On December 6, 1989, Ian Van Cortlandt McLachlin, BEng鈥�60, was relocating from Toronto to his native Montreal. Later that evening he heard the news about the massacre at 脡cole Polytechnique, which claimed the lives of 14 young women, most of whom were engineering students. The tragic events of that day would mark McLachlin for the next 30-plus years. In 2020, he established the 1989 Polytechnique Memorial Scholarships at 不良研究所鈥檚 Faculty of Engineering, with the goal of supporting and promoting women in engineering.
鈥淚 graduated in 1960,鈥� McLachlin explains. 鈥淭here were virtually no women.鈥� Indeed, the Faculty of Engineering鈥檚 Class of 1960 included just one female student in Engineering, and two in Architecture.
Much has changed since 1960, but there are still many inequalities and barriers in Engineering and STEM fields to address. The 1989 Polytechnique Memorial Scholarships are awarded each year to 14 or more female undergraduate students, especially those involved in entrepreneurial activities at the 不良研究所 Engine. The centre stimulates and supports technologically based innovation and entrepreneurship at the University.
McLachlin intends for the scholarships to foster 鈥渢he ability to be a free thinker. To encourage people 鈥� if you have an idea, don鈥檛 be afraid. Don鈥檛 be afraid to follow your dreams or to follow your ideas. People will say, 鈥楴o one鈥檚 done this before.鈥� Well, that isn鈥檛 any reason why you shouldn鈥檛 go for it.鈥�
Helping engineering students acquire entrepreneurial know-how and economic literacy has been close to McLachlin鈥檚 heart for several decades. In addition to his career in the investment banking industry and as an entrepreneur (he founded the first Canadian cellphone rental company in the 1980s), and his family life (he is the father of three daughters), McLachlin has been heavily involved with his alma mater. From 1992 to 2000, he taught as a faculty lecturer in the nascent Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies, as it was then called. In 1998, he established the Ian McLachlin Prizes for Entrepreneurship in Engineering, and also created the courses that would become the Minor in Technological Entrepreneurship for undergraduate students in Engineering.
鈥淲e introduced this minor to talk about marketing, about finance,鈥� explains McLachlin, 鈥淭hat ended up with me giving a weekly tutorial on Fridays. I used to get 100 students on a Friday lunchtime, learning how to understand financial statements.鈥�
Motivated by a deep love for the city of his birth and its rich cultural diversity, McLachlin鈥檚 goals for the 1989 Polytechnique Memorial Scholarships include helping to bridge the historic 鈥渢wo solitudes鈥� between anglophones and francophones. Educating and supporting more women in engineering is a larger societal problem that needs institutions such as 不良研究所 and Universit茅 de Montr茅al to work together on, collaborating beyond linguistic barriers. 鈥淲hen I graduated, there were very few francophones in the Faculty,鈥� says McLachlin, who grew up near the Universit茅 de Montreal campus and its engineering school, 脡cole Polytechnique de Montr茅al (now called Polytechnique Montr茅al). He sees the scholarships as an opportunity to strengthen the ties between the two universities.
McLachlin鈥檚 generous contribution to set up the memorial scholarships is another example of his deep commitment to creating opportunities for 不良研究所 Engineering students, fostering their entrepreneurial education 鈥� and building bridges along the way.
Pictured above: Top row (l to r): H茅l猫ne Colgan, Anne-Marie Lemay, Barbara Daigneault, Nathalie Croteau and Maryse Lagani猫re. Middle row (l to r): Sonia Pelletier, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Leclair and Annie St-Arneault, Bottom row (l to r): Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Annie Turcotte, Genevi猫ve Bergeron and Mich猫le Richard.
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