For immediate release
OTTAWA, October 25, 2017 — Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation is thrilled to announce the publication of the book, Canadian Failures: Stories of Building Toward Success.
Canadian Failures gathers 10 experts from academia and the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors who have grappled with failures and success throughout their lives. Their powerful argument: that Canada, and Canadians, must be willing to learn from failure if we hope to succeed.
“As Canada’s national institution celebrating science and innovation, Ingenium is thrilled to publish the book Canadian Failures: Stories of Building Toward Success,” says Fern Proulx, Interim President and CEO of Ingenium. “Through failure and defeat come the tools we need to improve, grow, and succeed.”
Authored by Alex Benay, Chief Information Officer of the Government of Canada and former President and CEO of Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation, Canadian Failures includes chapters by astronaut Robert Thirsk, Olympic gold medalist Erica Wiebe, Just for Laughs Comedy Festival Co-Founder Andy Nulman, and others at the top of their fields.
The book explores themes on what it means to fail. To some of the most successful Canadians, it was a rite of passage, a stepping stone to greater things, or even a brilliant source of inspiration. From Olympic golds to successful businesses to pioneering medical advances, many incredible accomplishments resulted from a series of missteps and countless failed attempts.
“We live with more stories of failure than of success, yet we often only speak of success,” says Alex Benay, Chief Information Officer of the Government of Canada. “Once we have dealt with this failure and put it behind us, then we can become more creative and dynamic.”
The theme of experimenting and working through failures is an important aspect of the all-new Canada Science and Technology Museum, set to open its doors on November 17. The museum’s ZOOOM Children’s Innovation Zone, for example, is all about trial and error, and the natural curiosity and creativity of children as playful, inquisitive learners.
The book, published by Dundurn Press, is now available online. It will also be published as a French ebook with the title, Des Canadiens à l'épreuve: Histoires d'échecs qui ont mené à la réussite.
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Media contacts
Melissa Gruber
Communications and Marketing Officer
Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation
MGruber@IngeniumCanada.org
613-991-9219
Jaclyn Hodsdon
Publicist
Dundurn Press
jhodsdon@dundurn.com
416-214-5544 x234
About Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation
Launched in June 2017, Ingenium is a new national brand established to preserve and share Canada’s story of scientific and technological heritage. This corporate brand, which celebrates ingenuity, encompasses three national institutions—the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, and the Canada Science and Technology Museum. Under the Ingenium brand, these three museums are places where the past meets the future, with spaces where visitors can learn and explore, play and discover. Ingenium also has an eye to the future with a state-of-the-art Collections Conservation Centre under construction, digital and social media platforms, and travelling national and international exhibitions to educate, entertain and engage audiences across Canada and around the world. For more information, visit us: IngeniumCanada.org