November 13, 2019
On Wednesday November 13, Dr. Jean Hutchinson (Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering), received the 23rd Glossop Medal, presented by the Engineering Group of the Geological Society of London at the Royal Institution in London, England.
As a part of receiving the honour, Dr. Hutchinson delivered the Glossop Lecture. The Glossop Lecture is the most prestigious lecture given to the EGGS, and recipients of the honour are considered to be technical experts in the field of Engineering Geology, are actively engaged with the Engingeering Geology community, and have made a significant contribution to advancing the cause and science of Engineering Geology.
Dr. Hutchinson is only the third woman, and the second Canadian to deliver the Glossop Lecture. Her presentation was titled “Building slope process models considering engineering geology: Extending our understanding, interpretation and communication of instability using remotely sensed data”.
Her lecture delivered a critical message about the power of using remote sensing data to understand the details of rock slope processes and the latest physics engines, also used in game development, to forecast and simulate future rockfalls. Applications of machine learning techniques enhances our understanding of the data but doesn’t provide irrefutable truth, and that the industry needs to continue to understand the engineering geology conditions and implications.
Dr. Hutchinson concluded her lecture by indicating that the industry has some major challenges to deal with going forward, including ensuring that practitioners continue to understand the value of ground truthing interpretations and models, while tackling the opportunities and challenges created by big data and taking account of climate change impact.
Congratulations to Dr. Hutchinson on her outstanding achievement!
You can watch Dr. Hutchinson’s lecture below.