The dawning of a new year inspires us to wonder about what kind of future lies in store.

While the world faces many challenges -- environmental, economic, political, social -- there is also much reason for optimism, writes Perimeter Institute Director Neil Turok in The Globe and Mail.

Our uniquely human capacity to innovate, Turok argues, is the key to building a brighter future.

"Our ability to comprehend the workings of nature, and to apply that knowledge with ingenuity to improve our world, makes us who we are," he writes in the Jan. 2 column.

Canada's innovative past and its free, multicultural society could help make it a world leader in innovation, Turok continues.

Throughout 2017, Turok will travel across the country to deliver a multimedia talk called "We Are Innovators," aimed at inspiring young people to embrace curiosity, creativity, courage, and collaboration to build the future. The talk is part of Innovation150, a collaboration between five of Canada's leading science outreach organizations: Perimeter, the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, Actua, The Canadian Science and Technology Museums Corporation, and the Canadian Association of Science Centres.

With travelling science festivals, museum exhibits, school visits, contests and more, the goal of Innovation150 is to inspire all Canadians, particularly youth, to embrace the many opportunities at their disposal to innovate in their schools, communities, country, and the world.

"Young Canadians can be the innovators the world needs," Turok writes.

Read the whole column at The Globe and Mail.