Supporting the ambitions of women in engineering and inspiring them to build the future

About the scholarship

The Claudette-MacKay-Lassonde Excellence Scholarship, part of the Order of the White Rose Scholarship program, is a Canada-wide $25,000 scholarship awarded annually. It supports female undergraduate students in engineering whose engagement paves the way for the next generation.

Created thanks to a generous donation from the Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation (CEMF), this scholarship is named in memory of CEMF founder Claudette MacKay-Lassonde and embodies the values of leadership, academic excellence and community engagement championed by the CEMF for more than 30 years.

Its purpose is to help young women in engineering achieve their ambitions and to make a difference by providing financial support for outstanding students who are engaged in the community.

The Claudette-MacKay-Lassonde Excellence Scholarship is awarded every year in August during the Folie Technique summer camp, which introduces children to science and engineering.

Applicants for the Claudette-MacKay-Lassonde Excellence Scholarship must meet the following criteria:*

• Identify as a woman;
• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
• Have completed a minimum of 3 sessions and a maximum of 5 sessions in an engineering program at a Canadian university (excluding the summer term);
• Demonstrate leadership in community involvement (that is, contribute meaningfully to advancing a project, a team, or one’s environment by taking initiative and mobilizing the people involved around a common goal. This may mean launching a program, a project, or an organization, supporting an important change, or helping others grow and get involved—it means taking action to have a concrete and recognized positive impact.);
• The recipient must agree to return to her high school—or another if hers is too far away—to share her story.

* Priority will be given to students who have not received substantial financial support before or during their higher education.

The application form will be available from April 2 through April 22, 2026. The application (in English or French) must be completed online on the Good Grants.

It should include the following:

1. A description of volunteer leadership experiences;
2. Scholarships, awards and distinctions received;
3. Description of recent employment;
4. Answers to these questions:
   1. What made you choose engineering and how have your leadership roles contributed to achieving your career goals and the impact you want to have in society? (250 words)
   2. Describe the leadership role in which you feel you have made the greatest difference. Why did you get involved and what tangible impact did your involvement have on your community or on others? (250 words)
   3. Describe a difficulty or setback you have encountered. How did you overcome it, and how has this experience shaped your leadership skills? (250 words)
5. A letter of recommendation from a person in authority who can attest to your involvement and achievements as a volunteer;
6. Unofficial copies of all your transcripts, including details of your university or faculty's grading system;
7. Proof of status in Canada (as an attachment)
    

• April 2, 2026: Opening of the scholarship competition
• April 22, 2026: Deadline for receipt of applications
• June 30, 2026: Announcement of recipient
• TBC (Week of August 10 or August 17, 2026): Award ceremony in person in Montreal

The Claudette-MacKay-Lassonde Excellence Scholarship recognizes a student who demonstrates leadership, academic excellence and significant community engagement.

The following factors will be considered:

• Demonstrated leadership;
• Duration and frequency of social and community engagement;
• Impact and range of involvement;
• Academic record.

Contact us

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the scholarship or would like to discuss ways of supporting this initiative:

• E-mail: orderwhiterose@polymtl.ca
• Phone: 514 340-5959

Polytechnique Montréal is proud to award the Claudette-MacKay-Lassonde Excellence Scholarship and to perpetuate this extraordinary legacy in support of women in engineering.

Support the Claudette-MacKay-Lassonde Excellence Scholarship

By donating to this scholarship, you are helping to support the next generation of women engineers. Your generosity will help encourage remarkable women to pursue their engineering dreams and build a better world.

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Honouring Claudette MacKay-Lassonde

Claudette MacKay-Lassonde was a visionary and a pioneer in engineering. After earning a degree in chemical engineering from Polytechnique Montréal in 1971, she went on to study nuclear engineering at the University of Utah and business administration at the University of Toronto, becoming a trailblazer for diversity in engineering in Canada.

In 1990, following the tragedy at Polytechnique Montréal, Claudette founded the Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation (CEMF) to honour the memory of the 14 murdered women. Although the foundation has now ceased its activities, its impact continues thanks to a generous $300,000 donation to Polytechnique Montréal to establish the Claudette-MacKay-Lassonde Excellence Scholarship, in tribute to the CEMF’s founder.