Montréal - By offering virtual white roses to a person of your choice, you’re helping to cultivate the next generation of women in engineering. From November 30 to December 6, Polytechnique Montréal is inviting its entire community, past and present, as well as the general public, to pose this symbolic and inclusive gesture through the transactional site roseblanche.org.

The campaign takes its name from white roses that have become commemorative symbols of the tragic events of December 6, 1989. These blooms have also come to highlight the opening of science and engineering to women of all backgrounds, which leads to a more inclusive society, better able to face scientific and technological challenges. Since its inception in 2014, Week of the White Rose has raised over $100,000 - enabling thousands of young girls to attend science workshops and participate in Folie Technique summer science camp.

Thanks to Week of the White Rose, science outreach organization Folie Technique is able to host more young women from underserved backgrounds in its science and engineering outreach activities, to help develop their interest in these disciplines.

How to contribute

The purchase of virtual roses on the roseblanche.org website funds the following activities:

• 1 rose ($10): a lunch for a young girl during a week of day camp.
• 14 roses ($50): the purchase of materials for a science experiment for a "100% girls" group.
• 25 roses ($200): a girl's participation in Folie Technique's summer science camp.

Folie Technique celebrates its 30th anniversary

Born in 1991 of an initiative from Polytechnique Montreal’s engineering students, Folie Technique is considered one of Canada’s oldest science camps.

The organization aims to introduce all young people to the universe of science and engineering by stimulating their interest, and allowing them to discover their inherent abilities - regardless of their place of residence, socio-economic situation, or gender. It reaches over 20,000 young people annually, offering them various activities such as a summer science camp and numerous science workshops.

Girls who participate in these activities are encouraged to challenge stereotypes about women and science, and to increase their confidence in their ability to succeed in these fields.

Polytechnique Montréal: a driving force for women in engineering

While Québec and Canadian averages for female engineering graduates hover around 21%, Polytechnique reached an historic milestone in 2020 with 30.2% of its bachelors’ level engineering students being women (in 1989, women were only 17% of Polytechnique's student body).

This breakthrough is the result of the institution’s consistent efforts the over the past three decades to encourage the next generation of women in engineering. Folie Technique, and the support it receives from Week of the White Rose, are all a part of this effort.

The 30.2% milestone demonstrates through Polytechnique Montréal, that Engineers Canada's national goal of increasing the rate of newly licensed female engineers to 30% by 2030 is indeed achievable.

Statistics about the evolution of the number of female students at Polytechnique, as well as the list of initiatives implemented by Polytechnique can be consulted on the Women in Engineering page.

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OTHER COMMEMORATIVES ACTIVITIES

Order of the White Rose Scholarship

On Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 11:00 a.m., Polytechnique will hold the seventh annual Order of the White Rose Scholarship ceremony. The event is by invitation only, in person, in the main Polytechnique building. This scholarship recognizes an exceptional Canadian woman engineering student who chooses to pursue graduate studies and is awarded a $30,000 scholarship.

Laying of Rose Wreaths on Polytechnique’s Commemorative Plaque

On Monday, December 6, at 8:30 am, a wreath of white roses will be placed on the commemorative plaque that honours the victims of the December 6, 1989 attack, placed by Polytechnique students and staff. All members of the Polytechnique community (students, staff, alumni) and the general public are invited to be present at the memorial for a moment of contemplation, at any point during the day; note that physical distancing guidelines must be followed. The plaque is located outside, on the South-West wall of Polytechnique’s Main Building.

Light beams on Mont Royal

To keep alive the memory of the young women who died on December 6, 1989, 14 light beams will illuminate the sky above Mount Royal on December 6, 2021 at 5:10 p.m., the time the first shots were fired. Beams will be lit one at a time, every few seconds, as the names of the 14 victims are called. Due to the pandemic, there will be no gathering on Mount Royal this year. The public is nevertheless invited to observe a minute of silence as the beams are lit.  There will be live streaming of the occasion on Polytechnique's social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

40 women/40 weeks

The theme of "At Polytechnique Montréal, engineering is also female" is addressed in this series of video clips featuring 40 female professors and educational masters who are pursuing a career in the field of engineering. Series videos are available here: https://www.polymtl.ca/femmes-genie/40-femmes-40-semaines

White Ribbon distribution

From November 30 to December 6, 2021, white ribbons will be distributed at the main entrances of Polytechnique Montréal buildings.

Association étudiante de Polytechnique Photo exhibition

As a tribute to the 14 victims of December 6, 1989, Association étudiante de Polytechnique and the PolyPhoto student committee, in collaboration with the Polytechnique Services de reprographie, are presenting a photo exhibit in the tunnel linking the main and Lassonde buildings, starting November 30. Fourteen women members of the Polytechnique Montreal community pay tribute to the 14 women whose lives were taken that tragic day. Next to each portrait, one can learn more about the woman whose name is written on the picture by reading a short biography. This exhibition, which was presented for the first time in 2019 during the 30th anniversary of the feminicide, was motivated by the desire to make these 14 exceptional young women known.

About Polytechnique Montréal

Established in 1873, Polytechnique Montréal is one of Canada’s largest engineering education and research universities, and is located on the Université de Montréal campus - North America’s largest Francophone university campus. With over 55,000 graduates and over 120 academic programs, Polytechnique has trained 22% of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ)’s current membership. Polytechnique Montréal is also distinguished by its 294 talented professors, more than 9,930 students, and overall annual budget of $275 million, and close to $105 million is reserved exclusively for research.

About Folie Technique

Folie Technique is a non-profit organization created in 1991 by engineering students from Polytechnique Montréal. It offers young people the opportunity to explore the world of science, math, engineering and technology through creative, interactive and accessible activities. Each year, Folie Technique activities reach more than 20,000 young people aged 7 to 17.


MEDIA CONTACTS AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS

December 6 and Week of the White Rose

Annie Touchette
514 231-8133
annie.touchette@polymtl.ca

Order of the White Rose Scholarship

Marie-José Bégin
514 994-0802
marie-jose.begin@polymtl.ca

DOCUMENTATION

Clip (in French only): Témoignage d’une enseignante au sujet de la Semaine de la rose blanche
Clip (in French only): Merci des jeunes campeuses de Folie Technique
Week of the White Rose website: https://roseblanche.org/en
Women and Engineering website: https://www.polymtl.ca/femmes-genie/en/
Folie Technique website (in French only): http://folietechnique.com/
December 6 website: https://www.polymtl.ca/december6/