Meet the GeoRA 2024 Researchers

BGC’s third installment of the Geo-Engineering and Geoscience Research Accelerator (GeoRA) program has been underway for two months. In June, six researchers from universities in Canada and Puerto Rico arrived at BGC’s Vancouver office to participate in this unique research and development (R&D) opportunity.

“We’re pushing the envelope of R&D every day,” said Steve Hedberg , BGC President and CEO. “What defines BGCers is our commonsense approach and curious natures. If you can do both well—push the boundaries of what’s technically possible while developing practical engineering solutions—you have a better chance of solving complex earth science problems.”

After a hiatus of the GeoRA program due to the global pandemic, the team is excited for its re-introduction.

“We had two very successful iterations of GeoRA in 2018 and 2019,” said Lauren Hutchinson ren Hutchinson, Senior Geotechnical Engineer and BGC’s R&D Lead. “The relationships forged between the students we bring on board and the universities they represent are incredibly valuable from a learning perspective. Supporting these bright minds in applied earth science helps keep BGC on the forefront of industry research and lets our team members lend their practical experience to GeoRA participants’ research.”

The model of GeoRA is to give participants a collaborative forum to advance their research or thesis. BGC provides a bursary to researchers to help cover their travel and accommodation expenses and hosts them in our Vancouver office where expert geoscientists and engineers are available for meetings and impromptu conversations. Throughout the 10-week program, BGCers learn about the research underway at leading universities across North America, and GeoRA researchers draw upon the specialized expertise of BGCers and their GeoRA colleagues to advance their own research using concepts that they may not have otherwise been exposed to.

Meet the Researchers

While this year’s GeoRA members are from across the globe and all walks of life, they share a desire to advance the field of applied earth science and in turn better the planet.

Kaushal Gnyawali

PhD Candidate, Geotechnical Engineering, UBC Okanagan

Advisor: Dwayne Tannant , Ph.D., P.Eng.

Kaushal was born and raised in Nepal, a country known for its geohazard challenges including landslides and rockfalls. As one of the world’s hotspots for fatal landslides, Kaushal’s motivation from a young age has been to understand how damage from geohazards can be anticipated and potentially avoided.

“Every year to meet my grandparents [in Nepal], I had to travel on the highway during monsoon season,” says Kaushal. “And every year in that time you would see landslides across the road, sometimes blocking us for three or four days. More tragically, there would be cars or buses swept away by debris flows. These situations brought me to pursue this area to study and grow my expertise.”

Current research: Design of small-scale terrain mitigations for post-wildfire debris flows. Develop simple guidelines to build a combination of ditches and deflection berms to protect people and property from post-wildfire debris flows.

Specifically, Kaushal is examining how post-wildfire debris flows in B.C.’s interior are impacting First Nations communities including properties and water supply. He is working on a rationale to properly estimate the volumes and velocities of post-wildfire debris flows for downstream inhabitants and how building small-scale structures like deflection berms may mitigate and/or redirect hazardous mudslides or flooding.

About GeoRA: “Through my research, I know that BGC has done fantastic work in post-wildfire debris flows,” says Kaushal. “I’ve been able to meet with members of BGC to learn about their practical experiences and fine tune my model by understanding what aspects are already being done and what areas should receive more of my focus. It’s helping me bring all the puzzle pieces together.”

Jonas Stankevicius

Graduate student, Civil Engineering – Water Resources, 加拿大卡尔加里大学

Advisor: Alain Pietroniro , Ph.D., P.Eng., and Qi Zhou , Ph.D., P.Eng.

Originally from Lithuania, Jonas lived and worked in West Yorkshire, England, for 12 years before exploring the earth sciences field. He holds a bachelor's degree in motorsport engineering and spent the better part of a decade designing automotive cooling systems and turbochargers. As his career progressed, so did his interest in climate change. Eventually, Jonas realized he wanted to dedicate his time to fighting climate change and its effects. The environmental engineering field was a departure from his original degree but once he began exploring water resources, where his prior background in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics could be applied, everything just clicked.

“I realized that it’s difficult to fight climate change on an individual level,” says Jonas. “I also recognized that water is the most stressed resource in the world and people under appreciate its availability. So, my motivation has been to understand how water availability will change in the future and share what I learn and develop with a community of practitioners to make a greater impact.”

