2024 R&D Symposium: Breaking Ground and Raising the Roof (Metaphorically)
This year’s 2024 R&D Symposium, co-hosted by BGC and Cambio Earth, was a seismic event—not just for the movers and shakers in earth science and engineering, but for innovation itself. With groundbreaking research, bold ideas, and even bolder puns (we hope!), the event highlighted some of the most exciting advancements shaping industries like Mining, Pipelines, Transportation, Energy, and Communities. Think of it as a conference but with more tectonic action.
Keynote Speakers Who Left Us in Awe
The symposium kicked off with a bang, thanks to Dr. Jean Hutchinson from Queen’s University, whose opening remarks struck just the right chord to set the tone. Closing the event with equally powerful resonance was Dr. Pooneh Maghoul from Polytechnique Montréal, who left the audience on a high note—turning "insights" into "inspiration."
Special shout-out to Gemma Bullard and Matt Lato, whose opening remarks were as foundational as bedrock.
Rock-Solid Presentations
The lineup of presentations drilled deep into innovation, tackling some of the earth science and engineering community’s trickiest challenges. Here are some of the standout highlights:
Galileo: The Future of Structural Geology
Presenter: John Danielson, BGC
This isn’t just science—it’s rocket science for rocks! BGC’s AI-powered Galileo tool is setting a new benchmark for geological characterization. With enhanced detail and accuracy, it’s like turning a magnifying glass on the Earth's crust, uncovering what was previously unseen.
Mapping Tailings Dam Bathymetry: Satellites and AI Team Up
Presenters: Jeanine Engelbrecht, BGC, and Caio Stringari, Cambio Earth
Imagine using satellites and machine learning to peer into the depths of mine tailings dams. This project brought cost-effective and precise monitoring into focus, achieving bathymetry estimates with errors as low as 6 cm. Turns out, the sky really is the limit!
Automated Geophysics Meets Borehole Lithology
Presenter: Eric Johnson, BGC
Python to the rescue! Eric showed how automation tools are making subsurface interpretation a breeze by correlating geophysics data with borehole logs. It’s fast, it’s efficient, and it’s a real underground success story.
Drill Analytics: Real-Time Risk Management
Presenter: Jeremy Groves, BGC
What’s better than a drill story? A data-driven one! This project brought analytics and machine learning to HDD, revolutionizing risk management in real time. Talk about a deep dive into innovation.
Simulating Scour with 3D Block Theory
Presenter: Luke Weidner, BGC
Predicting scour in unlined spillways just got a 3D upgrade! Using Flow3D, Luke demonstrated how numerical modeling can give us a clearer view of how rock masses behave under the stress of flowing water. The verdict? Rock-solid results.
Probabilistic Flood Forecasting with Neural Networks
Presenter: Evelyn Moorhouse, BGC
From gauged to ungauged rivers, this project harnessed deep learning to predict discharge with precision. When it comes to riding the flood of data, Evelyn’s neural networks really delivered.
RiverBank AI: Revolutionizing River Assessments
Presenter: Sarah Davidson, BGC
By combining high-resolution imagery with AI, RiverBankAI is helping assess river changes after floods with stunning accuracy. Who knew rivers had such a photogenic side?
Critical Sand Triaxial Testing
Presenter: Simon Dickinson, BGC
Size matters in sand (who knew?). Simon’s work showed how the height-to-diameter ratio of samples impacts triaxial testing outcomes, making critical-state soil mechanics as much about geometry as geology.
Instrumentation Data Meets Cambio
Presenter: Sarah Newton, Cambio Earth
Hip, hip, array! Cambio’s platform upgrade brought cheers by integrating instrumentation data into its suite of tools, streamlining data visualization and analysis like never before.
If you are interested in the recording of this session, please reach out to support@cambioearth.com
Nature-Based Solutions for Soil Stabilization
Presenter: Dr. Pooneh Maghoul, Polytechnique Montréal
Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the most effective. Dr. Maghoul showed us how nature-based methods can stabilize tricky soils, proving that even in engineering, it’s cool to stay grounded.
Collaboration: The Real Star of the Show
The R&D Symposium wasn’t just about presenting polished research—it was about building bridges (and possibly dams, pipelines, and railways). With a mix of academic institutions and industry leaders at the helm, this event reminded us that innovation thrives when ideas are shared.
A massive thank-you to all the presenters for rocking our world. You’re the real gems of the geoscience world—proving that when the going gets tough, the tough turn to science (and maybe Python).
Here’s to another year of pushing boundaries and redefining what's possible!