Paul Hanley, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, will receive the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities’ (

The award recognizes Hanley's commitment to and excellence in community-engaged teaching through his ongoing partnership with the IISC, with which he has been affiliated since the initiative began.

Each Spring semester, Hanley partners with the IISC through his capstone senior design course. He uses the class to maximize his community engagement opportunities by breaking the class into several groups, each of which pursues a different project with community partners. The projects result in implementable engineering plans and designs that communities have incorporated into their work throughout the state.

Hanley's students gain valuable professional development experience through these projects, which they often discuss during job interviews in and around the state. He also serves on the IISC’s Advisory Board.