Lights manufactured at Trine are tested at YMCA

By Catherine E. Porter
marketing and communication ’16 

Trine University’s Innovation One partnered with the YMCA of Steuben County to see new technology light up.

Nathaniel Scroggins, a Lilly intern and design engineering technology senior at Trine University, worked with Tri-State alumnus Nick Santino to redesign his New York-based company’s swimming reaction lights. After improving the light design throughout his summer internship with Innovation One, Scroggins was able to see his project put into practical use at the Y last week.

The YMCA’s Wavemakers swim team reacted positively to the new equipment installed Jan. 20. In late January, a swim competition at the Steuben County YMCA tested the swim reaction lights with a bigger group of swimmers from the DeKalb County and South Bend YMCA clubs.

Swimming reaction lights were created to improve the field of competitive swimming by making it easier to distinguish the start signal. Rather than listening for an auditory signal in a loud arena, swimmers can focus solely on their lanes and watch for the visual signal provided by the lights. Scroggins’ redesign of the lights cut the costs of production dramatically and improved their aesthetics and functionality.

The lights are manufactured at Trine University with Scroggins operating the small business.