During the spring 2016 semester, teams of engineering students from the University of Southern Maine examined three different projects at Windham Public Schools: converting parking lot lights from high-intensity discharge bulbs to LEDs, replacing rooftop air handlers and converting to a natural gas-based hot water system.

The students found that by replacing the HID lights with motion-sensing LED lights, the district would see a payback on its investment in just two years.

These results were incredibly encouraging, said Bill Hansen, director of facilities at Windham Public Schools: “Having a fresh set of eyes take an initial look at a project is very valuable. It’s a huge advantage to have these three projects investigated so that we can move ahead.”

Hansen has served as a mentor and co-educator for USM students working on projects in his district. A licensed mechanical engineer himself, Hansen recognizes that “the opportunity to get out into the field as a student is huge.”

Over the past two years, USM engineering students have partnered with not only the Windham School Department but also with schools in Portland, Gorham, Windham, Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth to improve their facilities.

These partnerships stem from an engineering economics course taught every spring semester at USM by Ivan Most. The course includes a service-learning project, in which teams of students partner with the facilities director of a local school district to consult on a facilities project at the school. The projects range from planning for the installation of solar panels to a cost-benefit analysis of installing a new HVAC system.

Norm Justice, facilities director at Gorham Schools, hosted two teams of USM students this spring as well. He echoed Hansen’s sentiments and found it to be very valuable to foster a connection with USM. “Part of our goal as a town and school district is to partner with the university,” said Justice.

Students working in Gorham took this partnership to the next level by developing an activity for David Palmer’s eighth-grade science students at Gorham Middle School.

The eighth-graders collected data on carbon dioxide levels and temperature in their own classroom, and learned how to analyze and interpret the data. These data were used by the USM teams in their analysis of the geothermal system at the middle school. Hands-on projects such as these, in which young students can interact with relevant data, are sure to spark an interest in some of the next generation of engineers.

These projects illustrate how USM students have gained real-world engineering and consulting experience, while meeting the needs of their communities.

When Most learned that the facilities departments of many area school districts are run by a single director and often have a long list of projects they wish to plan, analyze and implement, he saw an opportunity for his engineering economics students to learn through service.

As an engineer and educator, Most recognizes the value of experiential learning for student engineers. “These projects give students a consulting engineering experience that not only encompasses problem solving, but also includes the personal skills necessary for success in the consulting environment,” he said.

His students agree. Alyssa Chaplin, a recent graduate who took the course this spring and plans to pursue work in HVAC engineering, said that she gained more valuable experience from service learning than she did purely through classroom work. Chaplin said the project helped her to “understand what it’s like in the real world and better understand what consulting is.”

Most is committed to giving back and recognizes the unique responsibility to the community that engineers have. In his own words, “Service learning teaches (our students) the importance of pro bono work as a professional,” he said. “They have an obligation to society to give back for the opportunity their engineering education gives them.” Through this project, he hopes to impart this sense of responsibility onto his student engineers.

Fostering relationships between higher education institutions and community partners is a win-win.

When community partners invest their time and expertise as co-educators, learning is enhanced, trust is built and real change can happen. Experiential service learning strengthens education by providing a thorough understanding of community needs and an application of knowledge to real contexts. And when higher education partners with the community, as Most’s class has done, students are able to make lasting connections between content and community.