Capstone projects provide students the opportunity to apply their academic knowledge and skills to solve real problems. When done well, capstone projects can have meaningful impacts extending far beyond the classroom. Here are some examples of capstone projects that have gone on to create positive change in the real world:

One notable example is the capstone project of engineering students at the University of Pittsburgh that helped develop a low-cost prosthetic hand. The students worked with clinicians to identify an affordable solution for children lacking access to advanced prosthetics. They designed a myoelectric hand that could detect muscle signals and activate different grasp patterns. The final design cost only $100 to produce and was simple enough for use in developing nations. The project received funding from NIH and has since helped thousands of children worldwide regain functionality.

In another example, nursing students at Johns Hopkins University partnered with a local homeless shelter on their capstone project. Through needs assessments and interviews, the students learned the shelter lacked resources for managing various health conditions of residents. The nursing team created customized wellness kits, developed health education materials, and provided training to shelter staff. Their work significantly improved health outcomes at the shelter. Inspired by the project’s success, the nursing program has since established it as an ongoing community partnership.

At the University of Michigan, engineering and business students collaborated on a project to help reduce food waste. Through research on current practices, they identified inefficiencies in the ordering, delivery and handling of food across campus dining halls. The interdisciplinary team proposed optimized processes and technologies to better forecast demand, manage supplies in real-time, and donate excess edible food. The university has now fully implemented many of their recommendations, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars annually while feeding more people in need.

In another impressive real-world impact, computer science students at Brandeis University worked with a local non-profit to design and build a volunteer tracking system as their capstone. The previous paper-based system was inefficient and error-prone. The new database application streamlined signup, scheduling, record keeping and impact reporting. It gave the organization much-needed functionality to manage its thousands of volunteers annually. So successful was the project that the non-profit now funds ongoing enhancements to the customized software.

At Virginia Tech, civil and environmental engineering students collaborated on a project to address flooding challenges in rural communities. Through stakeholder interviews and hydrological modeling, they identified effective and affordable solutions for particular at-risk areas. One such recommendation involved the strategic placement of detention basins, which was later implemented with support from the county. Several major floods since have demonstrated that the engineered improvements have significantly reduced property damages for residents.

The College of Idaho had students in political science, business and computer science work together on a project to increase voter participation. They built a web-based portal where residents could easily register, get ballot and polling information, take virtual tours of polling locations, and more. Following its launch, voter turnout in the local midterm elections surpassed expectations by several percentage points. Inspired by these results, the state has since adopted elements of the portal statewide.

At the University of New Mexico, architects and construction management students partnered with a local tribe on addressing substandard housing conditions. Through assessments of existing homes and consultation with community members, the team designed culturally appropriate, energy efficient modular units that could be quickly and inexpensively constructed. A pilot project to replace several dilapidated homes was so well received that both state and federal grants were since secured to scale up the sustainable housing initiative across the reservation.

These are just a handful of examples, but they demonstrate the real and meaningful impacts that can result from student capstone projects when done in partnership with community needs. With proper guidance from faculty and real-world engagement, capstone work shows tremendous potential to drive practical solutions that address societal and environmental challenges. It allows students to apply classroom learning for the direct benefit of others while gaining experience that eases their transition to professional careers. When done at scale across different disciplines, capstone projects represent an opportunity for positive change far beyond any single course assignment. With projects scaling from addressing specific local issues to influencing policies on broader levels, the impacts of this hands-on learning experience have great potential to reverberate for years to come.