Wins

IHA Student Design Competition

Elegant products that simplify consumers ’ lives captured the top prizes in the International Housewares Association’s 30th a n n u a l S t u d e n t D e s i g n C om p e t i t i on T h e i n d u s t r y ’ s preeminent student design contest is celebrating three decades of innovation for the house and home.

This year ’ s winners inc lude a breast pump washing basin for moms on the go, yarn storage system for craf ters, produce keeper and ripener, plant watering system, tactile safety system for the visually impaired and a coffee grounds storage and recyc ling system

The competition, sponsored this year by Procter & Gamble, challenges college students to redesign a current housewares product to meet the needs of the future or to create a concept for a new product W inning projects are selected for their inno vation, understanding of production and marketing principles and quality of entr y materials

Since 1993, more than 6,500 entries have been submitted to the rigorous competition, which honors excellent design as well as communications skills W inners have launched successful careers in the housewares and design industries and have returned to judge other student contestants

The winning industrial design students and their products will be on display during The Inspired Home Show 2023, IHA’s global home + housewares marketplace, March 4-7 at Chicago’s McCormick P lace The winners and their products can be viewed on the Show ’ s website

Katherine Gaylord, a junior at University of Notre Dame, captured first place and $3,500 for S tack, a breast pump dr ying rack for the breast pump pieces It helps nursing mothers who pump at work or in public restrooms to safely, e a s i l y a n d d i s c re e t l y w a s h , d r y a n d s t o re b re a s t p u m p equipment

“Stack is a c lear winner because Katherine saw the many complications that mothers face with breast milk pumping and developed an all-integrated product,” said competition judge Amanda Bolton of Procter & Gamble “Her design is visually beautiful, calming, inviting and a great example of human-centered innovation ”

Two students will be honored with second place awards of $2,300 each: Alicja Ramotowski, a senior from University of

Notre Dame, for SPIN, a home yarn dispenser and storage solution, and Austin L eibgott, a junior from Appalachian State University for Alma, a produce keeper and ripener

SPIN utilizes an angled trajector y to make the dispensing process of yarn as seamless as possible and works with a variety of differently spun yarns Additionally, the user can place need les and unfinished projects into the spool of yarn as a simultaneous storage and display piece

Developed in response to the enormous amount of food waste across the globe, Alma keeps produce fresh while simultaneously being eco-friend ly by reducing consumption and lowering consumers ’ carbon footprint Alma refrigerates produce without the use of electr icit y and expedites the r ipening process so fresh produce c an be enjoyed when desired

Three students will share third place and each will receive a $1,000 prize: P lanted, by Aiden C Schutte, a junior at Western Michigan University, helps inexperienced or timecrunched plant owners maintain healthy plants and a desired aesthetic in the home Water gets to the soil by penetrating through a hole at the bottom of the planter, which allows the plant to drink as much as it needs without over watering

C h i , by C h a r l o t t e B r i t t a i n , a s e n i o r a t t h e C l e ve l a n d Institute of Art, is a tactile safety system for the visually impaired, providing invisible hazard awareness The system of wearable sensor y devices consists of a visual sensor, vibrating feedback units, a digital data hub and charging home Chi helps the visually impaired identify overhead hazards that cannot be detected by the traditional white cane This c u t t i n g - e d ge t e c h n o l o g y a l s o s h ow s p rom i s e i n t h e advancement of assistive technolog y

GROUND, from Augustine Curran-Muñoz, a Purdue University senior, is a coffee grounds storage system that promotes recyc ling of used grounds by storing and heattreating them for future fertilizer use GROUND heat-treats the coffee grounds passively in a dedicated storage capsule and compresses the grounds when ready into compact fertilizer pucks, saving greatly on storage space

S i x p ro j e c t s m e r i t e d designers and will receive $250 each:

• Ian Allard, a junior at Kendall College of Art and Design, for circL-assisted composter

• Haleigh Esene, a senior at University of Houston, for Knot, a re-designed kettlebell

• Sydney F lorine, a senior at University of Notre Dame, for tube, a bird feeder for senior-citizens

• Yuanxiang E Huang, a junior at Western Washington University, for Sol, a sunrise alarm

• Anna L orino, a junior at Western Michigan University, f o r S a f e S t e a m , a s t e a m i ron f o r p e o p l e w i t h v i s u a l impairments

• Ray McVicker, a junior at Western Washington University, for Glo Charcoal Grill

This year ’ s winners were selected by a panel of 14 judges, inc luding five past S tudent Design Competition winners whose honors led to successful industrial design careers: 2015 winner Evan Cincotta, head of design, Susteau, N.Y.; Chris Cunningham, Cunningham Design, Chicago; 1995 winner Robert Giacolo, new product development program manager, Transcendia, Naper ville, Ill ; Carly Hagins, associate professor, Product Design, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo; 2010 winner Teddy L u, creative director, VEO Chic ago, Chicago; 2018 winner Anastasia Miller, senior industrial designer, Doris Dev, Brooklyn, N Y ; 1996 winner Jennifer Nemec, principal & founder, Ideation Studio, Chicago; David Richter-O’Connell, assistant professor, Industrial Design, U n i ve r s i t y o f W i s c on s i n - S t o u t , M e n om on i e ; K i m b e r l e e W ilkens, director, BDes in Industrial Design and assistant professor, Industrial Design, University of Illinois at Chicago; James Rudolph, co-founder and program manager, Rudolph Design Studio, St Joseph, Mich ; Michael Patton, design manager, Home & Wellness, Newell Brands, Kalamaz oo, Mich.; Yashodhan Dhuru, senior design director, Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati; Ky ra W ilsonhouc k, design director, Pro c t e r & G a m b l e ; Am a n d a B o l t on , s e n i o r i n n o v a t i on designer, Procter & Gamble

The Inspired Home Show, IHA’s global home + housewares marketplace, will be held March 4-7 at Chicago’s McCormick P lace Complex KN