2017 Soirée de l'excellence en génie - The Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec pays tribute to the excellence and know-how of its members Français
MONTREAL, May 9, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - The Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec paid tribute to the excellence and know-how of its members at the 13th Soirée de l'excellence en genie on Monday, May 8, 2017, at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, in conjunction with the OIQ's Annual Conference.
"This evening is an opportunity to recognize the achievements and contributions of Québec engineers who, as masters of innovation, actively participate in creating wealth in our society," stated Kathy Baig, Eng., FEC, MBA, President of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec.
2017 Grand Prix d'excellence
Engineer Réjean Breton, co-founder of the firm BBA, won the 2017 Grand Prix d'excellence, the highest distinction awarded by the OIQ to one of its members. This prize has been awarded every year since 1991 in recognition of outstanding professional practice by a Québec engineer. The engineer who receives this prize serves as an example for the profession and is known and recognized for his or her visionary qualities, innovative achievements and social commitment.
In 1980, Mr. Breton founded the firm Sturton, Breton & Associates, which specialized at first in electricity and energy grids and then added other fields to its services, before eventually becoming BBA. When founding BBA, Mr. Breton recognized the company's social responsibility to the community and succeeded in distinguishing himself by participating in major construction sites in Canada and around the world. Many of his projects gave him opportunities to innovate and push the boundaries of electrical engineering.
An outstanding ambassador of the engineering profession, Mr. Breton has encouraged the recruitment of young engineers and promoted women in engineering throughout his career. President of BBA until his retirement in 2006, Mr. Breton now sits on various boards of directors in arts, cultural, science, educational and business organizations, while continuing to support the engineering world.
2017 Prix Génie innovation
The goal of the Prix Génie Innovation is to encourage innovative engineering by recognizing its value both in terms of the results achieved and the efforts made. This year's prize was awarded to the team at Polytechnique Montreal's Nanorobotics Laboratory for developing therapeutic nanorobotic agents that travel to targeted areas, a major advance in the fields of nanorobotics and medical engineering, which heralds a new era in the treatment of cancer.
This brand new targeting method was made possible by nanorobotics agents capable of traveling through the vascular system and delivering drugs at a specific location, right to the active tumour cells. This method makes it possible to preserve surrounding healthy organs and tissue, which reduces undesirable effects and increases therapeutic efficacy; it also opens the door to treating tumours that are currently inaccessible.
Hommage awards in recognition of outstanding contributions
Engineer Jérémie Voix received the Hommage award for members in research or education. Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering Department at École de technologies supérieure since 2010 and holder of the Industrial Research Chair in In-Ear Technologies since 2016, Mr. Voix has invested a lot of energy in supporting students. To date, he has supervised nearly 40 students, including 15 interns, 10 internationally trained professionals, 11 master's students, 2 doctoral students and one postdoctoral student.
An acoustics expert, Mr. Voix has over 20 years of experience in the field of occupational noise control. He is editor in chief of Canadian Acoustics journal, published by the Canadian Acoustical Association, and author (co-author) of around one hundred scientific publications. He was also hired as an expert for the "Make Listening Safe" initiative by the World Health Organization.
Engineer Christine Harries received the Hommage Émergence award, which recognizes the professional achievements of an OIQ member who is under 35 years of age. A graduate of Concordia University, Ms. Harries obtained her engineer's permit in 2016. As an intern and a building structural engineer at SNC-Lavalin, she acquired solid experience in steel and concrete structural design by participating in numerous construction sites. Among her accomplishments, she participated in the design of wastewater treatment and drinking water production facilities across the entire Montreal region.
Extremely involved in her industry, she has presided since 2015 over the network of young professionals (Réseau des jeunes professionnels) of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Canada (ACEC). To improve her competencies, she enrolled part time in a master's program in building structures at Concordia University in 2014.
President's Volunteer Service Award
Engineer Ghislain Boivin received the President's Volunteer Service Award. This award is given to an engineer who demonstrates outstanding social commitment toward his or her professional order. An active volunteer at the OIQ since 2007, Mr. Boivin chairs the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean regional committee. Because he cares about the engineering profession, he strives to promote engineering to young people, especially through visits to schools, and encourage young engineers in the region to join the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean regional committee.
Through its policy on rewarding professional excellence, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec seeks to recognize the achievements of engineers whose careers offer an example of how the four key values of the profession, i.e. competence, ethics, responsibility and social commitment, can be fulfilled. The recipients of its awards are also chosen on the basis of their leadership, know-how and self-management skills.
About the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec
Founded in 1920, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) has a membership of 62,000 engineering professionals in all fields, except forest engineering. The OIQ strives to be a reference for professionalism and excellence in engineering as well as a unifying organization. Its mission is to protect the public by acting to ensure that engineers serve society with professionalism, compliance and integrity in the public interest. For more information, go to www.oiq.qc.ca.
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SOURCE Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec
Aline Vandermeer, Communications Advisor, Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, Tel.: 514 845-6141 or 1 800 461-6141, extension 3253
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