Local Students Showcase Innovative Designs at 29th Annual MIMIC Fair at IVCC

The 29th MIMIC Fair at Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC) will display various student product designs. The 2024 event, themed 'A Night at the Museum', will include new designs and past displays. It will be held on Wednesday, April 17, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in CTC 124 and is open to the public. Many products will be for sale, and a large item may be raffled.

The MIMIC Fair has showcased student engineering and design products for over two decades. Dorene Data, the Computer Aided Design lab manager at IVCC, plans to display past inventions to mark the college's centennial. The products could include a bat nesting house, a shopping bag carrier, and a pizza slicer.

Students have been working hard on their designs, which involves designing, building, testing, and sometimes redesigning and retesting. Data highlights the need for persistence in the design process. The challenge is to create a unique product that can still attract interest in a market full of products.

Several students shared their design process experiences. Kenny Harsted took 36 attempts to perfect a drink coaster design. Faith Pack developed a planter for any sunlit window. Josh Washkowiak created a bubble terrarium, emphasizing simplicity in design. Tyler Graves built a multi-level plant tree from scrap lumber, combining his love for woodworking, design, and family.

The MIMIC program, established 29 years ago, engages business, marketing, and design students in designing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling a product. The program simulates the real business world and requires students to pitch their products and explain their creation process for grading. Over time, the program has inspired similar initiatives in other colleges and high schools.

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