficial.
Submission Date: July 2019
Fair Trade at the University of Iowa

Topic: Joseph Haggerty, Grace Holbrook, Brooklyn Herrera, and Jeren Glosser researched fair trade at the University of Iowa and in the Iowa City community for GEOG:2013 Intro to Sustainability with Professor Constance Brown.
Submission Date: May 2019.
Hawk Swap: Reusing school supplies

Topic: UI Students organized the Hawk Swap event on April 8th, 2019, designed to help students and campus organizations reuse school supplies and to teach students about the importance of sustainability.The project was submitted through GEOG:2013 Intro to Sustainability with Professor Constance Brown.
Submission Date: May 2019
I Can See It On The TV, You Can't Hide It From Me

Topic: Katie Healy created the film "I Can See It On The TV, You Can't Hide It From Me," which covers climate change, for an honors seminar.
Submission Date: May 2019
Social Media: @katayhealayy
The LENA Project

Topic: Allexis Mahanna (Global Health Studies & Ethics and Public Policy, 2020) created the LENA Project. The LENA Project aims to 1) Lessen plastic use in Iowa City, 2) Empower individuals to use their voices, especially children, 3) Notice single use plastics & environmentally friendly alternatives, and 4) Act purposefully to better the Earth for generations to come. It is an official non-profit within the James Gang, and plans to continue expanding in the Iowa City by partnering with individuals and businesses alike to reduce single-use plastics.
Submission Date: May 2019
Let's Get This Bread

Topic: Allison Cole, Paige Brandenburg, Katie Wayson, Grace Bryant, and Betsy Borchardt created Let's Get This Bread to connect bakeries and stories with local charities and food banks in Cedar Rapids. They hope to simultaneously address food insecurity and reduce food waste in the community. The project was submitted through GEOG:2013 Intro to Sustainability with Professor Constance Brown.
Submission Date: May 2019
Permaculture Experiment

Topic: UI students conducted this experiment on permaculture in the spring of 2019. The project was submitted through GEOG:2013 Intro to Sustainability with Professor Constance Brown.
Submission Date: May 2019
Phosphonic Acid Functionalized Electrospun Nanofibers for Uranium (VI) Uptake

Topic: Allison Peroutka (Chemical Engineering, 2020) researched the detection of U(VI) in groundwater and the eventual extraction of U(VI) through the coupling of engineering concepts with chemical techniques. The project was inspired by Native American communities in the Four Corners region of the United States, who are threatened with exposure to high concentrations of uranium in drinking water due to abandoned uranium mines.
Submission Date: July 2019
Recycling Education in Schools

Topic: Harper Truog, Ethan Traugh, Alice Vervaecke, Rachael Wagner aimed to address gaps in sustainability education by volunteering at Arthur Elementary School to teach children about recycling. The project was submitted through GEOG:2013 Intro to Sustainability with Professor Constance Brown.
Submission Date: May 2019
Storm Transposition Applications in Flood Modeling

Topic: Iris Brenner created this infographic, titled "Storm Transposition Applications in Flood Modeling." She proposes the use of storm transposition in watershed modleing and planning as a more realisiic and nuanced approach in comparison to design storms.
Submission Date: May 2019
Testing UI Students' Recycling Knowledge

Topic: UI students tested other students on their recycling knowledge face-to-face, and then came up with solutions to the problems they found in recycling knowledge and perceptions. The project was submitted through GEOG:2013 Intro to Sustainability with Professor Constance Brown.
Submission Date: May 2019
UI Campus Trash Audit

Topic: Yusef Abuissa, Delaney Albrecht, Jordan Barnett, Cole Billings, and Sydney Bortscheller conducted a campus trash audit in the spring of 2019 at three different locations on campus. They measured the percentages of compostable, liquid, improperly sorted, and properly sorted materials in the recycling and trash containers. The project was submitted through GEOG:2013 Intro to Sustainability with Professor Constance Brown.
Submission Date: May 2019
Urban Green Space and Human Health

Topic: Nick Psihoyos writes about urban greenspace and its relationship to human health and well-being.
Submission Date: May 2019
We've Always Done It This Way

Topic: Al Gonzales and Natalie Peterson created this graphic design project from trash collected around campus to make a statement about pollution: specifically, "we've always done it this way."
Submission Date: April 2019
Writing and Sustainability at Elizabeth Tate Alternative High School

Topic: UI students created and implemented a sustainability-oriented lesson plan for a creative writing class at Elizabeth Tate Alternative High School. The project was submitted through GEOG:2013 Intro to Sustainability with Professor Constance Brown.
Submission Date: May 2019
Moth Biodiversity in the Forbes Lab

Topic: Drew Seiler studies moth biodiversity in the Forbes Lab at the University of Iowa during his 10 week stay in the summer of 2019. Drew is one of 10 NSF grant awarded students who participated in the Interdisciplinary Evolutionary Sciences Research Experience for Undergraduates. These students worked with the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History to produce short videos intended to marry science with fun and accessible communications.
Submission Date: August 2019
Bee Ecology and Citizen Science in the Hendrix Lab

Topic: Rebecca Davenport studies bee ecolocy and citizen science in the Hendrix Lab at the University of Iowa during a 10 week stay in the summer of 2019. Rebecca is one of 10 NSF grant awarded students who participated in the Interdisciplinary Evolutionary Sciences Research Experience for Undergraduates. These students worked with the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History to produce short videos intended to marry science with fun and accessible communications.
Submission Date: August 2019
Historic Mussel Collection at the UI Museum of Natural History

Topic: Ari studies the historic mussel collection at the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History during a 10 week stay in the summer of 2019. Ari is one of 10 NSF grant awarded students who participated in the Interdisciplinary Evolutionary Sciences Research Experience for Undergraduates. These students worked with the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History to produce short videos intended to marry science with fun and accessible communications.
Submission Date: August 2019
Viral Evolution with Dr. Andrew Kitchen

Topic: Isiaha Price studies viral evolution with Dr. Andrew Kitchen at the University of Iowa during a 10 week stay. Isiaha is one of 10 NSF grant awarded students who participated in the Interdisciplinary Evolutionary Sciences Research Experience for Undergraduates at UI in the summer of 2019. These students worked with the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History to produce short videos intended to marry science with fun and accessible communications.
Submission Date: August 2019
The impact of a cancer symptom self-management telehealth intervention on depression and anxiety

Topic: Isabella Penniston studies how internet-based symptom management interventions help cancer patients with depression and anxiety. Specifically, Isabella's work focuses on rural patients, for whom there is little information about which physical and emotional symptoms they are most bothered by. Isabella received funds from the Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates in the summer of 2019.
Submission Date: December 2019
Friend or Food: How Different Cultures Perceive Animal Mindedness

Topic: Sydney Schreiber studies animal minds and cross-cultural differences in which species are considered apt for eating. Specifically, she considers the mental capacities of dogs and pigs and how that plays a role in which species are raised for food. Sydney received funds from the Iowa Center for Research by Undergraduates in the summer of 2019.
Submission Date: December 2019
Well, Well, Well, What Do We Have Here? An Investigation of Nitrate Contamination in Northeast Iowa Private Wells

Topic: Maria Ilioukhov studied nitrate contamination in Iowa wells with the goal of identifying areas of concerns for environmental and public health. Maria worked with the Center for Health Effects on Environmental Contamination to product a report and story map of the research findings.
Submission Date: September 2022