Students in the Entrepreneurial Management Institute explored, researched, and produced recommendations on ways that the Economic Development group could effectively market their programs throughout the county, create and maintain communication and public relations with smaller communities, and increase usage of the group’s resources for recruiting new businesses and retaining existing businesses.

Urban and Regional Planning students created the Trails economic impact plan that provides research on the benefits of the current trails system in Decorah, Iowa and provides recommendations on how to continue expanding it as well as a presentation displaying research and results, and a poster displaying research and results.

Students from the School of Art & Art history developed two public art pieces. The first project emblematizes the Decorah eagles in a sculpture that celebrates the natural assets of Winneshiek County. The second playfully acknowledges the mythical gnome-like “nisse” of Norwegian culture through several small ceramic doors and windows that will be displayed in local parks for the mischievous “nisse” to use.

Students in the School of Urban & Regional Planning conducted an economic impact analysis of extending the current fiber optic system and provided recommendations on how best to continue enhancing the service and a 28E partnership between six stakeholders.

To estimate the impacts and maintenance costs of the frac sand mining industry on roads and bridges, transportation engineering faculty and students reviewed literature on similar case studies, evaluated the properties of the materials of pavement materials, and used design software to analyze the impacts of increased truck traffic for Winneshiek County.

Civil and environmental engineering students evaluated and designed new trails in Neste Park that complemented the planned Recreation and Nature Center near Decorah, IA.

Neste Valley Recreational Area sits just 2.5 miles from Decorah and was sited to be its next destination park. The Winneshiek County Conservation Board envisions a variety of recreation offerings at the park, including picnicking, camping, hiking trails and conservation education.

Civil and environmental engineering students determined the best location for a new nature center and created preliminary 3D designs for the structure near Decorah, IA.

Neste Valley Recreational Area sits just 2.5 miles from Decorah and was sited to be its next destination park. The Winneshiek County Conservation Board envisioned a variety of recreation offerings at the park, including picnicking, camping, hiking trails and conservation education.

Students in Marketing Field Studies class in the Tippie College of Business researched these multiple uses and images of the river through focus groups and meetings with community stakeholders. Based on their findings, they developed recommendations to encourage all users to interact with and communicate about the river in a sustainable way.

MFA students in the School of Art and Art History created 10 small statues of nisse, gnome-like figures from Scandinavian folklore, for the 2015 Nordic Fest Celebration.

Following the success of the "Gnomes on the Trail" event during the 2013 Nordic Fest celebration, the Winneshiek County Conservation Board aimed to create new gnome statues along the trail for trail users to interact with.

Graduate students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning researched models of financing, established a budget, and developed a list of priority stormwater management projects based on their projected budgets and impacts to water quality and quantity in the community for Decorah, Iowa's implementation of the storm water management policies.

Researchers from the GEEMaP program, College of Engineering, and Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences collaborated to predict and map where frac sand mines may be most likely to occur in Winneshiek County if the industry enters the area.

Students in the College of Law conducted statutory and case law research to contribute to the development of the potential regulations being considered by Winneshiek County. In response to the potential entry of the frac sand mining industry into the area, Winneshiek County sought research and recommendations on best practices for interacting with the industry. This project brought together the University of Iowa Citizen lawyer program with county attorneys to provide legal research and analysis on regulatory options available to the county.

Winneshiek County sought to understand the possible economic impacts that the frac sand mining industry could have if it became established in the county. For this project, graduate students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning performed a comprehensive economic impact study that evaluated the short and long-term gains and losses to the county's economy that could follow from the industry’s establishment. The students assumed a single-mine scenario to contextualize mining impacts in three areas: county accounts, private accounts, and social costs.

Graduate students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning worked with city officials to provide recommendations and two tools for the City of Dubuque to expand its Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI).

The tools developed included the Priority Model and economic feasibility calculator for rental units. Other recommendations included strategies to engage renters and landlords; innovative funding; interdepartmental cooperation building; and participant engagement and outreach.

Graduate students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning worked with city officials in Decorah to assist in the preparation of a revised comprehensive plan that included Iowa's Smart Planning Principles, which were adopted in 2010 by the Iowa Legislature.

Graduate students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning worked closely with a citizens group in Decorah, We Can Decorah, to promote energy conservation and the use of environmentally friendly stormwater drainage techniques.

Engineering students designed a new trail layout for the Floyd River Trail that allowed for safer trail access and provided more recreational space for the residents of Sioux City and the surrounding area.

Engineering students developed design solutions to mitigate the threat of pooling behind the Floyd River levee and reduce flood insurance rates for the Leeds neighborhood in Sioux City, IA. These designs included recommendations for detention basins, pumping stations, and green alternatives.

Engineering students developed recommendations for traffic calming and reconstruction to lead to a safer roadway for residents of the Hamilton Boulevard intersection area.

Students in the School of Library and Information Science partnered with Sioux City Public Library Director Betsy Thompson to identify potential community partners who had a stake in and wanted to develop community partnerships in support of early childhood literacy.