Prototype: How Canadian Innovation is Shaping the Future

by william-illsey-atkinson

Science and technology writer William Illsey Atkinson embarks on a passionate and provocative exploration of the wide-ranging world of Canadian high-tech firms in search of the ideal company - a new prototype that enriches investors, fulfills employees, and protects the environment. On his cross-Canada quest, Atkinson profiles firms whose inventions include an early warning signal for Alzheimer's Disease; artificial chromosomes engineered for human gene therapy free of viruses; a program that predicts the likely residence of serial killers; and inventions for modifying and improving food crops. Rather than concentrating on Canada's well-known blue chip stocks - IBM, JDS, Uniphase, and the like - Atkinson brings into the spotlight smaller firms that are today's true innovators and tomorrow's giants. As Atkinson travels from Nanaimo, British Columbia, to St. John's, Newfoundland, he brings alive the people and ideas behind these groundbreaking Canadian companies with lively dialogue and a narrative that reads like a road novel. All the while he explains how specific applications in areas such as aquaculture, biotechnology, gene therapy, and forestry are changing the landscape of Canada. Firmly grounded in protohistory (how and why technology evolved), "Prototype" proposes that our relationship with nature requires a new approach. In these rapidly changing times, Atkinson arrives at some startling conclusions about the relationship between human life, information, and technology - and highlights emerging companies that will lead Canada into the future.

336 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2001