Community-UNL Virtual Open House

UNL faculty and students with community members

Join us on October 22nd at 9:00 am CT / 8:00 MT or October 23rd at 2:00 pm CT / 1:00 pm MT for a gathering between UNL campus units looking for community partners to collaborate on experiential student projects, research projects, or to build relationships.  

This virtual open house provides the opportunity for community stakeholders to visit with multiple UNL Divisions discussing projects for spring and summer 2026 semester. UNL is hosting a series of centralized events so community members, non-profits, business owners, and government officials from across the state can attend one event and learn about all the opportunities they could host.  

Register for an Open House

October 22, 9:00 am CT  / 8:00 am MT

October 23, 2:00 pm CT / 1:00 pm MT

Business and Industry

School of Computing: Senior Design Project Sponsorship

College of Engineering

  • Overview: The University of Nebraska School of Computing’s Senior Design runs a capstone program for junior and senior students majoring in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Software Engineering. This program provides students with real-life experience and prepares them for an industry career.
  • What is needed: We are looking for 20+ industry organizations or UNL departments to sponsor a computing-design project for our students. As a project sponsor, you will receive around 1,500 student hours of development time over two semesters, plus 100% ownership of the Intellectual Property following the project's end. The students work in teams of 5-6 during the two semesters beginning in August and finishing in May of the following year. This program is an excellent way for your company to interact with UNL, create lasting relationships, and give back to the community by supporting the next generation of innovative talent. The cost is approximately $20,000 for industry partners.
More information on Senior Design Projects

Supply Chain Management and Analytics

College of Business

To obtain the real-life project for seniors in Supply Chain Management and Business Analytics, we partner with local companies in different sectors: food service, healthcare, logistics and transportation, manufacturing, IT services, retail, etc. The project is typically something students can tackle, with data and other information provided by the company. Capstone sponsors from the company also meet with the students (about every other week during the semester-long project) and provide mentorship and guidance about the business context and problem. At the end of the semester, students make a presentation to the company sponsors as well as submit a detailed report about the project, including details of the analyses conducted and the results that they obtained. Students are expected to compile a set of recommendations and quantify their impact using data and quantitative analysis.

Past Projects

Communities and Schools

Community and Regional Planning Program

College of Architecture

  • Overview: The Community and Regional Planning program engages student teams in community service projects aligned with the university's land grant missions. These projects encompass various areas, including land use planning, economic and housing planning, as well as environmental and hazard mitigation planning. Through these initiatives, tangible benefits can be directly delivered to communities across Nebraska, bolstering community economic development, downtown revitalization, hazard mitigation efforts, and environmental sustainability. Recent projects have had a positive impact on various locales, including David City, Beatrice, Syracuse, Peru, Winslow, and others.
  • What is needed: We are seeking 2-3 new projects for each academic year. These projects may involve land use planning, downtown revitalization, economic and housing development, hazard mitigation planning, transportation planning, healthy community planning, environmental and recreation planning, to address critical community needs. Projects can be operated through courses such as CRPL 990 Planning Studio, CRPL 991 Capstone Studio, CRPL 840 Planning Methods and Analysis, and other elective courses.
Examples from the Program

Biological Systems Engineering for Middle Schools

College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Nicole Iverson from Biological Systems Engineering leads a group that has developed hands-on activities to teach middle school students (grades 6 - 8) about Biological Systems Engineering. They are especially interested in connecting with students at rural schools. They worked with three schools in 2024 and had great feedback; they are hoping to expand the number of schools to work with.

What is needed from the community: 

They are looking for teachers/administrators willing to partner for this project. They need one class period (40 - 60 minutes) for students in grades 6 - 8. Last year, they spent an entire day at each school to teach multiple classes during the day (typically a science class), but they are open to different options.  Middle school students who participated last year seemed to enjoy the hands-on engineering activity! 
 

Iverson Lab Information

Immigration Clinic

College of Law

The Immigration Clinic has partnered with the community of Schuyler to help it and its residents navigate the complicated area of immigration law. Although our primary point of contact is the Schuyler Community School system, we have also worked with community groups and individuals to provide resources and, where appropriate, specific advice regarding immigration issues. We would like, and anticipate having, continued involvement with the Schuyler Public School system in order to connect us with students and families who are facing immigration questions and issues. We are also hoping to connect with the larger community, whether it be community organizations, local government, or other constituencies who seek guidance in explaining immigration law and processes and, where appropriate, representation in individual cases. One example of a past project is a Know Your Rights presentation that our students put together, in both Spanish and English, to inform individuals about their rights when dealing with immigration authorities.

Know Your Rights Example

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction

College of Engineering

Dr. Yunping Liang is looking to support rural and tribal communities in applying for the U.S. Department of Transportation's Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program. This program offers free support to rural and tribal communities to help them plan and design transportation projects. Dr. Liang can assist by answering questions about the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), sharing best practices for applications, addressing technical challenges, and reviewing applications. Most importantly, he can facilitate discussions about potential collaboration between the City and the UNL if the grant is awarded.

If federal funds are awarded, Dr. Liang will continue to support, follow up, and look for opportunities to connect his students and research with the project. This model is called Universities-led Modernizing Infrastructure Coalition.  

Past Projects

Media and Arts

Department of Music

Hixon-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts

A new faculty member, Kristen Graves, is interested in connecting with members from the community who are involved in sound and music in any environment or from any tradition. Her research focuses on exploring sound and music in unexpected places. 

Past Projects

Register for an Open House

October 22, 9:00 am CT / 8:00 am MT

October 23, 2:00 pm CT / 1:00 pm MT

Faculty Sign Up to Participate