Science and technology are international pursuits. Those explorers need confidence, a grand vision, and a safe harbour from which to operate

by David Holt

Ever watch a kid learn how to walk, ride a bike, or spell a new word? There is a lot of getting it wrong and trying again. That's how we learn. Yet somehow most of us lose that sense of adventure as we get older. Then it's all about getting it right, or more precisely, not looking awkward or inept. So we find a few things we're pretty good at and stick with them.

The other night I met two young women who teach in Nova Scotia public schools. It soon became apparent how much they must encourage their students. Jennifer Oldford teaches science and art, her friend Christine Emberley drama. The event was the 7th annual Discovery Centre Awards for Science and Technology at the Westin Hotel in Halifax. At our table these teachers took the lead in the science quiz presented by the emcee: they built a stable tower with uncooked spaghetti and marshmallows, and they cracked the anagram question right off.

Dov Bercovici is president of the Centre, which promotes science education. It's all about inspiring young people, so it's natural to find Dov there. Dov and I cross paths every now and then. He once wrote a regular column for this magazine when I was editor, and in another adventure he once sat across the table from me during a difficult negotiation. It was also good to be back; at the inaugural Discovery Centre awards I was a judge.

During the awards we learned about local scientists of international stature. Oswald Avery, born in Halifax, was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He published a paper in 1944 showing that DNA, not protein, is the substance that transfers genetic information. This controversial contention sparked the field of molecular biology and eventually led James Watson and Francis Crick to discover the structure of this molecule a decade later. Avery died in 1955, and eventually it became clear that he should have been awarded a Nobel Prize.

Brian Hall, a biologist at Dalhousie University, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. He is a founder of the new field of evolutionary development ("evo devo"), which investigates how body structures change with evolution. In his address, the native Australian spoke of the twists and turns in his career, and how happy he was to be in Nova Scotia. He shared his fascination with the study of how the many bones in the face of a reptile have become the single bone in the human face.

Todd Mercer of Cape Breton University won a youth award for inventing a lawnmower that hovers above the ground, making it much easier to handle. It was ingeniously simple, which is the hallmark of real technical ability; the invention is just as complicated as it needs to be, but not more so.

Colin Dodds, the president of Saint Mary's University, the lead sponsor, spoke of the competitive nature of science and technology. He was proud of his university's science students who were roaming among the tables, helping out. "New ideas are fragile," said Brian Watson of the Nova Scotia government, also one of the award sponsors. "The province supports innovators."

In the coat-check line I met Erica Fraser, a former software engineer working in Ottawa who switched to law when the tech boom died and now works in tech transfer at Dalhousie University. She invited me to the university's Innovation Celebration a few days later.

So there I was, in the University Club's Great Hall, a high-ceiling structure right out of Harry Potter. Before the awards I spoke to Ian Hill, one of the winners at the Innovation Celebration. A physicist formerly at Princeton, Hill is a pioneer in organic light emitting diode displays (LEDs), the latest display-screen technology. Besides science, he also understands business; his group is seeking a deal with an industrial giant. Raised in Dartmouth, N.S., he's also a triathlete. "I love challenges," he told me.

Then I spoke to another Innovation award winner, Thomas Schuessler, a scientist and an entrepreneur. He's president of Thorasys, whose device measures lung function in laboratory animals. We had a great chat about the importance of branding. "Like everyone else, scientists aren't just about numbers and logic," he said. "They love images and symbols."

Speaking of Ottawa and software, my brother-in-law Jeff Nelson was a manager at Nortel for many years and also the commodore of a sailing club on the Ottawa River. In recent years he hankered to get back home to Nova Scotia. The other day he accepted a job managing software development at a logistics company's office in Dartmouth. He looks forward to launching his sailboat in the Atlantic next summer. 

This is an apt metaphor for science and technology, which is a vast ocean of new territory always waiting to be explored. Yet we all have to launch our boat from somewhere, and we need a safe harbour from which to explore the world. Atlantic Canada seems to do just fine.

David Holt is a writer and consultant. He can be reached at dholt@eastlink.ca.