Claire Deschênes (born 1954) is a Canadian

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

, an engineering professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering

Université Laval Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Montm ...

, and a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

. She is the first female professor of engineering at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Laval University, and is an expert in

hydraulic turbine A water turbine is a rotary machine that converts kinetic energy and potential energy of water into mechanical work. Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now, th ...

technology, hydrodynamics, and

fluid mechanics Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids ( liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces on them. It has applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical and ...

Early life and education

While she was in a

CEGEP A CEGEP ( or ; ), also written cégep, CÉGEP and cegep, is a publicly funded college providing technical, academic, vocational or a mix of programs; they are exclusive to the province of Quebec's education system. A loanword from French, ...

program, Deschênes' father passed away and her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Deschênes completed two years of CEGEP in psychology, before taking a year off to take care of her mother, and then completed a CEGEP year in the mathematics, physics, and biology stream. Later on, she pursued

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, an ...

during her undergraduate degree, and cites her reasons for going into science to include the desire to have a stable career as she may have to help her siblings one day. Deschênes was the only woman in her undergraduate program, and went on to do a master's degree in mechanical engineering at Université Laval. Upon receiving a scholarship to study abroad, Deschênes pursued a PhD at the Institut National Politechnique de Grenoble in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, where she studied

computational fluid dynamics Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical analysis and data structures to analyze and solve problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate ...

in hydraulic turbines, and completed her degree in January 1990 before returning to her Université Laval to become the first female professor of engineering at the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Career

Deschênes founded the Laboratoire de Machines Hydrauliques (LAMH) in 1989, which is a centre for hydraulic turbines research. In 2007, Deschênes created the ''Consortium en machines hydrauliques'', which is an academic-industry collaboration, including Hydro Québec and

Natural Resources Canada Natural Resources Canada (NRCan; french: Ressources naturelles Canada; french: RNCan, label=none)Natural Resources Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Natural Resources (). is the dep ...

, to carry out research on high-power hydraulic turbines. Deschênes and the Consortium have received support from industry and federal grants (including those from the

Canada Foundation for Innovation The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI; french: Fondation canadienne pour l'innovation, ''FCI'') is an independent not-for-profit organization that invests in research facilities and equipment in Canada's universities, colleges, research hospital ...

(CFI) and NSERC Collaborative Research and Development grants) to purchase equipment and carry out collaborative research, such as analysing 3D turbine flow patterns with computer simulations, and investigating factors which influence durability of low-head turbines. Deschênes' findings have led to a better understanding of turbines and hydro-electric technology. Between 1997 and 2006, Deschênes served as the

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada, CRSNG) is the major federal agency responsible for funding natural sciences and engineering rese ...

and

NSERC The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada, CRSNG) is the major federal agency responsible for funding natural sciences and engineering rese ...

-Alcan International Limited Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (CWSE) at Université Laval. She has co-founded three non-profit organizations to support and promote women in science and engineering: the International Network for Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES), the Association de la francophonie à propos des femmes en sciences, technologies, ingénierie et mathématiques (AFFESTIM), and the INWES Educational and Research Institute (ERI). Deschênes has received multiple honours and awards. Of note, in 2015, Deschênes received the

's Synergy Award for Innovation, in the partnership category, in recognition of her effective collaborations between industry and academia. She is a fellow of Engineers Canada (2015), and been named a ''Le Soleil'' and Radio-Canada laureate twice (in the science and research category). She was awarded an honorary doctorate from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...

in 2016. On 27 June 2019, Deschênes was appointed a member of the Order of Canada for her "contributions to mechanical engineering research and teaching, and for championing women in science and engineering." She was made a Knight of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governo ...

in 2020. On September 21, 2019, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the

Université de Sherbrooke The University of Sherbrooke (French: Université de Sherbrooke) (UdS) is a large public French-language university in Quebec, Canada with campuses located in Sherbrooke and Longueuil, a suburb of Montreal approximately west of Sherbrooke. It i ...

Early life and education

Career

References

See also