Lidar technology pioneer honoured by space agency

Longueuil, QC – Dr Allan Carswell has been presented with the John H Chapman Award of Excellence, in recognition of his contributions to the Canadian Space Program.

A senior and internationally recognized leader in the field of laser radar (lidar) applications, Dr Carswell has been working in the field since its very beginnings in the early 1960s. He founded Optech in 1974 to develop commercial systems based on lidar technology. Formerly a professor at York University in Toronto, Dr Carswell has maintained his original research interests in atmospheric lidar measurements. He has a PhD in physics from the University of Toronto.

Recently, the University of Arizona recognized Allan Carswell’s expertise in lidar measurements. He was named the Canadian co-investigator on the Phoenix Science Team for the meteorological station (MET) that will be placed on Mars in 2007. The MET contains instruments that will study the exchange of volatile particles between the surface and atmosphere of the red planet.