AVENIR PERSONNALITÉ PAR EXCELLENCE
ALEXANDRE MAURICE
Though he's just 23, recent graduate Alexandre Maurice has already notched up a number of remarkable achievements. Before even finishing his degree (BEng, Mechanical Engineering) at Polytechnique, he'd made his mark at Procter & Gamble in Toronto and at L'Oréal in Paris. He also successfully organized a number of industrial missions to Europe. His thirst for hands-on experience is what prompted to take on these sizeable challenges -- undertakings that have also given him the skills to become an outstanding project manager. He firmly believes that, as a manager, he'll use his decision-making power to influence the sustainability of projects and thus become a better global citizen.

Besides his travels (some 20 countries to date), his experience in managing a multicultural workforce is unquestionably a valuable asset. Through a wide range of situations -- humanitarian work in Costa Rica (in Spanish), accompanying a student delegation to a UN political simulation in New York (in English), developing an innovative energy performance solution for L'Oréal's factories -- Alexandre has gained the assurance needed for responsible team leadership.

The future project manager learned the importance of intellectual integrity and transparency as an intern with Procter & Gamble, where he implemented a computer interface for the firm's 40,000 office workers, and with the Paris-based Air Liquide Santé International, where he helped draw up a new budget structure for the company's subsidiaries.

Throughout all of this, Alexandre somehow found the time to help develop the 2009 Poly-Russia industry-university mission, then lead the 2010 Poly-Monde mission to Denmark and Holland. Next year, he will chair the board of Poly-Monde.

AVENIR ENVIRONNEMENT
ESTEBAN V, THE SOLAR VEHICLE
Many dream of travelling the Australian Outback in search of adventure. For students at Polytechnique Montréal, this dream became a reality in fall 2009 -- albeit with a slight twist. Rather than cruising behind the wheel of a shiny convertible, they manned the controls of Esteban V, a hand-built vehicle powered entirely by the blazing sun, on a 575-km journey-cum-environmental-mission between Darwin and Adelaide.

It took 20 students from five engineering disciplines a full two years to develop the solar car Esteban V. Their goal? To enter the World Solar Challenge (WSC), one of the biggest competitions of its kind. Underpinning their work was the overwhelming conviction that engineering must be part of the solution for today's environmental issues.And conviction was surely needed, since designing and manufacturing a car weighing less than 220 kg and able to reach speeds of over 60 km/h on sunshine alone takes a fair bit of will and determination. Not only did its designers need to stay abreast of the most cutting-edge technologies, they also had to come up with brilliant ideas in areas ranging from aerodynamics to modelling, energy management, and beyond.

For the 2009 competition, the team set out to outstrip the vehicle's predecessor, Esteban IV, through various innovations. Concentrating the vehicle's central processor in the steering wheel would give the driver instant access to every control system. The area taken up by the solar cells was also reduced by two square metres, giving Esteban V entry rights to the WSC's most competitive category.

The team's hard work proves that energy efficiency can have a huge long-term impact on today's lifestyles. When they eventually enter the job market, these future engineers will be able to put their experience to good use, harnessing technological progress to benefit the environment.

As ambassadors of science and sustainability, the Esteban V team also took part in a number of activities aimed at explaining their ideas and demystifying alternative technologies to the general public.

Hosted by Gregory Charles, the gala event took place once again at Théâtre Granada in Sherbrooke. Polytechnique congratulates the Esteban V team and Alexandre Maurice, as well as all the finalists who proudly represented the institution at this, the 10th annual Forces AVENIR -- young people who, through their actions and imaginations, are making a difference.