A grant from the Indiana University Women's Philanthropy Council will allow more students to participate in IU Kokomo’s Innovation Symposium overseas travel program.
The grant will cover travel expenses for eight to 10 students to spend three weeks in England and Scotland in May and June 2015. This is no tourist trip as students visit museums and ecological sites, learn about philanthropy, the environment and technology, and each participant develops a program to solve a local problem.
“Because of this tremendous gift, the 2015 Innovation Symposium members should be able to pay less than any previous group has,” said Karla Stouse, program leader, in a press release. “This will allow all students who are nominated to seriously consider applying, because they won’t be as concerned about the money.”
Students are nominated for the by-invitation-only class, which encourages students to think about global issues and how they can solve the world’s problems. They spend a semester researching technology, the environment and philanthropy before travelling for three weeks in England and Scotland.
Jaina Hattabaugh, Kokomo, focused on the environment as a participant in the 2014 Innovation Symposium. She plans to organize a 5K walk where participants pick up trash along the way.
“Visiting the Eden Project inspired me to think of what I can do to contribute, to make the world a better place,” Hattabuagh said. “They’re really focused on the environment and what we as individuals can do. It really made me grow as a person.”
The Eden Project, a visitor attraction focused on sustainability education, was one of the stops on the Innovation Symposium trip.
“Ultimately, our goal is to empower students to create positive change,” Strouse said. “The Innovation Symposium requires students to go beyond just visiting an international destination. They have to apply what they have seen and learned, so they can develop ways to make the world better.”
Cost for the 2014 trip was $3,500 per student, a sum out of reach for many students, according to Leann Cook, one of the participants. Even many of those selected to go struggled to pay for the experience, she said.
“Knowing there is money to help pay your expenses means you can say yes earlier, rather than trying to figure out how you’re going to pay for it,” she said. “That means reservations can be made earlier, when prices are lower, which brings down the total cost of the trip.”
Stouse said travel costs for the program have increased substantially since 2008. Hotel rooms that cost $100 per night when the program began now cost $160 or more per night, and the cost of airfare has nearly doubled.
IU Kokomo’s grant was one of nine approved by the WPC, for a total of $108,000 in funding. There were 37 grant applications, from eight IU campuses. The nine selected programs received funding ranging from $7,000 to $17,000. The council has awarded more than $325,000 in grant funding since it began in 2012.
Kay Booth, WPC chairwoman and a founding member of the council, said its mission is to strengthen IU and the communities in which members live.
“We are thrilled to support these unique initiatives that address critical needs in health, diversity and scholarship in local, national and international arenas,” she said. “Many lives will be touched and we firmly believe that the world will be a better place as a direct result of these projects.”
Joey Fellow, Kokomo, also participated in this year’s Innovation Symposium. He found inspiration not only from The Eden Project, but also from visiting the tombs of Sir Robert Baden Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts, and Sir Isaac Newton, one of the world’s most influential scientists, at Westminster Abbey.
“They were people who looked at things in a different way,” Fellow said. “Newton challenged the way people lived, and became the forefather of many disciplines. He didn’t limit himself.”
The visits made him consider how he could combine his love of science and his business management major, leading him to begin developing a prototype for a more energy efficient electric outlet.
“I want to start my own company,” he said. “I feel I have a lot to offer by doing that. We don’t have to go overseas to find innovation; we can look within our own borders and find it. No matter where we are, there is a need for innovation.”
As a nursing student, Israel Nieto, Kokomo, sees a need for change in how nurses take patients’ vitals, and he is working to create a new system because of the Innovation Symposium program.
“This experience opened my eyes to think outside the box,” he said. “Every hospital, every nurse takes vitals the same way. Nobody questions why, but now I question it. With the device I’m trying to build, I’m going to revolutionize the way we take vitals.”
Other students participating in the 2014 trip included John Williams, Fairmount; Amber Ancil, Gas City; Haylee Cullison and Tyler Keck, Kokomo; and Leann Cook, Martinsville.