Ottawa, ON, May 8, 2023 — Ingenium - Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation is thrilled to announce the winning team of the inaugural Ingenium Innovation Challenge. After an inspiring and jam-packed weekend of collaboration to develop a digital product in the state-of-the-art Digital Innovation Lab at the Ingenium Centre, the winning team, Artifice, was awarded $15,000 along with dedicated funding and mentorship guidance to further develop their proof-of-concept into a marketable, educational product for youths, under the theme of climate action that will be made available for the public in the Fall/Winter 2023.
The Ingenium Innovation Challenge brought together over 90 post-secondary students from across the STEAMB (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, Business) landscape to compete and collaborate across 20 teams. Each presented an innovative and creative digital prototype designed to inspire Canadian youth aged 9-12 (grades 4-7) on actions they can take in their everyday lives to help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Following a panel discussion, on-site mentorship, and an intense and inspiring 72 hours of hard work, the weekend culminated with an award ceremony to announce Artifice as the winning team. Their proposed game offers users the opportunity to make small changes with big impacts on climate change. The cross-platform application invites players to explore environments in Canada from coast to coast as an animal character and learn about the threats to their survival due to climate change. Through gameplay, they have the power to change the habits that are ruining their habitat.
The winning team includes –
- Amanda Hicks, Algonquin College, Technical Writing
- Ana Fryzek, Algonquin College, Game Development
- Karen Mendoza, Algonquin College, Graphic Design
- Ken Hicks, Algonquin College, Game Development
- Laura Salisbury, Algonquin College, Graphic Design
- Michel Pennington, Algonquin College, Graphic Design
Ingenium looks forward to building on the overwhelming interest and support for this event in the coming years. We are looking to continue our relationships with our key partners and collaborators to expand our programming nationally, and amplify its impact in the coming years. We extend our thanks to Lockheed Martin, Rideau Hall Foundation, National Research Council Canada (NRC), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), UOttawa, Carleton University, Algonquin College, and Collège LaCité, and to industry experts who took time to participate in this event as panelists and team mentors.
Ryan Dodge, Ingenium’s Chief Digital Officer is available for interviews about the inaugural event upon request.
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Media Contacts
Philippe Tremblay
Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation
media@ingeniumcanada.org
343-543-5337
About the Ingenium Digital Innovation Lab
The Digital Innovation (DI) Lab is a collaborative hub for exploring innovative ways to improve access to museums spaces, collections, and experiences for all Canadians. Working with academia, start-ups, visitor-serving industries, and the accessibility community, the DI Lab explores emerging technologies, user experience and accessible design to create more inclusive experiences for everyone.
About Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation
Ingenium – Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation oversees three national museums of science and innovation in Ottawa — the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, and the Canada Science and Technology Museum. Its lngenium Centre houses an exceptional collection of artifacts, research institute, and digital innovation lab. Our museums, digital content, outreach programs, travelling exhibitions, and collaborative spaces help to educate, entertain, and engage audiences across Canada and around the world. Our mandate is to bring science literacy and inspiration to Canadians of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.