iEngage, the University of Washington Information School’s industry engagement program, offers organizations a scalable way to explore real challenges, pilot ideas and tap into emerging talent. Epic Games partnered with iEngage to explore two core initiatives, a Capstone project and a student game jam, both designed to generate practical insights while helping students develop real-world capabilities. 

For the Capstone project, three Master of Science in Information Management students, Khoa Luong, Ruiqi Wei and Sanyam Mehta, partnered with Epic to explore how AI technology might improve access and usability within complex content ecosystems. The team studied user interaction patterns and proposed strategies for organizing and maintaining large-scale information systems. Their work balanced practical design with long-term thinking. 

For Epic, inviting students to do this work served two goals at once: It enabled exploration of forward-looking solutions within a focused, low-risk setting, and it offered students real experience navigating research, iteration and cross-functional collaboration. The project demonstrated how structured guidance and open-ended inquiry can turn academic curiosity into practical value. 

The partnership’s second anchor, a game jam co-hosted during Unreal Fest, gave students a high-energy setting to experiment, build and collaborate. Over three days, teams designed and prototyped original games using Unreal Engine. Students quickly adapted to new tools, managed timelines, and worked through creative decisions as a team. 

Beyond technical learning, the game jam fostered communication, leadership and adaptability, skills central to any professional setting. For Epic, the event offered firsthand insight into how new users approach their tools and where support materials might evolve. It was a learning opportunity on both sides. 

The value of the partnership lies not only in the projects themselves but in the shared commitment to learning through doing. Epic contributes mentorship, infrastructure and context; the iSchool brings motivated students and structured guidance. Together, they create an atmosphere for thoughtful experimentation that serves both practical needs and long-term growth. 

The partnership is rooted in a shared purpose: giving students meaningful exposure to industry work while encouraging them to innovate and explore. It succeeds because it honors the value of learning through doing. Students gain clarity and confidence by tackling relevant problems. Epic gains early insight into ideas shaped by thoughtful research and collaboration. What emerges is a partnership for progress — practical, creative and grounded in purpose.