(Photographs: Caroline Perron)

A century and half to the day after the founding of the École des sciences appliquées aux arts et à l’industrie, students, faculty and staff, graduates and retirees, along with representatives of academia and government, took part in the ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of Polytechnique Montréal in the Lorne M. Trottier Atrium of the Lassonde Buildings.

COMMUNITY EVENT: CELEBRATING THE PAST

At a community event moderated by Stephan Bureau and held in the morning, several members of the extended Polytechnique community gathered for a conversation about our university and engineering and their impacts on society across three time periods: past, present and future.

Pierre Lassonde, who graduated with a BSc in electrical engineering (Po 71) and is now Chair of the Polytechnique Montréal Board of Directors, emphasized the importance of Polytechnique’s role in society, pointing to the shared good fortune of the people who make up its extended community.
 
Professor Emeritus André Bazergui, BSc, mechanical engineering (Po 63) and Director General (CEO) of Polytechnique from 1990 to 1998, Menelika Bekolo, MSc, industrial engineering (2013), Professor Yves Comeau, BSc, civil engineering (Po 80), and Céline Lemire, a retired employee, talked about the evolution of Polytechnique Montréal, commenting on pivotal moments in its history that were displayed on a timeline.



Joining moderator Stephan Bureau, Benoit Breault, BSc, computer engineering (Po 99), Harout Chitilian, BSc, computer engineering (Po 2004), Suzanne Demeules, BSc, civil engineering (Po 92) and DESS in transportation (1994), and Marc St-Hilaire, BSc, mechanical engineering (Po 95), shared their experiences in leading-edge industry segments.
 

SHARING in the PRESENT

The second part of the community event celebrating the 150th birthday of Polytechnique was dedicated to the sharing of knowledge, skills and ideas.
 

Full Professor Frédéric Leblond, BSc, engineering physics (Po 96), and Full Professor Samuel Kadoury, PhD, biomedical engineering (2008), discussed advances in biomedical research and the impact of collaboration in clinical settings, in the process providing examples of solutions to societal challenges developed at Polytechnique.
 
Loïc Goyette, an undergraduate student in mechanical engineering and President of the Association étudiante de Polytechnique (AEP) noted that 2023 also marks the 60th anniversary of this association representing engineering students, while Camille Pillot, a master’s graduate (2022) and PhD candidate in biomedical engineering, who is President of the Association étudiante des cycles supérieurs de Polytechnique (AECSP), talked about the diversity of the research work being done by graduate students. 
 
Jad Albasha, BSc (Po 2023), currently studying toward a master’s in civil engineering, mentor and head of tutoring at the Service aux étudiants de Polytechnique, and head of development on the Poly-FI Committee, along with Imann Mariekelly Bonkoungou, an undergraduate in industrial engineering and Vice President, Communications, of the Poly-international Committee, and Justine Ouellette, an undergraduate in software engineering and a facilitator for the Folie Technique science day camp, talked about the impact of community and social engagement when studying at Polytechnique.
 
Foutse Khomh, Full Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering and Software Engineering, and Pooneh Maghoul, Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering, cast an eye on the future of research and innovation in fields such as artificial intelligence and space exploration, emphasizing the importance of tackling challenges in a manner that is ethical and responsible toward society and the environment.
 
Benedict Besner, a technician with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Julie Doré, Academic Management Coordinator in the Department of Computer Engineering and Software Engineering, Annick Jean, Administrative Technician, Human Resources, and Tony Pileggi, who is an audiovisual and multimedia technician in the IT department, talked about their sense of belonging, their engagement and their pride in being Polytechnique Montréal staff members.
 

ENGAGING FOR THE FUTURE

During the last segment of the community component of our celebrations, our President Maud Cohen spoke of her pride in being part of the Polytechnique Montréal community, which since 1873 has built its reputation on its mission to train highly qualified engineers, explore new frontiers of science and innovation, and help shape society toward its highest potential.
 
Pierre Lassonde, Chair of the Board of Directors, and Maud Cohen, President of Polytechnique Montréal, cut a ceremonial birthday cake to conclude the community event.
 
Attendees at the ceremony enjoyed mini cakes specially prepared for the 150th anniversary of Polytechnique.
 
The community component of the ceremonies featured music by Montréal electro-lounge duo Ürbeat.
 
Québec rapper Fredz and his group delivered a spirited live set to close out the community event at the celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of our engineering university.
 
 

TRIBUTES AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Polytechnique Montréal’s 150th anniversary celebrations continued in the afternoon with a formal ceremony in the Lorne M. Trottier Atrium.
 

Following an address by Chair of the Board Pierre Lassonde, Loïc Goyette, President of the AEP, and Camille Pillot, President of the AECSP, took turns reciting a speech that had been given by Urgel-Eugène Archambault, the founder of our institution, at the close of the first year of Polytechnique activities in June 1875, along with an updated speech for the year 2023 on behalf of emerging engineers.
 
Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Borough Mayor Gracia Kasoki Katahwa hailed the contributions made by Polytechnique engineering graduates to the City of Montréal and noted the city’s participation in the activities of two research chairs.

Ghislain Picard, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Québec-Labrador, reminded everyone that higher-education institutions have a role to play in redressing historical injustices, as well as in embracing and sharing Indigenous knowledge.

Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Government of Canada, Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Government of Québec, and Pascale Déry, Minister of Higher Education, Government of Québec, in turn acknowledged the impact of Polytechnique Montréal in terms of its teaching and research activities as well as the contributions of graduates to society, both at home and around the world.
 
Polytechnique took advantage of this anniversary date to announce that it is launching a bold philanthropic campaign with the aim of raising $150 million by 2028. Ms. Cohen described it as “a campaign that will propel our university into the future and transform the jewel that is Polytechnique,” before outlining its three primary goals: address the major challenges of society, constantly moving forward to develop sustainable and resilient solutions for the good of the planet and humankind; train responsible, committed citizen engineers, leveraging the latest teaching practices and the student experience in order to even better equip them to build a improved world; and make the Polytechnique campus a place where life is good, an ever-vibrant place for collaboration and interaction where its community can envision what the future will bring. In conclusion, Ms. Cohen emphasized that the Polytechnique community will continue to uphold the commitment to progress that has driven it for the past 150 years and meet the challenges of our changing world.
 

The formal ceremony ended with the broadcast of a message from Premier François Legault, who emphasized the contributions of Polytechnique and its graduates to Québec’s evolution and reputation.
 

Pierre Lassonde, Chair of the Board of Directors, Polytechnique Montréal; Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, Borough Mayor, Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce; Ghislain Picard, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Québec-Labrador; Maud Cohen, President, Polytechnique Montréal; Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Government of Canada; Pascale Déry, Minister of Higher Education, Government of Québec; Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Government of Québec; Federico Pasin, Director, HEC Montréal; and Daniel Jutras, Rector, Université de Montréal, posed for an official photo at the end of the formal ceremony.
 
Gilles Savard, acting President and interim President, Polytechnique Montréal, from 2021 to 2022; Christophe Guy, President  from 2007 to 2017; Pierre Lassonde, Chair of the Board of Directors; André Bazergui, Director General (CEO) from 1990 to 1998, Maud Cohen, President; Louis Courville, interim Director General from 1989 to 1990; Roland Doré, Director General from 1982 to 1989; and Réjean Plamondon, Director General from 1998 to 2002, also got together for a photo.
 

LEARN MORE

Visit the website dedicated to Polytechnique Montréal's 150th anniversary to view major achievements, video testimonials from members of our extended community, a timeline of our institution’s history, a special edition of POLY MAG magazine and special episodes of the Histoires de génie podcast, among other content.