Mechanical engineering students from Iowa State have been getting practical engineering experience by serving customers with some special needs.

While other seniors in design courses are solving old problems for imaginary customers, students in Scott Openshaw and Jess Comer’s classes have been serving clients with real problems that need solutions.

Their clients are the physically challenged residents of Childserve, 1915 Philadelphia St., and the Story County Development Center, 1200 McCormick Ave., and their families.

Openshaw, instructor and graduate student in mechanical engineering, and Comer, temporary assistant professor of mechanical engineering, teach the two courses that have produced over 20 projects to help serve the physically challenged.

Openshaw’s class, “Engineering Graphics and Introductory Design,” and Comer’s class, “Mechanical Systems Design,” have brought from blueprint to reality projects, ranging from specially modified toys to a hand-powered bicycle for a cerebral palsy patient, at a greatly reduced cost to the customers.

Jayme Mews, resident supervisor at Childserve, said magazines sell many of the same products, but the costs are so high families have trouble affording them for their needy children.

“[The families] could order these things from magazines for thousands of dollars,” Mews said. “A couple of the groups have donated their projects at no cost, but at most, they have just charged for the cost of supplies.”

Openshaw worked for Woodward State Hospital’s Adaptive Equipment Center, where he engineered products for the physically challenged.

When he came to Ames, he said helping Childserve and the Story County Development Center seemed like an obvious move.

“I’ve always liked being able to help others while teaching,” Openshaw said.

Those in need of help submitted a paragraph describing the specific problem they solved.

From the submissions, the student groups chose one each to be their design project.

“I want my students to begin to interact with a customer where they begin to define a need,” Comer said.

Rob Heidel, freshman in mechanical engineering, said his group engineered a support structure to attach a mobile to both a wheelchair and to a hospital bed.

“The project opened my eyes that you have to take into consideration the users of your product in the engineering process,” Heidel said.

Openshaw said he has other hopes for his students working with the physically challenged.

“When you expose students to people who are different than they are, it gives them a different perspective on life,” Openshaw said.