Bern Klein, a professor in the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and co-inventor of the technology used by MineSense Technologies, was recently recognized for his contributions to science with a Mitacs Award.
MineSense uses sensors on mine shovels and other equipment to determine mineral content in ore, allowing ore to be pre-sorted, which can reduce mine waste.
Mitacs is a national research organization that pairs academic researchers with private industry to solve difficult science and engineering challenges.
Klein has mentored more than 70 interns over the last two decades, and co-founded MineSense with a former PhD student. MineSense uses sensors to pre-sort ore at mine sites, and allows mining companies to recover valuable minerals that might otherwise end up as waste.
Klein is now collaborating with the UBC physics department to develop new sensors that will sort and classify rare earth metals and lithium.
