Science popularizer Martin Carli and engineers Charles Terreault, Yves Beauchamp and Louis Fortin win 2013 Hommage awards from the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec for their outstanding contributions

MONTREAL, May 21, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - The Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec is pleased to announce the names of the four recipients of the 2013 Hommage awards in recognition of their outstanding contributions. The objective of these awards is to recognize exemplary displays of excellence and contributions to the engineering profession. The awards were presented in various categories at the OIQ's recent Gala de l'excellence, an annual event that was held recently in Montreal.

Recipient of the Hommage award for outstanding social commitment by an engineer: Charles Terreault, Eng.

Engineer Charles Terreault received the Hommage award for outstanding social commitment by an engineer. Terreault has worked for over 30 years at Bell Canada and also headed the JVR Cyr Chair in the Management of Technology at the École Polytechnique de Montréal. He has put his expertise to work for many organizations, especially as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Institute for Telecommunications Research and president of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Computer Research Institute of Montreal. As a citizen who cares about community needs, this engineer has also served his community by acting as Treasurer of Jovia, a non-profit organization that uses therapeutic clowns to help improve the quality of life of hospitalized individuals. Terrault's professional and para-professional activities show his interest in social issues and the importance he attributes to community service.

Recipient of the Hommage award for members in research or education: Yves Beauchamp, Eng.

Engineer Yves Beauchamp received the Hommage award for members in research or education in recognition of his contribution to training the next generation of quality engineers. In addition to earning a doctorate in industrial engineering with a specialization in industrial ergonomics, Beauchamp has worked at the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) since 1992, where he has successfully served as a professor, Director of the Mechanical Engineering Department, and Director of Education and Research. Since 2002, this engineer has held the office of Director General of the ÉTS. In the last ten years, he has managed to give new life to the institution, which can be seen in the rise in the number of degrees awarded annually, the creation of new programs at the three different degree levels, the development of ties with industry and the ÉTS' adoption of a policy on internationalizing its activities.

Recipient of the Hommage award for entrepreneurial members: Louis Fortin, Eng.

Engineer Louis Fortin received the Hommage award for entrepreneurial members. This recipient has a degree in geological engineering from the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and has worked as Project Manager of Les Constructions Pépin & Fortin, a construction company based in Victoriaville, since 1998. The firm, which carries out commercial, industrial, institutional and mining projects throughout Québec, was named Business of the Year in the Mauricie-Bois-Francs-Lanaudière-Centre-du-Québec region by the Association de la construction du Québec in 2012. Fortin has completed many different types of large-scale public building construction, renovation, expansion and improvement projects throughout Nunavik, the expansive territory located north of the 55th parallel in Québec's Far North. For that reason, schools, a daycare centre, a community centre and municipal garages in many of the villages along the coast of Hudson Bay and Ungava Bay (Inukjuak, Puvirnituq, Kangiqsujuaq, Whapmagoostui, etc.) all bear his mark.

Recipient of the Hommage award for an outstanding contribution by a non-engineer: Martin Carli

Martin Carli holds a doctorate in neurology from the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal and was presented the Hommage award for an outstanding contribution by a non-engineer in recognition of his achievements as a science popularizer. From 2002 to 2005, the recipient headed the Education and Events Department of the Montréal Science Centre, where he specifically designed and ran a robotics project with over 700 primary and secondary school students. Since then, he has become more and more present in the science media. He worked as a science reporter for TQS. Since 2006, he has penned articles for Les Débrouillards magazine. Since 2010, he has co-hosted the television program Génial !, a game show broadcast by Télé-Québec that has the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec as one of its official partners. Carli uses this platform to provide simple explanations of complicated scientific phenomena that affect our daily lives.

A photo of the recipients can be obtained upon request.

About the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec

Founded in 1920, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec has a membership of 60,000 engineering professionals in all fields, except forest engineering. The mission of the OIQ is to ensure the protection of the public by supervising the practice of the profession within the framework of its constituent laws and ensure that the profession serves the public interest. For more information, go to http://www.oiq.qc.ca.

SOURCE: ORDRE DES INGENIEURS DU QUEBEC

Patrick Leblanc
Communications Advisor
Communications and Public Affairs Department
Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec
514 845-6141 or 1 800 461-6141, extension 3253