Exhibit – Enterprises of the Human Spirit: 50 Years of Scientific Excellence in Germany and Canada.

German-Canadian scientist Gerhard Herzberg.Image by © 2019 National Research Council of Canada.

January 4, 2023 —

Defining Moments Canada/Moments Déterminants Canada (DMC), a heritage education organization, with the support of the German Embassy, has partnered with the University of Manitoba to present the travelling exhibition Enterprises of the Human Spirit: 50 Years of Scientific Excellence in Germany and Canada. The exhibition will be on display at in the Jim Peebles Science and Technology Library, University of Manitoba, Fort Garry Campus, Room 211 Machray Hall, 186 Dysart Rd from January 4 – 24 2023.

In 1971, German-Canadian scientist Gerhard Herzberg received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to molecular spectroscopy. A passionate and outspoken scientist, Herzberg believed strongly in collaboration and worked to build support networks within the scientific community. 1971 also marked the inauguration of a new collaborative effort: the German-Canadian Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement (S&T Agreement). Celebrating 50 years of German-Canadian collaboration in scientific and technological research and Gerhard Herzberg’s Nobel Prize win, this exhibition highlights the scientific excellence seen in joint projects in the fields of health and medicine, physics, climate sciences, and green energy. The theme of collaboration is apparent throughout the many stories told in the exhibition, starting with Herzberg’s story, and again in the history and legacy of the German-Canadian Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement.

Defining Moments Canada is offering additional resources and educational material to educators and students through the digital Herzberg50 and NobelCanadian projects, which can be explored at www.DefiningMomentsCanada.ca. A more in-depth of Herzberg’s life is available as an interactive Story map, as well as interviews with some of Herzberg’s former research fellows.

The exhibition Enterprises of the Human Spirit: 50 Years of Scientific Excellence in Germany and Canada will be touring across Canada from March 2022 to early 2023. The exhibition will have free admission and be available to visit across several Canadian universities and institutions to the public. For more information about visiting or hosting the exhibition, contact info@canhist.ca or visit our website.

Defining Moments Canada/Moments Déterminants Canada is a digital heritage and education company, leading innovative educational engagement and the commemoration of Canada’s history using twenty-first-century tools and storytelling skills. It has previously carried out the national commemorations surrounding the 1918-1920 Influenza Pandemic in Canada, the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, the 100th Anniversary of the Discovery of Insulin, and the 75th anniversary of VEDay. In 2021, Defining Moments Canada launched ‘Herzberg50’ to honour Dr. Gerhard Herzberg’s 1971 Nobel Prize award in Chemistry, a project which will transition into the ‘NobelCanadian’ commemorative project in 2022.

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