University of Calgary researcher Dr. Susanne Ouellet has won the Mitacs Innovation Award for Outstanding Innovation for her work improving tailings dam safety. Using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology, Ouellet transforms fibre optic cables into real-time sensors to detect strain, temperature, and seismic changes within dam structures.
This early warning system aims to prevent disasters like the recent Philippine dam collapse. Backed by Mitacs and Alberta, Ouellet launched Lumidas, a cleantech startup developing software to enhance the system’s usability. Industry partners and a critical dataset from the British Geological Survey further advanced her groundbreaking research.
Want to know more? Check out the source code on Calgary.tech.