Henri Monette, a fourth-year CivMin PhD candidate, has been named one of three recipients of the 2025 Catherine Lalonde Memorial Scholarship, as announced by the Canadian Wood Council. The scholarship recognizes graduate students for academic excellence and research advancing innovation in structural wood products and wood-based construction systems.
Established 20 years ago, the Catherine Lalonde Memorial Scholarship honours the legacy of Catherine Lalonde, whose leadership as a professional engineer and president of the Canadian Wood Council helped shape wood design and construction in Canada. This year’s competition received a record 51 submissions, reflecting a high level of academic discipline and a strong focus on industry-relevant challenges.
Monette’s research, under the supervision of Professor Constantin Christopoulos, focuses on the development of a high-resistance connector for mass timber structures designed to optimize fibre use by mobilizing the full sectional resistance of connected timber members. By addressing strength and resilience limitations in current connection technologies, his work supports the advancement of mass timber and wood-based solutions in the built environment.