Showcasing Canada's Technological Innovations
Showcasing Canada's Technological Innovations
OTTAWA, June 21, 2002 – Last night, the Canada Science and Technology
Museum held a preview for its new long-term exhibition, Innovation
Canada. Showcasing many of Canada's most important scientific and
technological innovations over the past 100 years, Innovation
Canada opens to the public on July 1, and will remain on display
indefinitely.
This exciting new exhibition boasts more than 100 artifacts, as well as
computer games and learning interactives which will take museum visitors
on a voyage of discovery as they learn about great Canadian innovations.
From commercial inventions such as the Jolly Jumper®, Pablum®,
IMAX® and Muskol®, to such technological wonders as the telephone,
the Deep Rover deep sea vehicle, and the world's first electronic keyboard,
visitors will be astonished at the breadth of Canada's contributions to
science and technology.
"From goalie masks to fuel cells, and from the Canadarm to IMAX®,
this exhibition showcases some of the world's greatest scientific and
technological strides of the past 100 years," said Claude Faubert,
Director General of the Museum. "All too often, we assume that great
inventions were developed anywhere but in Canada. Innovation
Canada will give visitors an opportunity to not only discover
the many innovations which are of Canadian origin, but also the people
who invented them," added Faubert.
Through interactive displays, visitors will get to know Canadians such
as Wilder G. Penfield, who mapped the human brain, and Dr. Tofy Mussivand,
who invented the HeartSaver-VAD™. They will learn about George Klein, who
not only developed a suturing system for reconnecting arteries, but also
a battery-powered wheelchair and the STEM antenna. They will discover the
exploits of Elsie MacGill, who was the first female Canadian to receive a
degree in electrical engineering. They will also see how ordinary Canadians
have been driven to innovate – often to simplify or streamline an ordinary,
everyday task.
According to Dr. Randall Brooks – Curator of Physical Sciences and Space,
and one of the eight museum curators who pooled their expertise to develop
this ambitious exhibition – Canadians have been far more innovative than
most of us realize. As Dr. Brooks said at yesterday's preview, "Exhibitions
like this are a treat for curators, since they celebrate Canadian
achievement at its finest. Hopefully, an exhibition like this will serve as
an inspiration to young innovators, as they explore their own capacity for
invention."
Innovation Canada opens to the public on
Monday, July 1. In celebration
of Canada Day, admission to the museum will be free. For general
information, please visit www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca or call
613-991-3044.
Members of the media are invited to preview the exhibition with a
curator. Please call ahead.