| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 74.30 |
| Liaison | Joséanne Bélanger-Gravel |
| Submission Date | Sept. 2, 2022 |
Polytechnique Montréal
PRE-2: Points of Distinction
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Joséanne
Bélanger-Gravel Sustainability Advisor Sustainable Development Office |
Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
10 years ahead of Engineers Canada's goal of “30 in 30”, Polytechnique Montréal has just passed an important milestone - for the first time in its history, 30.2% of undergraduate engineering graduates were women in 2020.
For over 20 years, Polytechnique has multiplied awareness-raising initiatives in collaboration with stakeholders in the field, governments, and generous donors (companies, foundations, alumni, and friends of Polytechnique). These initiatives translate into science awareness-raising activities in classrooms, as well as science camps, mentoring programs, contests, workshops, lectures, scholarships, and profiles that highlight inspiring women role models actively pursuing STEM careers.
There are numerous elements to the achievement of this objective, including but not limited to an increase in the hiring of female professors, the creation of new programs (such as the bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering), and the increasingly widespread adoption across all programs of a sustainable engineering approach - a approach which resonates with women, where they feel they'll be able to acquire key skills to meet modern challenges.
Polytechnique Montréal is part of a network of 51 organizations and institutions that support Engineers Canada's "30 in 30" goal.
Together, these Canadian engineering stakeholders are committed to investing in the creation and maintenance of programs and partnerships that lead to an improved experience for women in engineering, sharing and applying best practices, collecting data on the quantity of women in engineering in their fields, and implementing policies to increase the participation and retention of women engineers.
See the full article:
https://www.polymtl.ca/carrefour-actualite/en/news/polytechnique-montreal-where-302-graduates-are-women
Testimonials:
https://www.polymtl.ca/femmes-genie/en/30percent
Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Name of a second highlighted sustainability program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Polytechnique Montréal participates and finances the creation and support of various MOOCs related to sustainability themes. As of today, the MOOCs reached over 23 000 participants:
Since 2016 - MOOC L'ingénieur, sources de solutions durables (Engineers, Source of Sustainable Solutions), 13 editions, over 12 000 participants, and now being updated for 2023.
Since 2018 - MOOC Ingénieurs Canada – L'ingénierie durable / Engineers Canada – Sustainability in Practice, 8 editions, over 10 000 participants, and now being updated for 2023.
Since 2021 - MOOC Introduction à l'analyse du cycle de vie - De la pensée à la pratique (Introduction to Life Cycle Analysis: from Thought to Practice).
MOOCs are a non-traditional way of learning. This type of online learning and training can be very useful to reach students that can not have access to higher education otherwise (costs, physical limitations, etc.) and can complement traditional university learning. Polytechnique Montréal's MOOCs offer training for students from all universities as well as continuing education for engineers, mostly targeting the Francophonie. Furthermore, several video capsules and references are made available to Polytechnique students and faculty. The Sustainable Development Office also uses these as a resource in its various interventions.
Polytechnique is a proactive actor in facilitating the integration of sustainability in engineering across Canada and abroad.
Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Public Engagement
Diversity & Affordability
Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Name of a third highlighted program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
Polytechnique Montréal's Institutional Research Plan presents our institution's strategic orientations and actionable priorities in terms of research to our external collaborators.
In order to meet the global Sustainable Development Goals and the 14 major engineering challenges set out by the National Academy of Engineering (2008), both of which endeavour to have a significant impact on our society, Polytechnique has structured all research activities around eight spheres of excellence, grouped into three categories. These areas are associated with each other and describe areas of research in which Polytechnique has a critical mass of researchers.
The i) Energy, Water, and Resources in a Transitional World, ii) Human Health, iii) Future Industries and Digital Society, iv) Sustainable Transport and Infrastructures spheres of excellence are related to societal challenges Polytechnique wishes to contribute to.
Next, there are three critical technological spheres, i) Modeling and Artificial Intelligence, ii) Innovative Materials, iii) New Frontiers in Information and Communication Technologies - each of which represents cross-cutting research themes which appear in many of Polytechnique’s research activities.
At the very heart of the eight spheres of excellence is the Environment, Economy, and Society thematic, which relates to the assessment, management, and consideration of environmental, economic, and societal impacts of activities; Polytechnique wants to see this sphere influencing all the other spheres.
Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Coordination & Planning
Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.