“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” - Thomas A. Edison
“When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important.” - Ellen DeGeneres
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein
Failure possesses definitive value. Unfortunately, our culture regularly denigrates the mistake, the blemish, and the imperfect. But failure often accompanies our most major breakthroughs, discoveries, and innovations. Just ask Thomas, Albert, or Ellen. J.K. Rowling writes, “Failure is so important. We speak about success all the time, but it is our ability to use failure that leads to greater success.” This session will explore the utility of failure with science writer and polymath Margaret Wertheim, focusing on her areas of expertise. We will consider how we all might utilize, embrace, and even celebrate those moments when we don’t quite hit the mark. So for this session, let’s start out on the wrong foot and see where it takes us!