Current thesis: Numerical modeling of Great Slave Lake hydrodynamics using Nucleus of European Modeling of Ocean (NEMO) framework.

Great Slave Lake in Canada’s Northwest Territories is the deepest and the fifth largest lake by area in North America. The lake has a profound impact on regional climate and is critical to the communities and ecosystems in the region. The lake has exhibited extremes in water level fluctuation in recent years and is exposed to unprecedented rates of warming. Jonas’s research aims to improve the understanding of water movement within Great Slave Lake and assess the impact of climate change on lake thermodynamics and hydrodynamics.

“I feel more and more motivated to be doing this work,” says Jonas. “I’m putting my skills to better use and even if I can provide a small contribution to the [climate change] cause, that’s good enough for me.”

About GeoRA: “It's a great space to work in and you've got experts surrounding you, so there are always interesting conversations going on. If you need any help, everyone's willing to jump in and give you advice and I’ve found it really helpful. I think I've made way more progress with my research during my time here than I would have on my own.”

Rachana Adhikari, E.I.T.

Graduate student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 加拿大阿尔伯塔大学

Advisor: Renato Macciotta , Ph.D., P. Eng.

In 2015, a destructive earthquake hit Nepal. The 7.8 magnitude quake lasted less than one minute but resulted in the deaths of nearly nine thousand people and injuries to over 20,000. Multi-story buildings lacking steel reinforcements were reduced to rubble. To help coordinate the long-term recovery after the earthquake, the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) was formed. Rachana Adhikari was selected to work for the NRA, and it was during this time her passion for geotechnical engineering developed.

“I was already interested in structures and how buildings were designed,” says Rachana. “During my time with the NRA I was meeting many geotechnical engineers, and I realized the importance of the ground underneath any civil structure. That’s why I’ve pursued this area of research.”

Current thesis: Advancing geotechnical site investigation by integrating MASW with SPT.

Rachana’s research focuses on developing a new data acquisition method for Multi-channel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) using Standard Penetration Test (SPT) energy. This innovative approach aims to advance geotechnical site investigation by making it more cost-effective, less destructive, reliable, comprehensive and faster. This method enables the generation of reliable 1D/2D/3D subsurface stiffness profiles in a less destructive manner, addressing the limitations of localized information with conventional geotechnical methods. This method can be highly valuable for tailings/hydraulic dams, highways, pipelines, and liquefaction sites where minimal ground disturbance is desired.

About GeoRA: “Getting to meet the other students and gaining exposure to their diverse research has been an amazing experience. The opportunity to share knowledge, gain insights from industry experts, and explore cutting-edge geotechnical advancements has broadened my understanding. Further, the chance to connect with experts related to my research at BGC and receive their valuable feedback on my work has been immensely helpful. I am truly grateful for this opportunity and am thoroughly enjoying my time at BGC!”

César Rodríguez Feliciano

Graduate student, Department of Geology, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez

Advisor: Stephen Hughes

“In all ways, Hurricane Maria has shaped my professional and academic career.”

César Rodríguez Feliciano lived in Puerto Rico when the Category 5 Hurricane Maria devastated the northeastern Caribbean. Even after moving from Puerto Rico to Wisconsin upon his graduation in 2019, the effects of the hurricane were never far from César’s thoughts. He had been working at a consulting firm for three years processing data for the state’s department of transportation when his now advisor, Prof. Stephen Hughes, presented an opportunity for César to pursue graduate studies back home in Puerto Rico.

“At first, I didn’t know what I was going to study in geosciences. But after experiencing Hurricane Maria and seeing all the landslides that it caused, I knew—I’ve got to work with geohazards. I’ve got to help my community and mitigate future damages and loss of life.”

Current thesis: Analysis of landslide metrics for widespread mass-wasting events.

In his research, César is applying the change detection method of multiscale model to model cloud compare (M3C2) to create a semi-autonomous landslide detection methodology with pre- and post-Hurricane Maria LiDAR data. Calculating the volume displaced by each landslide due to this mass wasting triggering event, and determining the intercept, and scaling component, of the landslide area-volume scaling relationship for various geological and soil units, he is attempting to speed up landslide metric investigation within Puerto Rico.

