Germany – 2019
In April 2019, Mission ÉTSplore travelled to Germany for a two-week immersion in a world-renowned industrial and academic ecosystem. The delegation visited the cities of Munich, Stuttgart, and Berlin, where participants had the opportunity to meet engineers, professionals, and students from various fields of engineering.
Throughout the mission, participants visited renowned organizations such as BMW, Siemens, and Bombardier, as well as prestigious universities including Technische Universität München (TUM) and Technische Universität Berlin (TUB). These encounters allowed them to deepen their knowledge, expand their professional network, and gain a better understanding of engineering practices in an international context.
This edition reflected the Mission’s commitment to strengthening connections between ÉTS and universities and companies abroad, while providing future engineers with an experience that fosters global awareness, technical development, and collaboration within multicultural and interdisciplinary environments.
Discover all the organizations visited below.
Destination partners
International Engineering Immersion
Our mission in Germany gave us the opportunity to discover Munich, Stuttgart, Berlin, Karlsruhe, and Freiburg im Breisgau through visits to companies, academic institutions, and innovative initiatives. From Industry 4.0 to sustainable development, this experience allowed us to explore German engineering expertise while broadening our global perspective, strengthening our teamwork, and shaping our vision of our future careers.
Meet the team behind
this edition!
Frédéric Lestage
captain
software engineering
For a long time, Frédéric has been interested in technology and the field of computer science. Over the years, he has also developed a strong global outlook and hopes to eventually pursue an international career.
After earning a diploma in Multimedia from Cégep Édouard-Montpetit, he spent a year in the workforce before returning to school. He is now in his second year of Software Engineering at École de technologie supérieure.
Passionate about learning about different cultures and languages, the mission represents an opportunity for him to learn more about the areas of engineering that interest him while broadening his perspective on the world.
Simon Auclair
operations and logicstic engineering
Simon spent several years questioning his path before ultimately finding his place in operations and logistics engineering. Determined to find the optimal solution to every problem in order to save effort, time, and money, he never backs down from a major challenge. Currently in his fourth year of his bachelor’s degree, Simon is determined to make the most of his university years by gaining as much experience as possible before entering the workforce.
Having visited more than twenty countries, including completing an internship abroad, Simon is no stranger to international experiences. In addition to working toward mastering a third language, he has developed excellent interpersonal skills, an exceptional ability to adapt and find solutions, and a strong sense of maturity. With his interest in natural resources and the mining industry, an international career seems inevitable—and he is excited about the prospect.
Simon’s interests extend beyond his academic studies. Since beginning university, he has been actively involved in several scientific and social student organizations, including the Industrial Engineering Club and the Engineering Games. For him, the Technology Mission is an excellent opportunity to learn about industry best practices while stepping outside his comfort zone.
Camille Bolduc
electrical engineering
After a College degree in industrial electronics in Jonquière (Québec), Camille started a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at École de technologie supérieure in Montréal in 2017.
Since she was young, Camille always loved to travel and always wanted to see more of the world. In recent years, she discovered a new passion for new technologies and renewable energies. Combining both passions, she just completed an internship in the field of industrial electronics in Belgium as part of her engineering degree.
Participating in the Technology Missions is for her a great way to get involved in a project that will help her grow both on a personal and professional level.
Jacob Bouchard-Roy
mechanical engineering
After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at ÉTS in summer 2017, Jacob worked in the aerospace field. He has experience in Project Management and Computer Aided Design. He then began a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at ÉTS in January 2018. As part of his engineering degree, Jacob had the opportunity to complete a semester in the Mechanical and Energy curriculum of the National School of Water, Energy and Environment (ENSE3) in Grenoble, France. There, he was able to develop his skills in instrumentation and energy, his main areas of interest in engineering.
This mission is for Jacob an opportunity to enhance is training abroad and to learn more about scientific research methods and integration in the industry. Germany is therefore a destination of choice for this engineering and travel enthusiast.
