The highest distinction of the OIQ - Engineer Brahim Benmokrane receives the 2016 Grand Prix d'excellence from the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec

MONTREAL, April 19, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Brahim Benmokrane, Full Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Université de Sherbrooke, has won the 2016 Grand Prix d'excellence, the highest distinction given by the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (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.

Mr. Benmokrane's research projects have made it possible to design innovative ways of using fibreglass and carbon fibre composite materials rather than classical steel rods to reinforce concrete. He has developed the largest research laboratory in the world for fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) reinforcements. These projects have tangible impacts, such as a considerable decrease in the deterioration of infrastructures and associated maintenance expenses.

Graduating in civil engineering from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland), Mr. Benmokrane completed his master's degree and doctorate at the Université de Sherbrooke. Since 2000, Mr. Benmokrane has held the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada's (NSERC) Canada Research Chair in Innovative FRP Reinforcement for Concrete Infrastructure. Since 2009, he has also held a Tier-1 Canada Research Chair in Advanced Composite Materials Used for Civil Engineering Structures. In 2010, he became scientific director of the Research Centre on Concrete Infrastructure (CRIB).

Mr. Benmokrane is considered a world leader in his field of research by both his peers and the industry. His achievements have also earned him many awards and distinctions. A member of the Royal Society of Canada since 2013, he was awarded the Medal of Merit of the CSA Group (2012) and the Synergy Award for Innovation of the NSERC (2010). In 2015, the Fondation Club Avenir – which encourages the integration of Algerians who have made Canada their home – awarded him its Outstanding Personality Award.

Through its policy on rewarding professional excellence, the OIQ seeks to recognize the achievements of engineers whose careers offer an example of how the values of the profession can be fulfilled: competence, responsibility, ethics, and social commitment. The recipient of this prize is also chosen on the basis of his or her leadership, know-how and self-management skills.

About the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec
Founded in 1920, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec has a membership of some 62,000 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.

APPENDIX

RECIPIENTS OF THE GRAND PRIX D'EXCELLENCE
The highest distinction awarded by the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec

Year	Recipient	Title (when the file was submitted)
1991	Mr. Camille A. Dagenais, Eng.	Former President, SNC Group
1992	Mr. Roger Nicolet, Eng.	President, Nicolet Chartrand Knoll
1993	Mr. Roland Doré, Eng.	President, Canadian Space Agency
1994	Mr. Roger Blais, Eng.	Professor Emeritus, École Polytechnique
1995	Ms. Michèle Thibodeau DeGuire, Eng.	CEO, Centraide
1996	Mr. Guy Saint-Pierre, Eng.	President, SNC-Lavalin
1997	Mr. Claude Chamberland, Eng.	Executive Vice President, Alcan
1998	Mr. Jean-Guy Paquet, Eng.	CEO, National Optics Institute
1999 Tie	Mr. Frank A. Dottori, Eng. ------------------------ Ms. Danielle W. Zaïkoff, Eng.	President, Tembec ----------------- Expert Engineer, Hydro-Québec
2000	Mr. Jean-Guy René, Eng.	CEO (Peru) Hydro-Québec International
2001	Mr. Fassi Kafyeke, Eng.	Department Manager  Advanced Aerodynamics Department, Bombardier Aerospace
2002	Mr. Élie Saheb, Eng.	CEO, James Bay Energy Corporation
2003	Mr. René Dufour, Eng.	Chair of the Board, Niocan inc.
2004	Mr. Pierre Bouchard, Eng.	President, STAS-UNIGEC
2005	Mr. André Harvey, Eng.	Former President, Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE)
2006	Mr. Bernard Lamarre, Eng.	Consultant, SNC-Lavalin
2007	Mr. Martin Roy, Eng.	President, Martin Roy and Associates
2008	Mr. Pierre Desjardins, Eng.	President, Les produits N.C. ltée
2009	Mr. André Bazergui, Eng.	CEO of CRIAQ Professor Emeritus, École Polytechnique
2010	Mr. Wilfrid Morin, Eng.	President and CEO of Teknika HBA
2011	Mr. Robert Louis Papineau, Eng.	CEO of École Polytechnique de Montréal
2012	Mr. Serge Gendron, Eng.	President, AGF Steel
2013	Mr. Pierre-Claude Aïtcin, Eng.	Professor Emeritus Université de Sherbrooke
2014	Mr. A. Karel Velan, Eng.	Founder of Velan Engineering Ltd.
2015	Ms. Micheline Bouchard, Eng.	Corporate Director
2016	Mr. Brahim Benmokrane, Eng.	Full Professor Université de Sherbrooke

 

SOURCE Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec

Source: Patrick Leblanc, Communications Advisor, Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, Tel.: [phone] or 1 800 461-6141, extension 3108