Engineering for Impact

At Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, community engagement isn't just theoretical—it’s built into the curriculum. Through the Community Engagement Using High-Impact Practices Grant from Community-Engaged Alliance (CEA), Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Dr. Jenny Mueller is empowering students to connect academic learning with real-world civic needs.

Each year, student teams participate in a capstone experience where community partners present authentic challenges. From there, students lead full-scale design projects—conducting site visits, collecting data, interviewing stakeholders, creating technical drawings, vetting materials, budgeting costs, and publicly presenting their final concepts. The results? Practical, sustainable, and community-driven solutions.

Projects have included:

• A riverside park and community hub in Logansport, complete with play structures, a boardwalk, a stormwater basin, and a multi-use building.
• These student-led initiatives could potentially impact more than 246,000 residents across Indiana and Illinois. Students aren’t just solving technical problems in labs and classrooms—they’re designing green infrastructure, considering safety standards, and centering community voice at every step.
• Traffic-calming and pedestrian safety designs for Terre Haute, including sidewalks and infiltration ditches to protect schoolchildren and improve stormwater management.