About GeoRA: “Participating in the GeoRA program has meant the first time in my life that I’ve had to use my passport,” says César. “My family has been super excited for me and this opportunity. And for me, it’s honestly been great. The availability of resources and just being able to walk up to someone in the office and have a conversation and get their perspective on things has been such a great experience. I’m really, really grateful to BGC.”

Prabin Acharya

PhD student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 加拿大阿尔伯塔大学

Advisor: Fangzhou Albert Liu , Ph. D.

Like two of his GeoRA colleagues, Prabin grew up in Nepal. Born in a remote village in the lap of the Himalayas, he witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of geohazards from a young age. During his final year of undergraduate study, the country experienced a devastating earthquake. Prabin was involved in rapid visual assessments for the first two months and later involved in the post-earthquake recovery in various government roles. These experiences sparked his passion for finding cost-effective and innovative solutions to mitigate disaster impacts.

“The Himalayan region is prone to geohazards,” says Prabin. “We also have a lot of remote locations. So, I’ve always been curious about how to use remote sensing to enhance the resilience in communities to save lives and property.”

Current research: Change detection and monitoring of tailings storage facilities using remote sensing images

Alberta, home to the world’s fourth-largest oil sand reserves, faces significant challenges in managing waste products tailings due to their size and potential environmental impact. Prabin is researching the use of remote sensing and machine learning to enhance the resilience of tailings storage facilities (TSFs). His goal is to improve safety, closure, and reclamation initiatives by identifying precursors of surface changes leading to tailings-related failures. He aims to develop a data-driven proactive monitoring and intervention program to mitigate geotechnical and environmental risks. Using remote sensing, mine owners, operators, and regulators can benefit from proactive tailings management and be alerted to potential hazards affecting TSFs, thereby reducing damage to surrounding areas and ecosystems.

About GeoRA: “The GeoRA program has allowed me to connect with experts in different fields. I have been able to get valuable feedback on my research and get exposure to a diverse range of perspectives,” says Prabin. “Everyone has been very supportive and attending weekly seminars and making key connections have been particularly beneficial.”

Prabin has also taken advantage of BGC Vancouver’s social programs, joining the BGC soccer team soon after arriving for the GeoRA program.

“The BGC environment and culture is really nice. I like doing things outside of my research, too, and joining the soccer team has been great. I’m quite loving it.”

Michael Stephen

Graduate student, Geological Engineering, The University of British Columbia

Advisor: Erik Eberhardt

Like BGC, Michael Stephen’s employer Freeport-McMoRan , part owner of the Grasberg mine in Central Papua, Indonesia, recognizes the importance of investing in research and development. As a result, they offered Michael a scholarship to study abroad with the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver and advance his knowledge as a geotechnical engineer. In the fall, he’s excited to start his second term with UBC, though is hesitant about his first winter in Canada.

“I’m enjoying the weather in Vancouver right now,” says Michael, who has travelled with his wife and nearly two-year-old son. “The weather is nice compared to Indonesia, especially in the summer. But I’m not sure how I will like winter.”

Indonesia sees its share of geohazards and Michael’s thesis supports the safe expansion of the Grasberg mine, one of the largest reserves of gold and copper in the world.

“The mine is expanding into the underground,” says Michael. “The mine will propagate with extraction of the ore body during production resulting in the subsidence zone widening from the current state. My research is to help with subsidence risk mitigation on natural slope hazards which is important for maintaining safety and productivity.”

Current thesis: Caving-Induced Subsidence on Natural Slope Hazards

In 2023, the Grasberg operations experienced landslides and debris flows from heavy rains that damaged its milling complex and a number of important access roads (Reuters, 2023). Underground mining activity might change the characteristic and behaviour of rocks and influence the process of natural slope hazards. In his research, Michael is applying remote sensing techniques combined with actual historical failure events to identify the influence of underground mining activity on natural slope hazards. His research aims to predict the potential for natural slope hazards due to the expansion of the Grasberg Complex mine.

About GeoRA: “I would recommend the GeoRA program because it’s very, very good, especially for people like me who work in similar fields to those at BGC. It’s been really helpful for sure.”

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