Eight inducted into Order of Excellence
Jacob Masliyah’s PhD on how particles fall through water seemed a little esoteric at the time.
Then he landed a job studying bitumen extraction at the University of Alberta in 1977.
Over the course of his career, that esoteric little subject has had profound implications for the entire province.
Masliyah was honoured Wednesday for those contributions, one of eight Albertans inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence.
“Normally, scientists don’t get as many honours as people in journalism or the arts,” said Masliyah, who was caught completely off guard by a congratulatory call from the lieutenant-governor.
“I was extremely excited,” he said. “For me, it’s local and it means quite a lot.”
In Alberta’s vast oilsands, bitumen is found mixed with sand. The tar rises to the top and sand settles when it’s mixed with water, but that’s an inefficient and incomplete extraction process.
It was even more inefficient before Masliyah became involved. Thanks largely to him and his team, it now takes half the amount of energy to produce a barrel of oil from the oilsands as it did in the 1970s.
“We created the science behind the bitumen extraction. Before, it was an art with some science, but now we are really putting it on a very solid scientific foundation,” he said.
As for advice for younger students, Masliyah said they should stick with their research and do it well, even when it feels esoteric. Many experiments were done in the 1960s that seemed outlandish until they became critical for his team in the 1980s and 1990s, he said.
“Good work will stand up in terms of time.”
The awards were presented at a ceremony at Government House on Wednesday.