Each year, students, staff and faculty from Iowa State University's College of Design help Iowans address challenges and identify opportunities through research-driven outreach and service-learning projects. These efforts empower Iowa communities to make informed decisions that best meet their needs.

• In Mapleton on Friday, Nov. 1, Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will hear Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture Julia Badenhope and members of the Mapleton Rebuild and Recover Committee speak about response, rebuilding and recovery efforts after a 2011 tornado destroyed much of the town. Badenhope co-taught a fall 2012 design studio that developed community recovery proposals. Shecontinues working with Mapleton through the Iowa's Living Roadways Community Visioning Program. Read more    
   
• On Monday, Oct. 28, at the new facility's dedication, the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville recognized the

Students designed and constructed three outdoor multipurpose classrooms this past summer at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women's  new facility in Mitchellville.

role of Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture Julie Stevens and her students in its $68 million expansion. Together the institution and the ISU Department of Landscape Architecture continue to help offenders return home with improved attitudes and life skills by creating therapeutic outdoor environments. Read more

• For three years, Assistant Professor of Community and Regional Planning Jane Rongerude's graduate planning studio has worked with the Des Moines Neighborhood Development Division on neighborhood revitalization and planning by conducting research, gathering feedback and building relationships between residents and community organizations. As a result, two neighborhood plans developed in 2012 were approved and adopted last spring. The class is helping two of the city's most diverse core neighborhoods-Capitol East and Capitol Park-update their 20-year-old plans.

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