MONTREAL/October 7, 2004—
http://www.forcesavenir.qc.ca/
http://publicaffairs.concordia.ca
MONTREAL/October 7, 2004 ñ Concordia University is proud to announce that several of its exemplary students have been awarded the Prix d'excellence in the Project category by Forces AVENIR at its 2004 awards gala, held last night at the ThÈ‚tre Granada in Sherbrooke. The recognition comes with a $15,000 award.
The Concordia chapter of Engineers Without Borders, together with its sister chapters at McGill and the Ecole Polytechnique, won the Prix d'excellence in the Project category for their Water for the World initiative. The project involved engaging high school students with innovative classroom presentations on water issues on both a local and global scale, and featured an interactive competition among the high school students to design their own simplified water filters for application in developing countries. The project reached over 30 classes with hundreds of students, and discussions are under way with the English Montreal School Board to continue the project as part of its curriculum.
Melissa Garcia-Lamarca, was a finalist in the PersonalitÈ AVENIR - Graduates category. She recently completed her graduate studies in economic and community development at Concordia before being retained as the university's first Sustainability Coordinator. Born and raised in Montreal, she holds a BA in geography and economics with a minor in international development studies from McGill University. Melissa's commitment to the environment and fluency in English, French and Spanish have taken her to projects in such diverse locations as San Francisco, Australia and Argentina. Her impact at Concordia has been profound, having co-authored the extensive Sustainability Report, which is now being used as a model for other Canadian universities.
ìWe are exceedingly proud of our students and the commitment with which they continue to contribute to the university community and to the world at large,î proclaimed Dr. Frederick Lowy, President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University. ìThey are a true credit to their university, and demonstrate a wonderful application of our motto: ëreal education for the real world'.î
Forces Avenir is a non-profit organization, made up of numerous partners, including the Quèbec government, universities and several other large organizations. It aims to recognize, honor and promote young people's commitment to projects which enhance knowledge and arouse the desire to succeed.
Forces AVENIR each year recognizes individual students and student groups by providing awards, international internships and financial awards. Previous Concordia students and initiatives recognized include: Miguel Da Costa Frias (1999 finalist), Suzanne Bate (2000 finalist), The Art Matters Festival (2001 Award recipients), and Mobilivre-Bookmobile (2002 finalists). Group Creative Arts Therapies (2002 finalists), Louise HÈnault-Ethier (2003 finalist), Geneva GuÈrin (2003 finalist), Group Therapy Used in the Treatment of Adolescent Girls Diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa (2003 finalists), Mission CommEx (2003 Award recipients).
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