There’s No Better Time to Get Innovative

Photo supplied by Doherty Center Instagram account

The Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, located in Sankey Hall, is a hub for students to engage in hands-on learning experiences. The center, open to students of all majors, holds events throughout the year that cultivate creativity and design-thinking, with an emphasis on meaningful social impact. Entrepreneurship-themed events and activities include: the Women and Entrepreneurship Conference, the B-Corp Meet and Greet, Black Innovation Matters, and, most recently, the Elon Innovation Challenge.

The Elon Innovation Challenge, which was held on February 29, is a one-day social innovation competition where students from multiple universities work to solve a compelling social issue. The social issue isn’t revealed until the day of the event to promote in-house collaborative thinking and fair judging.

On this day, teams of 4-6 representing various majors work together to present a solution for this relevant issue with the guidance of judges. Throughout the day, students also have the opportunity to listen to insightful speakers to further broaden their knowledge and perspective of the social issue. Speakers and judges come from businesses both throughout the state and within the university. Other resources, including coaches and facts, are available to the teams to guide their thought process and analytical skills.

One participant reflected on last year’s experience.

"This event afforded us the opportunity to work together with other students and resulted in the growth of each student on the team. The facilities and programming added great value to the day, and I would absolutely recommend every student being part of the Elon Innovation Challenge next year!"

As if the experience itself wasn’t intriguing enough to participate in, the top three teams selected by the judge panel will receive cash prizes of $1,500, $1,000 and $600.

In addition to hosting events, the center also provides an open space for students to simply do homework or work on projects with friends. Experienced professionals are also available by appointment for advice on how to develop their passions and channel their energy.

For more information on how you can stay up-to-date on the center’s events, follow the Doherty Center on Instagram and Twitter (@dohertycenter) and on LinkedIn.