1998 Winner: Innovation In Oil Sands Research Sponsored By Syncrude Canada Ltd.
Dr. Don Scott, Professor Emeritus, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta, made significant contributions to the oil sands industry through his research on the behaviour of oil sands reservoirs and oil sands mine tailings streams and through his involvement in training high-quality personnel. His professional consulting and research activities in the field of oil sands development are concentrated in the geotechnical and environmental aspects of mine tailings disposal and resulted in the development of composite tailings technology.
Dr. Scott first became involved with Alberta’s oil sands in 1974 as the senior geotechnical consultant with Bechtel in the design of the Syncrude Oil Sands project. He began active research in 1980 with his appointment into the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA) research chair at the University of Alberta. He has published over 50 journal and conference papers and over 100 reports related to oil sands research. During his tenure as AOSTRA research chair in the early 1980s, Dr. Scott implemented a Masters of Engineering degree program in Oil Sands Engineering along with a Co-op program for Masters of Engineering students. These programs helped to develop personnel for the oil sands industry at a time when it was critically needed – when demand outstripped supply during the initial development of the mining industry. This prize will be used to continue Dr. Scott’s work in oil sands research.
