Rarely do Cornell engineering students get to emerge from theory-driven academics, much less work on problems that benefit children. Some are now wrapping up a class project that could make a major difference for Ithaca's Child Development Council.

Students enrolled in Professional Practice in Mechanical Engineering (MAE 4300), taught by senior lecturer Alexander Deyhim, have spent the semester working with the Child Development Council to find a cost-effective solution to a critical problem: soundproofing.

The senior-level, required course for mechanical engineering majors features a project in which students must tackle an engineering design problem. Some projects are theoretical; for example, one group came up with a design for car tires that could change treads depending on weather, controlled by a sensor. Others opted to help the Child Development Council improve their workspace by soundproofing their walls. And next semester, the theory might become reality.

Thanks to a grant being secured through the Cornell Public Service Center, the students will likely be able to return to the development council next semester to figure out which solution will work best, and volunteer their time to implement it.

Three groups worked on the development council project, which involved coming up with engineering solutions for making the nonprofit's conference room less susceptible to eavesdropping. The organization, located in downtown Ithaca, has occupied the same building for two decades. In 2000 they added a conference room, but since then they've had problems with sound leaking through the ceilings and paper-thin walls.

"We are [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] compliant, and lots of the things we do require confidentiality," said Diane Feldman, fiscal manger of the development council. Feldman said she often finds herself whispering during phone calls in her office, which is located right next to the conference space.

Students tackled the problem in a variety of ways. One group suggested putting in new ceiling tiles that would better contain sound and were also up to fire and building codes. Their project included pricing the different tile options and estimating time and implementation costs.

Others suggested that the council invest in sound and speaker systems to pump ambient noise through the building, helping to mask the sound.

"It's really rewarding to have a real client," said Alison Nalven '11. "It was nice to work with the community and give back to Ithaca, and feel like we've made an impact after four years of engineering."

Kat Ingalls '11, who worked with Nalven, said she plans to do product design, and gaining experience via the development council project was a welcome challenge.

Deyhim has been teaching the course for three years and is consistently striving to improve it. Every week he brings in a guest speaker from industry to cover topics ranging from quality control to systems engineering, all of which are topics addressed in ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) certification, which most engineers must pass to practice in the field. For the ethics lesson, Deyhim made the unusual move of bringing in a pastor from a local church to lead the discussion.

Deyhim sees the course as a way to prepare students for careers in engineering, not only for the ABET certification, but also to expose them to different career options.

"Imagine you have a bunch of athletes who are brilliant," he said. "Now you have to help them figure out if they want to do the Tour de France or play in the Super Bowl. These engineering students have taken core courses over three years and are really intelligent and clever. It's actually a very exciting course."