MaRS

Jenga: Demonstrating gravity

Quick: What are the seven innovations that revolutionized the world?

According to Jacob Zimmer’s grade school teacher, our society was revolutionized by Gutenberg’s press, Copernicus’ solar system, Newton’s physics, Darwin’s evolution, as well as the Industrial, Nuclear, and Information Revolutions.

It inspired Jacob Zimmer to create “Dedicated to the Revolutions,” an innovative show that engages the audience around these scientific revolutions that have altered the course of humanity… while remembering that science is fun (and funny). It opens tomorrow and plays until April 12th.

In the following interview, I ask Jacob about what the MaRS community of innovators can learn from his show.

Catch MaRS CEO Saturday nuit

“Food for the mind is like food for the body: the inputs are never the same as the outputs.”

OK, so that Marshall McLuhan gem may not top the ubiquitous “the medium is the message” but don’t you just love its visceral nature?

Food for the creative mind is definitely on the menu this Saturday night as contemporary art and artists transform Toronto as part of the city’s third annual Nuit Blanche.

And this year MaRS CEO Ilse Treurnicht is plunging into the cultural fray. Dr. Treurnicht — a Rhodes scholar, PhD chemist, former venture capitalist and convergence innovation pioneer — will take part in an intriguing Nuit Blanche event, “We, the City…” at U of T’s McLuhan Coach House.

Letter C in Neon by cobalt123

We’ve all heard of times past where ships heading to the new world loaded their galleys with oranges in order to help their crew avoid the demoralizing ravages of scurvy. So why then is the active ingredient, vitamin C, taken for granted or neglected in so many organizations that set sail on the open seas? What do I mean?

The essential component, “C”? is culture and it’s vital to help the crew and ship reach foreign shores successfully and in good health. In case you need a hint, foreign shores on the open water is a metaphor for executing the strategy that the “captain and their crew” have crafted sextant in hand.

So why is culture so important to executing strategy?

Science meets art:
without friction, no violin would sing

I attended the 6th Annual Global Health Research Conference on June 2-3, put on by the U of T’s Centre for International Health. The conference explored the intersections between art and public health, posing such questions as “Why does art matter to health?”, “How do we challenge global inequity through innovative community engagement?” and simply, “How does art heal?”

From the speaker list, it’s clear that these are no longer considered frivolous questions; an impressive array of presenters from a variety of sectors and locales were featured, most notably Nobel laureate Dr. James Orbinski, who delivered the keynote address.

Conducting convergence innovation

Creative Sparks was launched at MaRS on Wednesday, May 7, as a component of the Esprit Orchestra’s 2008 season and the New Wave Composers Festival. It was conceived by Esprit’s Music Director and Conductor, Alex Pauk, and it was an exemplary model of the themes that MaRS embraces: convergence, innovation, creativity and collaboration.

The project brought professional composers together with Toronto Area high school and middle school students to mentor the burgeoning compositional and performance talents. The idea was to stretch the boundaries between the students’ understanding of what orchestral music is and what it can become. Students were encouraged to consider the traditional sound of an orchestra being enhanced by technology, amplified sounds that would not usually be part of a score and MaRS as the performance platform.