Jean-Simon Forest
automated manufacturing engineering
Since the beginning of his studies, Jean-Simon has always been very involved. By analyzing its implications, we quickly find a link between them: the international. All started slowly, a study trip to France organized by his CEGEP and ends with his most recent achievement, the construction of a medical center in Madagascar with the PRECI, a student club at ÉTS. Seeking a way to make his free time more profitable he turned his attention to the technological mission.
After completing a college degree in computer network management and having started a bachelor’s degree in information technology, Jean-Simon now study in manufacturing systems engineering.
In his spare time, he enjoys playing volleyball and hockey, in fact, team sports in general. He also tries to keep his computer knowledge up to date. Finally, if he ever finds himself with a little more free time, he finds his “gamer” side back.
Camille Gaudreault
operations and logicstic engineering
Camille Gaudreault is 22 years old and a 3rd year student in Information Technology Engineering. Growing up in a family focused in the field of computer science, it was during her university studies that she decided to make it a career. After high school, Camille completed a College degree in Natural Sciences and focused her studies on computer science thereafter.
She stands out for her strong team spirit and perseverance. In addition, she is a great athlete with several sports achievements to her credit such as earning a black belt in karate and regularly racing triathlons.
Camille has recently turned her interest towards the field of cybersecurity. Curious and eager to learn by nature, cybersecurity was for her an obvious choice. She hopes that the 2019 Technology Missions will allow her to broaden her horizons and learn more about how things are done in other cultures.
Pierre Jacquier
mechanical engineering
Pierre Jacquier is a French engineering student in his fifth year at UTBM, completing a dual degree with École de technologie supérieure, where he is pursuing a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a research focus.
Driven by a passion for cultural and professional discovery, Pierre could not pass up an opportunity such as this mission. After completing a semester abroad in Karlsruhe, Germany, and a six-month internship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he was immediately drawn to the opportunity to return to Germany while also sharing his knowledge of the country and its inner workings with the team.
In addition to the various entrepreneurial challenges the Mission will present, such as establishing financial partnerships and developing an international network, Pierre hopes to further his passion for emerging technologies while discovering the research landscape in Germany—a country that could potentially be the destination for his future PhD.
François Laliberté
construction engineering
Before beginning his bachelor’s degree in Construction Engineering in 2016, François participated in several community service trips, where he had the opportunity to contribute to the construction of a trail for scientific research, a school cafeteria garden, and the renovation of a school in Central America. Through these experiences, François discovered his passion for project management and construction engineering.
François chose to participate in the 2019 Technology Missions to gain new project experience alongside future engineers from different disciplines and to discover new technologies developed outside Canada.
Ready to take on new challenges and achieve new goals, François hopes that his involvement in seeking partnerships will allow him to develop his communication and negotiation skills, as well as strengthen his interpersonal skills.
Salam Layouni
electrical engineering
Student entering her third year in Electrical Engineering. Salam is passionate about the field of information technology, the design of digital systems, as well as electrical and electronic circuits. Salam also studied computer science and mathematics. This allowed her to acquire skills in object-oriented programming. During her first two internships, Salam worked as a test analyst. This allowed her to analyze the web applications and to find the bugs
Salam wants to have an idea about the future prospects in the field of electricity internationally. In the future, she has the intention to launch her career abroad. Also, she plans to make a student exchange in Germany to discover new horizons and to get out of her comfort zone.
Salam is involved in the mission project to have an idea of what could be the daily life of a foreign student. In addition, this mission will allow her to have as much contact as possible with German companies. This could provide her opportunities to get an internship abroad.
Jérémy Ménard
electrical engineering
From a young age, Jeremy has been interested in technology and loves creating new gadgets to make his life easier. He played hockey throughout his youth but decided to channel his passion for sports into CrossFit and strength training.
He began his education in Industrial Electronics at Cégep de Granby and, after discovering a strong interest in electricity, decided to pursue his studies in Electrical Engineering at École de technologie supérieure.
Now in his second year of his bachelor’s degree, he invests his time in the Capra Robotics Club and has decided to participate in the Technological Mission – Germany. He believes the mission is a great way to learn new ways of doing things and will allow him to make new international connections.
