Friday marks the 10th anniversary of the college of public health simulation lab at ETSU on the Eastman-Valleybrook campus in Kingsport.
News 5 learned through Friday's media event how students are making a difference.
One initiative, Project Earth, is designed to prepare students to solve real-world problems through experiential learning.
Randy Wykoff, the founder of Project Earth, says it started 11 years ago when two students made bio-sand water filters.
The only problem with it was-we hadn't taught them how to do that. So here's this issue, we teach our students the importance of clean water, it's probably the greatest advance in human history in terms of health, but we hadn't taught them how to do it," Wykoff said.
Wykoff says the course teaches students what they need to know and do about clean water.
Another part of the project is a bike shop, where new and old bikes are revamped for children with physical challenges.
The bikes are also used in a program at Kingsport City Schools. Communications director for KCS, Ben Roberts, says the school-to-work program helps students to be more employable.
I think it makes them feel a little more free and independent. I think that a lot of times they feel like they don't have the same access that their peers have because they have drivers license or better situations at home," Roberts said.
The Adapt-To-Play lab includes toys for kids with cognitive disorders.
ETSU student Olivia Barnes says those toys are specially designed to help children improve their senses.
It's a really touching moment for us, because this is the first time, possibly this child ever moved independently in their entire life. We have to think even if they're moving five feet, this is the first time they have ever made themselves move," Barnes said.