Polymers, Prototypes and Penguins: Hand Safety Reimagined during Rethink the Rink 2025

• Carnegie Mellon University students develop innovative hockey glove designs
• The Pittsburgh Penguins and Covestro lend hockey and material science expertise
• Bauer Hockey brings student prototypes to life with advanced R&D

PITTSBURGH, March 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Students at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) participated in a one-week Make-a-thon aimed at increasing hand safety in hockey as part of the award-winning Rethink the Rink program. 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, four teams of students competed, each designing a groundbreaking hockey glove prototype.

The annual Make-a-thon, now in its eighth year, challenges students' ingenuity and problem-solving skills to tackle real safety challenges in ice hockey, from the professional level down to youth hockey.

"The safety and continued evolution of protective equipment in the sport of hockey is paramount in growing the game and fostering a safe playing environment for players of all ages," said Penguins president of Business Operations Kevin Acklin. "This year, we're once again excited to partner with Covestro and Carnegie Mellon University as we work to develop new ideas with some of the brightest minds in Pittsburgh."

The winning team impressed judges from Covestro, the Penguins, CMU, and Bauer Hockey with their innovative glove design that was inspired by the physical characteristics of an armadillo. Their solution featured a flexible notch system in the glove's fingers that reduces max stress incurred in the finger by 20% in preliminary testing. It also incorporated a semi-rigid cuff to protect players' wrists without impacting mobility, a critical area of focus in hockey players.

"Hand safety is critical in everything we do – in sport, at work, truly in every area of daily life," said Samir Hifri, chairman and president of Covestro LLC. "The innovations the students brought to life during the Rethink the Rink Make-a-thon have the potential to impact hand safety both within the sport of hockey and beyond the rink. 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 development, with Bauer Hockey applying its expertise as a leading hockey glove manufacturer to potentially bring the concept to market.

"Rethink the Rink is a crash course in innovation," said Jon Cagan, David and Susan Coulter Department Head of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. "In just five days students progress from collaborative brainstorming to physical prototyping with guidance from experts at Covestro and the Pittsburgh Penguins. It's a unique, hands-on learning opportunity that builds skills our students will use to break barriers for years to come."

The Rethink the Rink initiative, launched in 2018, has already led to significant improvements in hockey rink design and player equipment. Previous years have focused on safer dasher boards, helmets, and other protective gear.

For more information about the Rethink the Rink Make-a-thon and Covestro's commitment to innovation in sports safety, please visit covestro.us.

About Covestro:
Covestro is one of the world's leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their components. With its innovative products, processes and methods, the company helps enhance sustainability and the quality of life in many areas. Covestro supplies customers around the world in key industries such as mobility, building and living, as well as the electrical and electronics sector. In addition, polymers from Covestro are also used in sectors such as sports and leisure, telecommunications and health, as well as in the chemical industry itself.

The company is geared completely to the circular economy. In addition, Covestro aims to achieve climate neutrality for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2035, and the Group's Scope 3 emissions are also set to be climate neutral by 2050. Covestro generated sales of EUR 14.2 billion in fiscal year 2024. At the end of 2024, the company had 46 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 17,500 people (calculated as full-time equivalents).

About Carnegie Mellon University:
Carnegie Mellon, cmu.edu, is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 14,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.

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This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro's public reports which are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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SOURCE COVESTRO LLC