MENOMONIE - UW-Stout students Ben Wolf and Paul Kolter don't like getting on a wet bicycle seat on a rainy day, and they are certain others don't either.

As part of their design, theory and methods course taught by assistant professor of interior design Julie Peterson, the two created a seat cover that unsnaps to cover a bike seat to help keep it dry and clean.

"We were trying to come up with a simple project everyone could relate to," said Kolter, 19, a sophomore industrial design major. "One problem with bike seats is water sits on them. It doesn't bead off. "

Kolter said he thought of a windbreaker hood and how it is hidden in the collar and can be unrolled when needed.

Wolf, 20, a junior multimedia design major, said it's uncomfortable for students to have to sit through class if their pants got wet on their bike. The design also can never be forgotten, because it's attached to the bike.

The class created the projects as part of the national Make a Difference Day, which is Saturday. The day celebrates helping others.

Peterson said the idea was for students to identify a problem and come up with a solution.

The concept to have students come up with ideas for Make a Difference Day originated with the Interior Design Educators Council, a professional organization for interior design professors and educators, Peterson said. The goal is to make design accessible to everyone.

"It is about making somebody's life easier," Peterson said. "Even the smallest thing can make a difference. It can be a small item that makes people's lives easier."

Students planned to put their designs out for the public to use today and Saturday. They will document the response and then return to their class next week for a final presentation on their findings, Peterson said.

Students Susie Lepro, a junior graphic design major, and Christine White, a sophomore industrial design major, developed a universal hose warmer to prevent water hoses from freezing up in colder weather.

The hose is rolled up in a box with a small heat lamp to keep it from freezing.

"I help out on a farm a lot," White said, when asked how the idea was developed.

"This will help family farms," Lepro said. "It will save them time and money and make it easier to get water to their animals."

Powers can be reached at 715-556-9018 or pamela.powers@ecpc.com.

UW-Stout student Paul Kolter held up a bicycle seat that he and fellow student Ben Wolf, right, designed as a cover to prevent the seat from getting wet in the rain. The project is one of about a dozen developed by students in Julie Peterson's design, theory and methods class as part of Make a Difference Day, which is Saturday.