Dr. René Booysen received the L'Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science in 2022 for her exploration research. She researches the exploration of raw material deposits. At the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), which is part of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), she develops sensor-based exploration techniques to identify resources in a non-invasive way.
Rare earth elements (REE) are important resources for the energy transition, e-mobility and green technologies. However, conventional exploration methods are costly, time-consuming and often not environmentally friendly, especially in remote areas. Dr. René Booysen and her colleagues from the HIF's Exploration Department are using drones with hyperspectral sensors they have developed to detect rare earths on the Earth's surface. The sensors can detect tiny changes in infrared light that are invisible to the human eye. This characteristic spectral information (hyperspectral imaging) can be used to identify rock types over a large area and target potential raw material deposits.