Kevin Morrin
construction
Kevin Morin is beginning his final year of his bachelor’s degree in Construction Engineering at École de Technologie Supérieure. After accumulating several project management experiences on major projects, he has demonstrated several essential skills of an engineer such as leadership, sense of responsibility and teamwork.
Upon entering ÉTS in 2015, Kevin joined the International Cooperation Program of the university (PRECI). With his team, they decided to help Nepal with the construction of an earthquake-resistant school in the Himalayas. The budget and timeline were respected and the school was inaugurated in December 2016. Upon his return, Kevin pursues his international ambitions by enrolling in ERASMUS mobility program. He chose Florianópolis in Brazil as destination and got involved in learning Portuguese for a year before his departure. Through all his trips, Kevin has developed several capabilities that allows him to adapt easily in many environments and now he speaks three languages fluidly.
The Technology Mission therefore represents for him a third international experience during his degree. A different experience compared to the others that will allow him to prepare better for his arrival on the job market and develop new capabilities regarding business and technology.
Vincent Nadeau
mechanical engineering
Vincent Nadeau is a third-year student in Mechanical Engineering at École de technologie supérieure in Montreal. An entrepreneur from a young age, he started his own company at seventeen, gaining valuable experience and skills in business management. This experience led him to pursue technical studies in Business Management, during which he was involved in his college’s marketing team.
The outside world has always fascinated him. At one point, Vincent and his brother decided to travel for three months through Africa and Asia, where he developed a broader global perspective.
After many years in sales and marketing, he decided to change direction and pursue a career in renewable energy through Mechanical Engineering. At university, he became involved in a student group called SerreÉTS, whose objective is to design a greenhouse, a living wall, and other sustainable development projects. His interest in other cultures continued to grow, so he decided to learn the basics of Spanish through MP3 courses while commuting to work. Afterwards, he went to study in Spain, where he became trilingual.
In order to satisfy his curiosity, Vincent reads several books, decided to pursue the bachelor’s-to-master’s pathway, and became involved in the Technological Mission to Germany, which will allow him to broaden his horizons on several levels.
Audrey Deschênes
international outbound mobility and partnerships advisor
Audrey Deschênes is in charge of international mobility programs at ÉTS. She has 7 years of professional experience in intercultural intervention and mediation with various community groups. Her background and expertise in managing intercultural projects have led her to focus on issues associated with student mobility as well as organizations and initiatives promoting this mobility.
Audrey holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Studies from Saint Paul University in Ottawa and a BA in International Studies and Modern Languages. She also trained in Third Party Neutral for group facilitation.
Simon Joncas
professor, Department of automated manufacturing engineering
Simon Joncas is professor at the École de technologie supérieure since 2002. His research focuses on characterization, manufacturing, and design of fiber reinforced composite structures. His expertise is mainly applied to the fields of wind energy, aerospace and sports.
After completing his bachelor and master’s degree at the Mechanical Engineering faculty of the École de technologie supérieure (Montréal, Canada), he pursued his education at the Aerospace Engineering faculty of the Delft University of Technology (Netherlands, 2003-2006). More recently, he completed a one-year sabbatical at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL, Switzerland) working on fracture mechanics of through-thickness reinforced (TTR) composites.
Over the years, he collaborated with numerous European research centers and companies on different research projects related to the field of composite materials design and manufacturing.
Sophie Boulanger
international internships coordinator
Sophie has been working for more than 15 years in employability, skills development and creative projects. She holds two Bachelor’s degrees : one in psychology and another one in human and organizational communication. She has been working for the last 7 years in a co-op departement and has successfully developped multiple partnerships with local and international companies.
Her passion for other cultures and for improving interpersonnal skills led her a few times to Central America and more recently to Japan, during the ÉTS technology mission. She also took part for two years in an anthropological project in North African rural areas.
Being part of the future ÉTS mission will be a great opportunity to have a better understanding of German engineering and technologies. Moreover, it will be a good opportunity to evaluate German companies’needs in terms of internship.
