Plinius Medal 2006

The Canadian scientist Réjean Couture has won the prestigious EGU Plinius Medal in recognition of his contributions to the understanding of landslides using a combination of traditional and innovative techniques to help predict and mitigate the consequences of hazardous mass movements.

The Plinius medal has been established by the Division on Natural Hazards to recognize interdisciplinary research in natural hazards by young scientists. The name of Plinius (~23-~79 A.D.) acknowledges the role of our ancestors working to improve both knowledge and mitigation of natural hazards. The medal is reserved for excellent young scientists who have (a) outstanding research achievements in a field related with natural hazards, (b) important interdisciplinary activity in two or more fields related with this topic and (c) whose research has focused on the mitigation of natural risks..

Dr. Couture is working at The Geological Survey of Canada is a part of the Earth Sciences Sector of Natural Resources Canada. The GSC is Canada's premier agency for geoscientific information and research, with world-class expertise focusing on geoscience surveys, sustainable development of Canada's resources, environmental protection, and technology innovation.

Resumé

Dr. Réjean Couture has significantly contributed to the understanding of landslide phenomena in Canada. His research interests include: (i) analysis of the mechanical processes involved in large landslides, (ii) landslides mapping in permafrost areas, (iii) use of remote sensing technology for landslide mapping and monitoring, and (iv) monitoring of large and complex mass movements. To conduct these researches, Dr. Couture inventively combines a wide range of methods and techniques, including field surveys, in situ investigations, geotechnical and geo-mechanical laboratory measurements, and remote sensing technology. Dr. Couture was the first to attempt evaluating the fragmentation energy associated with large rock avalanches applying techniques used in mining and rock mechanics. Dr. Couture is the leader of a large landslide mapping and research project in the Mackenzie Valley, in Canada, where he is coupling traditional mapping techniques with state-of-the-art remote sensing and GIS technology to map, monitor and characterize landslides in the Canada’s permafrost terrain, contributing to the best exploitation of the area.

Medal Lecture

Réjean Couture will accept his medal and give his Medal lecture during the EGU General Assembly, to be held in Vienna, Austria from 2 – 7 April 2006. The lecture ‘Landslide Hazards and Risk in Canada in the last decade (1995-2005): Recent events and examples of multidisciplinary approaches’ starts Friday, 7 April in Lecture Room 16 (L)at 10:45 h.

More information: http://www.copernicus.org/EGU/awards/medallists/_2006/plinius.html