The Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation (E+I) and the Department of Physics at Grove City College announced the winners of the fourth annual SAFR Challenge, which tests students’ skills in physics innovation. The SAFR Challenge was made possible by the generous sponsorship of 2nd Skull, a protective headgear company based in Pittsburgh that
offers a patented line of impact-reducing products for athletes at all levels.
The SAFR (Strain and Force Reduction) Challenge tasked teams of students with developing and creating stylish but functional concussion-prevention headgear for wheeled recreation.
The challenge began as a lab exercise in Physics Professor Dr. Shane Brower’s Fundamentals of the Universe class at Grove City College and is now an annual on-stage pitch competition, allowing students to use their classroom learning to solve real world problems.
This year’s initial phase of the challenge took place in a lab overseen by Physics Professors Dr. Glenn Marsch and Dr. Jeffrey Wolinski. The second phase was the collaboration with E+I, which elevates the impact of the lab by providing students with an opportunity to present their final product in a public forum to qualified experts in science and innovation.
“We are excited to partner with professors across campus to bring this interdisciplinary Innovation Challenge model to their project courses,” said Robb Myer, Assistant Director of E+I. “Transforming academic theory into practical, real-world economic value creation through the competition format has proven to be extremely popular with students.”
E+I exists to provide students of all majors with practical skills and hands-on experiences that prepare them to innovate and succeed in their chosen field.
Fifty-six students in the initial phase of the competition were split into nineteen teams. Their headgear was judged on a combination of criteria including force reduction, appearance, level of comfort, practicality, and the quality of the group’s presentation. The top six teams qualified for the final round.
The finalists were judged by Dr. Mike Bright, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Professor Tim Sweet, Chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship, and Federico Olivares, founder and inventor of 2nd Skull.
The winning teams were:
- First Place ($300) – Zelmet – Emma Steiger '27 and Marcus Loizes ‘27
- Second Place ($225) – Super Protective Goth Helmet – Alessandro Rose '26 and Jingyuan (Joy) Liu '27
- Third Place ($150) – Buccaneer Bucket – Tyler Gladstone '26, Abigail Larko '27, and Treyton Sarvis ‘27
- Fan Favorite ($100 prize, voted on by audience members) – Jamar's Helmet – Leah Morgan '26 and Anna Wolcott '27
For more about E+I and to watch a recording of the SAFR Challenge, visit gccentrepreneurship.com.
For more about Physics at Grove City College, visit gcc.edu/phys.