Service-Learning Project Examples

Analyze Playgrounds for the City of Lawrence

Course: 22.213 - Kinematics, Miniproject for Dynamics

Instructor: Faize Jamil and John Duffy

Partner: City of Lawrence -Department of Parks and Recreations, along with additional Local Lowell playgrounds

Partner and Project Description: Analyze Playgrounds for the City of Lawrence, Department of Parks and Recreations, along with additional Local Lowell playgrounds.  Four teams composed of four students in each team assessed playground safety in the City of Lawrence. One team visited the Seargent Lucien Bourgoin Playground located in the City of Lawrence to assess the safety of the playground equipment, along with possible improvement options. The students examined and photographed playground equipment and conditions of concern.  Equipment included for dynamics analyses consisted of a slide, a swing set, a merry go round, and a play fire pole. The playground surface elements were also examined.  Students suggested playground improvements based on their collective analyses. Another team visited the Lindquist Playstead in Lawrence and developed a list of recommended improvements based playground survey and analyses.  A third team visited the Wetherbee School in Lawrence to conduct their playground assessment and to develop a safety analysis.  A fourth team conducted a dynamics assessment of the Sullivan Park playground in Lawrence.  Two teams comprised of three students each focused their playground assessments on the Riverside playground located in Lowell near the north campus of UMASS Lowell.  Each team produced a series of suggested playground improvements based on their collective team analyses.  After the S-L project, a number of the students commented on their enhanced capacities and important roles as engineers to provide for safer community environments.