Last week George Brown College’s Waterfront Campus was host to the Disruptive, Innovative and Emerging Technologies in the Nuclear Industry (DIET23) conference. DIET23 focuses on how companies, academics, and governments are using and planning to use innovative technologies and methodologies in nuclear energy, medicine, regulation and more.
The first in-person version of the conference since the pandemic, the conference was a hybrid live and virtual event beginning on November 6, with the first day of programming rolling out at our Waterfront Campus. More than 100 people attended the first day in-person and about 100 joined virtually. Over the course of three days, the program featured 50 talks, panels and QA discussions, from industry leaders under the theme of “Innovation Unleashed.”
GBC collaboration with the nuclear industry
Moe Fadaee, George Brown College (GBC) faculty and Program Co-ordinator of the Applied A.I. Solutions Development program, was the co-chair for the event.
“This is a very exciting time for the Canadian nuclear industry. It’s a time of growth and promise, with Ontario Power Generation building a few Small Modular Reactors and Bruce Power planning to build several large-scale reactors,” says Fadaee. “GBC has collaborated with the nuclear industry on different fronts such as digital twins and artificial intelligence, and this relationship is only going to expand.”
In attendance were industry leaders like Ontario Power Generation, Bruce Power, Kinectrics, BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada, NPX, and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. Dr. Eileen De Courcy, GBC Vice-President, Academic, was featured on a panel on Women in Leadership.
Attendees were also treated to a demonstration by the Boston Dynamics robot ‘Spot’, a compact, nimble four-legged robot that can map its environment, sense and avoid obstacles, and perform workplace operations deemed unsafe for humans.
GBC nuclear research projects
George Brown has a number of nuclear research projects underway currently, fielded through our Computer Technology and Mechanical Engineering programs.
Learn more about Research and Innovation at GBC.
“Research at George Brown is designing solutions for our partners in the nuclear industry that weave tested methodologies alongside cutting-edge technologies, essentially creating a hybrid approach to innovation,” says Richard Derham, Senior Business Development Manager within the Office of Research & Innovation. “We’ve seen fascinating areas of overlap emerge in the last few years, applying the principles of advanced manufacturing, virtual reality, AI and data analysis to challenges within the nuclear industry. We’re excited to contribute to this space, it is a real growth area for us.”
Learn more at the conference website.
