Student Projects

Technical classes offer exciting opportunities for industry-driven projects where you will work with your peers to apply your knowledge to a real-world issue. Read about some recent projects where students used their technical and business knowledge to develop practical, innovative and sustainable solutions.

Student projects

Designing a building in the Arctic

Four students in the Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in High Performance Buildings completed a capstone project to design a multipurpose building at the world’s northernmost airport.

Assessing the viability of carbon capture technology

Tommy Holt and his classmates conducted a streamlined life-cycle analysis of using captured CO2 emissions from a hypothetical brewery in Alberta to produce algae-based animal feed. Their conclusion? When it comes to carbon capture technology, location matters.

Proposing changes to Alberta’s energy storage policies

For her capstone project for the Master of Engineering Leadership in Clean Energy Engineering, Thea Kiley-Kubik explored potential policy changes in Alberta that would support energy storage and improve the resiliency of the province’s electricity grid.

UBC Master of Engineering in Integrated Water Management

Exploring a new index to better manage urban water systems

Students in the Master of Engineering Leadership in Integrated Water Management program worked on a capstone project with industry partner GHD, the only accredited provider of the Water Sensitive Cities Index (WSC-I) in North America.

Managing Scope For A Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion Project

MEL students reviewed scope management practices and proposed approaches for Metro Vancouver’s $2-billion investment to upgrade the Northwest Langley Wastewater Treatment Plant.

HPB students compete in international design competition

A group of students in the Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in High Performance Buildings entered their capstone project into an international design challenge – and they were invited to compete in the finals in April 2023.

Leaving diesel behind

Dean Gesuri’s capstone project for the Master of Engineering Leadership in Clean Energy Engineering modelled optimal scenarios for two First Nations communities in BC who want to transition away from diesel power to renewable energy sources.

UBC MEL NAME - Student Project - Green Hydrogen Production Facility

Assessing the feasibility of offshore green hydrogen production

Peter Shaw-Wood, a student in the Master of Engineering Leadership in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, set out to see if green hydrogen could be produced using ocean currents as the energy source.

UBC MEL in URSY - Developing innovative ideas for a sustainable community

Innovative urban planning ideas for a sustainable community

Urban Systems students traveled to Edmonton to meet with city representatives and tour the 536-acre site. They returned to Vancouver with an assignment to propose practical and cost-effective innovations that would support Blatchford’s environmental, social and economic goals.

Developing a speech-based VR application

For their capstone project, four students in the MEL in Dependable Software Systems program developed a working prototype of a note-taking tool for a virtual reality application that will be used by UBC medical students to learn about neuroanatomy.

UBC MEL AMM - Two AMM students launch a green venture

From mine tailings to magnets: students launch a green venture

After meeting in the Advanced Materials Manufacturing program, Felipe Blanco and Sangeeth Karuppiah developed an idea for a commercial venture. Their vision? To redefine tailings management by upcycling tailings storage facilities to produce critical value-added products for a low-carbon world.

Improving the fault tolerance of machine learning models

Dependable Software Systems students tested how different machine learning models perform against mislabeled datasets. Their results were a surprise – showing that a current assumption among researchers about the best model for training machine learning was incorrect.

Proposing retrofits to an historic building in Istanbul

For her capstone project in the High Performance Buildings program, Ezgi Yuruk H. offered more than a dozen suggestions for upgrading and retrofitting a 170-year-old building in Istanbul that is home for Istanbul Technical University’s Faculty of Architecture.

UBC_MEL__Student Project Umer Farooq Powering Mines header

Powering Mine Sites with Renewable Hydrogen

For the capstone project, Clean Energy Engineering student Umer Farooq evaluated the technical and economic viability of powering mine sites with renewable hydrogen – a solution that could significantly reduce a mine’s carbon footprint and allow for greater energy self-sufficiency.

UBC MEL Student Project Barry Kanchan Feasibility of Green Ammonia Production

Evaluating the Feasibility of Green Ammonia Production

As part of their Venture Design Lab course, Sustainable Process Engineering students evaluate the technical and economic viability of a new sustainable process or product. Barry Kanchan looked at the feasibility of producing green hydrogen as a feedstock for a currently idled ammonia plant in Trinidad & Tobago.

UBC MEL NAME Student Project Ship Propulsion

Combining the Science of Stability and Seakeeping

Working with a leading classification society, two Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering students developed a straightforward methodology to help design plan appraisal surveyors assess the likelihood of a loss of ship propulsion when high waves cause ships to incline at high angles.

UBC MEL AMM Student Project - Wheel Emissions

From wells to wheels: Seeing the big picture on emissions

Lighter vehicles have lower emissions. But as students in the Advanced Materials Manufacturing program discovered, reducing tailpipe emissions by choosing lighter-weight components can actually increase the overall carbon footprint of vehicles.

UBC MEL URSY Student Project - Surrey Asset Management

Shining a light on asset management

Three students in the MEL in Urban Systems developed a streetlight asset management plan for the City of Surrey. With its assessment of the current state of the infrastructure and seven key recommendations, the plan can now be considered by the City to help meet the goals in its Sustainability Charter.

UBC MEL Student Project - Data Visualization

Seeing data in new ways

Four MEL students used Tableau to develop an interactive tool on real estate trends in Metro Vancouver – and they’re excited about the opportunities to put their new data analysis and visualization skills to work.

UBC MEL CEEN Student Project - Biomass Energy Feasibility

Creating A Biomass Energy Feasibility Study For A First Nations Community

Clean Energy Engineering student Harshil Trivedi conducted a biomass energy feasibility study for a First Nations community in northern Alberta.

UBC MEL IWME Student Project - Water Safety Plan

Developing A Water Safety Plan

Two MEL in Integrated Water Management students developed a comprehensive water safety plan for a small island community in British Columbia that addresses water quality risks from source to tap.

UBC MEL NAME Student Project BC Ferries Fuel Efficiency - Instructor Reflection

Using machine learning to improve vessel fuel efficiency

Under the guidance of visiting professor Fredrik Ahlgren, two students from the Master of Engineering Leadership in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering worked on a project for BC Ferries to develop a machine learning model that can predict vessel fuel consumption.

UBC MEL AMM Student Project BC Energy Step Code for Commercial Buildings

Implementing the BC Energy Step Code

As a Sustainability Scholar, Madhur Motwani advised a local municipality on ways to successfully implement the BC Energy Step Code for commercial buildings.

UBC MEL NAME Student Project Naval Data Visualization

Improving Naval Vessel Operations Through Data Visualization

Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering student Gaby Marino completed a student project where she investigated the potential for data visualization software to streamline operations on naval vessels. She talked to us in August 2020 about her work.

UBC MEL HPB Student Project Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficiency Review

As part of his capstone project in the MEL in High Performance Buildings program, Chris Moore took on the challenge of improving the energy efficiency of a recently built LEED Gold building on the UBC campus.

Investigating the interplay of health policy and the built environment

A research project conducted by three Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) in Urban Systems students explored whether designated smoke- and vape-free areas were successfully deterring people from lighting up.

UBC MEL CEEN Student Project Community Power

Generating change

For his capstone project in Clean Energy Engineering, Derek Oppedisano developed a business case for supplementing diesel-powered electricity generation with lithium ion battery storage in a remote community.

UBC MEL CEEN Student Project Kambo Energy

Helping communities make informed energy decisions

For her capstone project, Anna Swanson analyzed the potential greenhouse gas emission reductions and financial implications of both supply-side and demand-side strategies for remote communities, and then developed a tool that they can use to determine where to begin investing.