Our Projects

ES engaged in research about current university and student sustainability habits and found that students have little incentive to be environmentally sustainable

In light of the upcoming election, this is a new project space for the Fall 2024 semester! There are many directions that project teams can explore, such as helping students become more politically aware or engaging with civic education initiatives. 

CU started by exploring various challenges faced by the community around the campus. Now, the team is focusing on enhancing the university's outreach to local high schools.

This project space is centered around transportation, such as the MTD bus system! Teams can explore various initiatives, such as making the bus system more efficient, improving accessibility, or developing innovative solutions for sustainable commuting.

With so many members passionate about environmental sustainability, we’ve introduced a second team for the Fall 2024 semester! This team will explore innovative solutions to pressing environmental challenges, which could be anything from reducing carbon footprints on campus, improving student waste management, or raising awareness about climate change. By focusing on sustainability, this project space aims to foster impactful initiatives that contribute to a greener future. Our project team is currently in the immerse stage of the design process and exploring the problem space through research.

Student resources partnered with university housing to explore student employment. During this time they researched why students are drawn away from dining hall employment and what could be improved.

How might we target the lack of knowledge around opportunities for college students transitioning into adulthood so they can become as well experienced and informed of individuals as possible?

Transportation looked into current bus tracking services and designed a high fidelity prototype of a new bus tracking app

DFA partnered with the Champaign County Forest Preserve District (CCFPD) to design an interactive online tool to make accessibility information for trails and parks more readily available for visitors with disabilities.

The teams objective was to encourage exploration, fostering increased engagement between students and various locations/businesses. To address this challenge, the team devised a location-based scavenger hunt, guiding participants from one spot to the next with hints at each discovery.

DFA partnered with the Greater Champaign County AMBUCS Chapter. The AMBUCS team worked to solve organizational challenges to better empower the organization at succeeding in their mission of inspiring mobility.

DFA National partnered with Discover Financial Services to investigate young adults’ perceptions, discourses, and knowledge regarding personal finance. The team developed a low-fidelity framework of an app to engage young adults in financial literacy using gamification. Topics of interest were determined based on the conducted interviews with students at UIUC.