Karine Lavertu

Committed to Using Engineering to Protect the Environment and Promote Social Progress

Whoever said you’ve got to sacrifice the environment for the sake of social progress? Certainly not Karine Lavertu, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering at the Université de Sherbrooke who asserts that, on the contrary, the two go hand in hand. “Because of the type of work they do and their technological choices, engineers have a strong influence on the development of our society. They have the power, and it is their duty, to become instigators of change and to exert influence and this is what I strive to do,” she begins by saying.

And it was to support this statement that she helped set up the Génie-Vert group, an organization she has presided over several times. In addition to raising awareness among future engineers of the environment and sustainable development, she took part in numerous projects, including the decontamination of Petit lac Saint-François, severely polluted with Cyanobacteria. Karine also played an important role in the Harmattan project, to design a wind turbine to supply electricity to rural Madagascar, a country she will soon be heading to in order to provide the technological expertise needed to set up other wind turbines.

“This project is a fine example of how engineering can benefit the environment and social progress. Moreover, in the context of globalization, a more reflective approach to engineering and the development of environmental technologies has great potential for innovation for Québec society,” she asserts with much enthusiasm.

Seeking to expand her area of intervention as much as possible, Karine also put her engineering know-how at the disposal of the Estudiantine housing cooperative. Her critical and analytical mind and her ability to influence others and rally them to her cause have contributed greatly to the ecological aspects of the building that will house the new student residences. The housing estate will be endowed with parks, and its water, energy and residual waste will be efficiently managed. Moreover, thanks to Karine’s participation in the project, the residences will be certified Novo-Climat.

“Karine’s work has saved us long and no doubt futile hours of debate. What sets her approach apart is that, instead of making demands, she works hard and perseveres,” points out Jacques Côté, executive director of Estudiantine.

Thanks to her leadership skills, she was also elected president of the Groupement des gradués de génie (G3). As well as helping to relaunch the G3’s initiatives after a few years of inactivity, Karine contributed to the creation of two scholarships aimed at promoting research.

“Karine is recognized by her peers, as well as by the university administration, as an influential person in terms of sustainable development on campus. Her will to work in concert with others and the ease with which she interacts with and rallies people to her cause have enabled her to become an instigator of change in our society,” asserts Maryève Charland Lallier, Québec coordinator of Sustainable Campuses.

“Saint-Exupéry wrote: “To be a man is to be responsible. It is to feel, when setting one’s stone, that one is contributing to the building of the world.” This is why I believe that by taking simple yet concrete action, you can start a chain reaction that has a real impact on our society,” Karine says in conclusion.

Karine Lavertu