Stone and Nelson Present at International Social Innovation Conferences
September 19, 2024
Anne Stone and Melissa Nelson, co-directors of the Social Impact Hub, presented their work at both the 2024 International Social Innovation Research Conference (ISIRC) and the Ashoka Changemaker Summit.
At the 16th annual meeting of ISIRC at the Bern University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland, communication professor and Social Impact Hub faculty director Anne Stone and Social Impact Hub staff director Melissa Nelson gave a presentation titled “Classroom to Countryside: Problem-Based Learning Exercise Prepares Students to Explore Global Challenges.” The presentation highlighted the value of problem-based learning activities as part of courses with embedded field studies during which students learn the value of trans-disciplinary problem solving and demonstrate information literacy and critical-thinking skills to address some of the world’s most complex global challenges.
The main goal of the conference is to join together academics from a variety of fields with an interest in the topics of social innovation and social entrepreneurship, providing a forum of debate for researchers and practitioners, supporting the sharing of experiences, and promoting cross-knowledge.
At the Ashoka Changemaker Summit in Hamburg, Germany, Stone and Nelson also developed a workshop titled “Learning from Each Other: The Changemaker Campus Network as a Local and Global Ecosystem Activator of Social Impact” alongside educators from Canada, Mexico, Nigeria, and the U.S. As part of the workshop, Nelson and Stone shared about the importance of collaboration with local community leaders as co-educators in supporting the development of the next generation of responsible leaders through programs like the Impact Incubator.
The summit brought together Ashoka fellows, AshokaU change leaders, young changemakers, and community leaders from across the world to discuss the value of true participation. Rollins has been a designated Ashoka U Changemaker Campus since 2012 when it became the first college in Florida to receive the honor.
Related News
October 13, 2025
Passport to Possibility
From Scotland to Rwanda, Rollins students spent summer 2025 gaining global perspectives and essential experience through immersive field studies and study abroad programs.
October 13, 2025
Finance Professor Comments on National Savings Day
Brian Walkup, a professor of finance at Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business, provided commentary to the Orlando Sentinel on what it means to be a millionaire today.
October 12, 2025
Bus Tour Examines the History of Racial Violence in Florida
Leslie Poole, an associate professor of environmental studies, and Darien Brown, a sophomore at Rollins College, discussed their recent two-day tour, which took 36 students to several sites of racial violence in Florida, in this WDBO radio interview.