A new partnership between the University of Waterloo and the City of Iqaluit is giving students the opportunity to apply their skills to real-world challenges while making a meaningful impact in the North.
The collaboration was made possible through i-Capstone — Waterloo’s first interdisciplinary undergraduate capstone program. Bringing together students from all Faculties, i-Capstone empowers them to address complex community issues like sustainable housing, infrastructure, and urban planning for academic credit.
To help tackle challenges unique to an Arctic environment, the City of Iqaluit partnered with four student teams to address the municipality’s most urgent needs.
Engineering student Kenneth Luong’s team focused on water delivery — a vital issue in Iqaluit, where residents rely on trucks to fill household tanks. Their mobile app tracks water levels in real time, using predictive analytics to streamline deliveries and reduce emergencies, giving residents greater peace of mind.
“This was my first time leading a project and being responsible for an outcome that really mattered,” Luong said. “That level of accountability was challenging, but it pushed us to grow our skills together.”
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Engineering student Kenneth Luong (pictured left) alongside his teammates at the i-Capstone symposium on March 26, 2025.