Danville Community College (DCC) is seeking students from Pittsylvania County Schools, Danville Public Schools, Caswell Public Schools, Halifax County Public Schools, area private schools, DCC, and the community to participate in its annual Idea Fair being held in the Temple Building on the DCC campus on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
"At DCC, we aim to nurture and cultivate innovation, creativity, and new ideas," said Dr. Jerry Wallace, president of DCC. "Providing a platform for students to showcase their work creates a secure environment where creativity can flourish and students can boldly explore innovative concepts. As an institution of higher education, our active participation in this creative process is important to us."
The Idea Fair is held annually to support the development of new, creative entrepreneurial ideas.
“We have seen some amazing, unique, and creative projects come from our annual Idea Fair,” said Dr. Cornelius Johnson, vice president of Academic Affairs and Student Services. “Participants always come prepared with well-thought-out projects and ideas that they have put a lot of work into. It is inspiring to see the collective innovation of students from our region.”
The Idea Fair, meant to ignite innovation and creativity in students, seeks to address disparities, such as the lack of intentional entrepreneurial programming for women and people of color, an underdeveloped pipeline for youth entrepreneurship, and a lack of support for entrepreneurs facing isolation.
“Every great invention or business started with an idea,” said Dr. Willie Sherman, professor of business at DCC and coordinator of the Idea Fair. “We encourage our participants to share their ideas because those ideas could become a business or invention that could change the lives of many.”
The Idea Fair at Danville Community College has become an annual tradition that students have come to expect and look forward to each year.
“The Idea Fair has been an annual event for nearly a decade,” said Dr. Paul Fox, Dean of Arts, Sciences, & Business. “Over time, we have had the distinct pleasure of seeing many of the projects presented at the fair become established businesses in our community.”
Participation
To participate, students submit their original entrepreneurial ideas to be judged by a panel of volunteers from local high schools, universities, and businesses. Projects will be judged on originality, creativity, project design, presentation, innovation, diversity, economic impact, sustainability, and how well the project solves a relevant problem. Participants must be present to explain their projects to the Judges and other attendees.
Awards
Winners will be awarded for their submissions:
1st place student - $300
2nd place student - $200
3rd place student - $100
Each additional participant - $50
Registration
To register, visit www.danville.edu/ideafair2024
For questions about the Idea Fair, please contact Dr. Willie Sherman at 434-797-8470, or willie.sherman@danville.edu
Contacts
