Polymers, prototypes, and Penguins

In season nine of Rethink the Rink, 20 students from across Carnegie Mellon University competed in teams of four to design groundbreaking hockey goalie chest protector prototypes with guidance from experts at Covestro, a world-leading supplier of high-tech polymer materials, the Pittsburgh Penguins professional hockey team, and Bauer Hockey, the world’s leading hockey equipment manufacturer.

Students worked over the course of one week to solve issues associated with goalie chest protectors, including impact absorption, mobility, and functionality.

“The Penguins are proud to partner with Covestro, Carnegie Mellon University, and Bauer Hockey once again for our annual Rethink the Rink Make-a-Thon,” said Penguins Senior Vice President of Partnerships Steve Kelley. “Initiatives like Rethink the Rink are critical to ensuring that athletes’ equipment not only performs at the highest level but keeps them safe every time they step on the ice, and we’re thrilled to see how the creativity and fresh perspective from Carnegie Mellon University students can push protective equipment standards forward.”

The winning team impressed judges from Covestro, the Penguins, CMU, and Bauer Hockey with their innovative design that incorporated hexagonal impact plates and a unique cooling system—critical areas of focus in hockey goalie safety and comfort. The students drew inspiration from aerospace and motorsports applications, applying engineering concepts used in high-performance environments to improve protection and breathability for goalies.

“Safety is critical in everything we do, whether it is in sports, at work or in daily life,” said Samir Hifri, chairman and president of Covestro LLC. “The designs the CMU students brought to life during the Rethink the Rink Make-a-thon remind us that there is always room to improve if we think creatively and work hard. This partnership unites future innovators, material science experts, and athletes with the common goal of improving safety. We’re honored to be a part of this collaboration."

The students’ designs will now be considered for further development. The team of experts at Bauer Hockey will lend their expertise as a leading hockey equipment manufacturer to potentially bring the concept to market in the future.

“The level of engineering thinking these students brought to goalie chest protection, tackling weight, safety, and range of motion in the same solution, in one week, is exactly the kind of bold problem-solving our sport needs,” according to Dan Bourgeois, vice president of product innovation at Bauer Hockey. “Partnering with CMU, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Covestro on Rethink the Rink continues to challenge our own assumptions about what protective equipment can be."

In one exciting week, students experience a crash course in engineering design and pitching solutions.

Sandra DeVincent Wolf, Executive Director, CMU’s Manufacturing Futures Institute

“This make-a-thon provides a unique experiential learning opportunity for our students,” explains Sandra DeVincent Wolf, CMU’s Manufacturing Futures Institute executive director. “It allows them to work in teams across disciplines to solve a real-world problem. In one exciting week, they experience a crash course in engineering design and pitching solutions. We are proud of what they have accomplished and grateful for this long-standing partnership.”

Best Solution: Team Green

HEX-FLOW: Maximizing Torsional Mobility and Kinetic Ventilation

• Ethan Steeg, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
• Geetika Gupta, B.S. in Chemical Engineering
• Joy Ji, B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering & Biomedical Engineering - voted MVP by teammates
• Niya Sejpal, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Design Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Zachary Hopp, Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering

Team Blue

AegisVest: Complete Thermal and Impact Management

• Mithilya Raj - B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Monish Piraimudi - M.S. in Mechanical Engineering - voted MVP by teammates
• Seunghyeok Lee - B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Vani Nigam - M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering
• Vian Garg - B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Team Gold

HexCon Goalie Chest Protection: Improved Temperature and Rebound Control

• Evan Somlo, B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering & Biomedical Engineering - voted MVP by teammates
• Faith Chiarappa, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering & Statistics and Data Science
• Jihyun Park, Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering
• Misal Bhalala, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering & Robotics
• Nicholas Graham, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Team Purple

The Puck Stops Here

• Andrés Lizardo, B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering
• Andy Lu, B.S. in Chemical Engineering
• Clara Devaux, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering - voted MVP by teammates
• Sanay Tralshawala, M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
• Shreedhar Todi, M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering