MISSISSIPPI STATE – Some Mississippi State University students are testing their problem-solving skills with real challenges instead of hypothetical situations this semester.

Whether they are graphic design students dreaming up a new logo for the Mississippi Sweet Potato Council’s boxes or communication students developing videos to help 4-H’ers improve their public speaking skills, students are working with community partners to address existing needs.

The students are enrolled in classes that offer the opportunity to engage in service-learning projects through MSU’s Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence.

April Heiselt, director of the new center, described it as a partnership between MSU’s Extension Service and the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President. She said she is like a broker between professors and MSU Extension Service agents, who serve as the university’s community outreach team.

“Sometimes faculty members bring me ideas for projects they want to do, but they need a real-world application,” Heiselt said.

Other times, Extension employees will approach Heiselt with community-generated projects, and she finds professors willing to incorporate them as part of a service-learning course.

“We bring people to the table and figure out what we can develop together,” she said. “Service-learning is different from community service in that it is more than a one-time experience. It is integrated with academic course objectives and benefits everyone involved.”

Heiselt said students benefit from working with industry professionals before graduating. “Their work makes a difference and is meaningful to their current community, their career goals and their futures,” she said.

The freshmen in Alta Knizley’s Introduction to Mechanical Engineering class can choose from one of five service-learning projects this semester. Mariah Smith, a technology specialist with the Extension Center for Technology Outreach, offered the students a taste of what her project will entail when she handed them a bag of candy and a tough task.

“I gave them two minutes to build a tractor out of lollipops, Lifesavers and peppermint patties,” Smith said. “If they work with me this semester for the service-learning component of their class, they’ll be designing robotics activities and curriculum for the 4-H’ers we call Cloverbuds -- the 5- to 8-year-olds. Creativity is required because the Cloverbuds will judge the activities when students present them at the end of the semester.”

Knizley said she chose to get involved in service-learning because she believes it will benefit her students.

“I hope my students enjoy the service-learning project and that they are excited to continue in mechanical engineering,” she said. “I also hope they will understand that a strong work ethic is required to complete the program, and that they’ll experience new environments and work with people who have different backgrounds.

“But these projects will also help them build strong relationships with our community and instill a sense of purpose in our students. We want them to learn they are capable of performing tasks that may, at first, seem daunting to such young college students,” she said.

Knizley decided to offer a service-learning course for another reason, too: it gives her a chance to encourage students even younger than her own.

“Whether it’s robotics for young children or high school students, family engineering nights, an interactive art exhibit or elementary-level math and science demonstrations, all of these service-learning projects will allow young people to experience engineering and science-oriented subject matter,” Knizley said. “The best way to encourage students to pursue careers in math and science is by showing them role models in those fields. Between two classes, we’re sending about 170 role models into Mississippi communities.”

To learn more about MSU’s Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence, visit http://servicelearning.msstate.edu or come to the Center’s Open House between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sept. 24-26 at the Bost Extension Center, Room 311.