Creating opportunities and a welcoming community

Video Transcript

Lassonde is dedicated to creating an environment where innovation and inclusion go hand in hand. To drive impactful solutions to complex challenges, we are drawing on diverse perspectives, ensuring every community member has a chance to make meaningful contributions.  

Advancing this vision requires collaboration and a deep commitment to decolonization, equity, diversity and inclusion (DEDI) – principles we strive to integrate in everything we do. For example, this year, Lassonde’s EDI Seed Funding program has supported community members in developing five new projects that are helping make the School a more diverse, inclusive and welcoming space. 

Student and faculty engagement remains a top priority, and in 2023-24, we expanded opportunities for students in impactful ways. We launched the Lassonde Distinguished Speaker Series, bringing in leading experts from diverse fields to share their insights and promote interdisciplinary collaboration.  

We also continued to host key events like the Lassonde Undergraduate Summer Research Conference and the Bergeron Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology (BEST) Startup Experience, providing platforms for students to showcase their innovative projects and ideas. This year’s NSERC CREATE annual summit was a standout event, drawing numerous attendees, including NSERC President Alejandro Adem.  

Our commitment to hands-on learning was further emphasized through a wide range of experiential opportunities, where students developed and tested cutting-edge technologies, from nanosatellites to self-driving cars. Through our fully work-integrated degree program, Canada’s first, students are empowered to work in industry while earning their degrees, thereby removing financial barriers and expanding access to underrepresented groups in STEM. 

In addition to supporting our current students, we are creating pathways for future students to join Lassonde. Through initiatives like our k2i academy, we collaborate with school boards, industry and community organizations to address persistent STEM inequities, extending our reach to thousands of students.  

Discover how Lassonde is creating opportunities and a welcoming community. 

Key Highlights

A Scrabble board with tiles spelling out the words "SUCCEED," "TEAM," and "LEAD," arranged intersecting each other on various score tiles like "Triple Word Score" and "Double Letter Score."

Lassonde’s k2i academy creates co-op leadership opportunities

The Lassonde ‘Bringing STEM to Life’ program is designed for high school students who may not have taken the prerequisites needed to pursue STEM programs and careers, particularly focusing on uplifting students from marginalized communities. Offering paid summer research opportunities for students in grades 10 through 12, this initiative opens doors while providing invaluable experiences for Lassonde students to serve as mentors. These mentors, often from diverse backgrounds and a range of Lassonde’s programs, develop leadership skills by guiding high schoolers through impactful research projects. This program aligns with Lassonde’s strategic focus on creating opportunities and fostering a welcoming community, benefiting both the young students, who gain early exposure to STEM, and the mentors, who build essential professional skills.

Young professionals working on project together

Steering to victory: Lassonde team accelerates to top spot in self-driving car competition

Self-driving cars, once a distant idea, are now becoming a reality, thanks in part to cutting-edge research at Lassonde. At the 2024 American Control Conference in Toronto, Lassonde’s FullThrottle – Spacecraft Dynamics Control and Navigation (SDCN) team earned second place in the prestigious Self-Driving Car Student Competition. This achievement highlights the exceptional opportunities for our students to work with emerging technologies. The competition allowed students to apply their skills in both digital simulations and real-world testing, showcasing their technical expertise and representing Canadian innovation on an international stage.

“Our society needs strong leaders, creative problem solvers, and innovative thinkers to tackle today’s challenges and prepare for tomorrow’s. Creating educational experiences with meaningful learning outcomes is critical.”–

– Lassonde Dean Jane Goodyer, from the article Lassonde Educational Innovation Studio and k2i academy collaborate to bring innovation to education (UN SDG 4)

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