Prototypes for Humanity award enters a world-class museum collection

The Prototypes for Humanity Award presented to Dr Maral Bayaraa has been formally added to the University of Oxford’s History of Science Museum collection, alongside some of the world’s most significant scientific innovations that tell stories of human ingenuity.

The ceremony at the museum, during which Dr Bayaraa donated her award certificate to the museum’s archive, was attended by representatives from the 1851 Royal Commission, the University of Oxford, the Mongolian Embassy, the Dubai Future Foundation and Prototypes for Humanity.

The award was presented to Dr Bayaraa during the 2023 edition of Prototypes for Humanity, recognising her innovation Digital Twins 4 Tailings Dams. The solution combines satellite Earth observation with AI-driven analysis to help monitor the stability of tailings storage facilities, strengthening early-warning capabilities, improving risk oversight, and supporting safe, more sustainable mining practices.

For Prototypes for Humanity, the donation is more than symbolic. Museum accessioning now gives the award a permanent institutional home, preserving the story of a science-backed innovation designed to prevent environmental harm and protect communities.

Dr Bayaraa, originally from Mongolia and now based in the UK, is a PhD researcher at the University of Oxford and a Senior Specialist in Earth Observation at the Satellite Applications Catapult. She initially planned to study the arts and philosophy before choosing geology, a pivot that ultimately led her to study the planet at scale from space.