This text is part of the special notebook 150 years of Polytechnique Montréal
Still in school or recently graduated, Polytechnique Montréal students develop their skills through their university careers, but also through experiences offered by the university. Portrait of six of them with a unique background.
Léo Lamy-Laliberté: combining finance and environment
In addition to his master’s studies in industrial engineering, Léo Lamy-Laliberté has a sense of business and the environment. Two years ago, he joined PolyFinances, an organization of which he served as president in 2022, before passing the torch to become secretary of the board of directors. The student group offers finance courses to engineers, tackling a different theme each year. “Last year it was innovation and venture capital. We looked at the Quebec ecosystem,” he explains.
This project took him to Japan where, with other students, he compared the ways of doing things in the Land of the Rising Sun with those of Quebec in order to bring innovative initiatives here.
The master’s student is also interested in the decarbonization of the industrial sector. Thus, he joined the Propolys cohort, specializing in green technologies, by starting his own company, Local Energy Solutions. “Companies in this sector consume a lot of energy,” underlines Mr. Lamy-Laliberté.
Its platform therefore offers industries the opportunity to sell or buy energy from their neighbors. A method that allows them to reduce their bill and their carbon footprint simultaneously. “Ultimately, they will use a lot less energy. And it’s good for the ecological transition, he argues. Genius is not just pure science. We also have the opportunity to participate in major social projects and have an impact.”
Victoria-Mae Carrière: artificial intelligence at the service of art
Even though she is still studying for a bachelor’s degree in software engineering, Victoria-Mae Carrière has already set up her own business.
His skills acquired in his studies allow him to adopt an interdisciplinary approach in solving technology-related challenges. The young woman chose this field to be able to contribute to innovation. “We can think of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and the impact they can have on our society,” she illustrates.
Thus, she joined the Propolys incubator by setting up AyudART, a company specializing in artificial intelligence in order to support visual artists in their process while fully respecting their creativity. “In art, anchoring consists of going over the lines preliminary sketches in order to make the drawing impeccable. It can take more than half the creation time,” she points out. Using a software assistant, illustrators will be able to have an easier time at this stage and concentrate on the creative aspects of their tasks.
Mme Carrière wants to build bridges between art and artificial intelligence. “We see a lot of software generating works in a few seconds. Many feel threatened,” she observes. It was from this observation that he came up with the idea of his company, which puts technologies at the service of artists without seeking to replace them.
The young woman is herself a manga artist and last year won second place at the 2022 Manga Exchange at O-Taku bookstores for her work. Our masks. She continues her artistic projects alongside her studies and the development of her business.
Pierre-Frédérick Denys: giving back
After obtaining a doctorate in computer engineering this year, Pierre-Frédérick Denys is investing in the next generation of students by coordinating the operations of Polyfab, a creation and entrepreneurship space at Polytechnique Montréal.
The one who arrived from France five years ago did his higher education at Polytechnique Montréal, specializing in distributed systems. “They are used for very large scientific calculations, like at Google and Amazon,” he explains. The graduate chose the metropolitan institution because of the research center developed in his field.
Since obtaining his doctorate, Mr. Denys has supported the next generation on various committees. “I take care of the workshops. I assist students in their plans, whether as part of their studies, personal projects or for entrepreneurship,” he summarizes.
He helps them in particular in the Réparons-Poly project, which offers learning workshops in computer and telephone repair to students at Polytechnique Montréal.
Mr. Denys is also involved in Biciklo, a community bicycle repair workshop. “It is essential for the university to offer the best possible services for its students. And, for future engineers, being able to practice manual work is important,” he believes.
Katherine Zamudio-Turcotte: nanosatellites in space
A master’s student in electrical engineering since September, Katherine Zamudio-Turcotte is passionate about aerospace.
She is notably part of the technical company PolyOrbite. This club founded in 2012 specializes in the creation of nanosatellites and rovers. ” Those are the rovers which go to Mars and other planets,” she explains. As part of this project, she and her colleagues want to design a nanosatellite that could be launched by the Canadian Space Agency.
“And for rovers, we enter competitions that take place in the desert, because that reflects the conditions on Mars and the Moon,” she adds. Mme Zamudio-Turcotte specifies that these robots can be useful in missions where humans are already on the Moon or Mars, in order to help them in their daily tasks.
Alongside her master’s degree, the young woman holds a position within the MDA company. “I am currently working in the team that is manufacturing the next Canadian arm that will be in orbit around the Moon,” she explains. A job that fascinates her. ” It is the best job that I’ve ever had! » she exclaims.
Could she possibly see herself working for NASA? At this, Mme Zamudio-Turcotte replies that she prefers to stay in Canada. “We have satellite projects for climate change, we participated in the James Webb telescope. We are still very well placed to take part in many international initiatives. »
Jean-Yves Ouattara: a cybersecurity ace
Arriving in Quebec in 2018 from France, Jean-Yves Ouattara completed his master’s degree in computer engineering at Polytechnique Montréal in 2021. He is today a research assistant in cybersecurity at the university establishment.
As part of his work with three professors, he is particularly interested in infrastructure security. in aviation and maritime transport, as well as in banking. “I am coordinator of a new project on the insider threat. The objective is to find solutions that will protect institutions from the errors that can be made and which would create a risk for the company,” he explains.
His research also looks at the danger posed by employees who deliberately want to cause damage. In the field of transport, Mr. Ouattara is interested in the security issues that threaten communications with the evolution of technologies.
The graduate is also involved in the technical company PolyHx, bringing together computer and software engineering enthusiasts, particularly to plan hackathons. “These are gatherings of students with the aim of testing an idea, producing a prototype and presenting it in one weekend,” he explains. It mainly focuses on PolyCyber, PolyHx’s cybersecurity subsidiary. There, Polytechnique Montréal organizes various competitions and workshops for students. “We create vocations by showing them what cybersecurity is. »
Anouar Boumeftah: achieving success in the four corners of the world
There are no borders for Anouar Boumeftah. The undergraduate student in electrical engineering has already completed two international exchanges since arriving in Quebec about five years ago.
The one who divides his time between Tunisia and France first completed an exchange at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland in 2022. He then returned to France this year as part of an exchange with CentraleSupélec in Paris. These experiences allowed him to perfect his knowledge and develop an international professional network.
It is also for the possibility of doing exchanges abroad that Mr. Boumeftah chose to study at Polytechnique Montréal. “For five years, I have been to around ten countries,” he assesses.
This summer, he also landed an internship at the European Space Agency in Germany. It was his teacher, astronaut Claude Nicollier, who encouraged him. “He was the first Swiss in space and I came across his class by chance,” he rejoices. My goal there was to work with astronauts to develop technologies that will be used in future space exploration missions. »
After his studies, Mr. Boumeftah wishes to work in aerospace or the biomedical industry. “I have very interesting opportunities all over the world. »
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