About the Invention

Mona El-Tahan believes that she can steer ships better than any one in the world. No, she's not a sailor, but an engineer whose company, CORETEC Inc., has designed software and systems that help ships stay on course, avoid icebergs and large chunks of sea ice, and maneuver in tight waterways, like rivers.

Mona is recognized as an ice environment and information technology specialist. Her research over 16 years resulted in the development of computer models to predict iceberg drift and deterioration. These models have been used successfully as forecast tools for Canadian offshore oil drilling. The Integrated Information Forecasting System (IIFS) is one of Mona's primary products. The IIFS is a software package that uses various statistics and data to provide accurate, environmental forecasts and design data. This software is the first of its kind in the world. Mona says that computer technology is the key element in her work since numerous mathematical calculations are required.

Icebergs are major hazards when working at sea. Workers may need to move out of an iceberg's way or divert it from its path. One stormy night around midnight, Mona received a call from a drilling rig on the Grand Banks. The caller was in a panic because an iceberg was spotted on the horizon. More than eighty people were on the drilling rig and they could not be air lifted off because of the poor weather conditions. Using IIFS, in less than half an hour, Mona was able to predict that the iceberg would come within one kilometer of the rig, but not so close as to hit it. She was 99% certain. Everyone on the rig relaxed and went to bed. The next morning the iceberg was positioned exactly as predicted.

Safety isn't the only dynamic result achieved by Mona's products. The Ship Predictor System and Advanced Ship Autopilot System steer ships so precisely that travel is safer and fuel consumption is cut by up to 10%. "Depending on the size of a vessel, you're talking as much as $10,000."

About the Inventor

Born in Egypt, Mona El-Tahan immigrated to Canada in 1975 as a young bride. She joined her husband Hussein, who had just started his graduate studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland. "I remember I boarded the plane in Cairo on November 25 and I arrived in St. John's on December 28," she says.

By January 14, Mona started two graduate courses and a teaching assistant position at the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Memorial University. Her thesis in ocean engineering, Modeling of Iceberg Drift, was just the beginning of her long fascination with icebergs. It took two years for Mona to complete her Masters. Along the way she battled bouts of homesickness, culture adjustment, stress and pregnancy.

After graduating from Memorial University, Mona went to work for Lavalin-Fenco Ltd (NFLD). She was the first female engineer hired by the company and she remained with the company for eight years from 1980 to 1988. While in the early stages of forming her own company, she worked at Memorial's Center for Cold Ocean Research Engineering (C-Core) from 1988 to 1995. Her own company started to operate independently in 1995. Today, Mona is recognized around the world as a marine information technologist specialist.

Developing a business is not without challenges. Due to her professional commitments she says that she has had to sacrifice family time. "This has not necessarily been an entirely negative influence as one of the benefits has been that it has made my children more independent and has given them a good example to follow," Mona says.

Professionally, Mona's achievements have given her a substantial degree of notoriety within the international community, particularly among the marine and offshore engineering sectors. Because she is involved in a relatively non-traditional field for women, and also "a rather unusual field for a native of Egypt," she has become well known for her expertise throughout the industry.