Cross-campus collaboration and outside-the-box thinking played a vital role in the final home swim meet at UNC Pembroke––a meet that nearly didn’t happen.
Swim coach Oscar Roverato scrambled to replace a broken starting block bracket only to learn the manufacturer no longer makes the part. Days before the meet, there was no time to replace each starting block, which would have been costly.
“I was in bad shape,” Roverato said.
As he was contemplating canceling the competition, Willis Glassgow, the university’s photographer, directed him to the Department of Chemistry and Physics which houses an industrial-grade Fusion3 F410 3D printer. Roverato met with physics professor Steven Singletary who produced an exact replica of the 22-inch plastic bracket, which fit perfectly.
With the new bracket in place, the women’s swim team broke two school records in wins over nationally ranked Lenoir-Rhyne and Roanoke. Even sweeter, the victories came on Senior Day and helped the Lady Braves remain perfect at home this season.
Roverato was proud to see his team atop the podium but equally grateful for the collegial support across campus.
“All the coaches and I live in Jones (Center), so I had no clue we had a 3D printer on campus, but it is important to understand the quality of resources we have on campus. Solving a problem like this in-house was a big deal because it was important to our seniors that day,” Roverato said.
Dr. Singletary leads free summer 3D printer workshops and plans to add a course to the general curriculum to attract students to the 3-plus-2 dual engineering program with N.C. State University.
“We have a large, concentrated effort to grow 3D printing on campus as a way to make this technology more accessible to students and anyone in the community interested in learning more about 3D printing,” Singletary said.
“A lot of the credit goes to our photographer Willis for making the connection. Often, we are isolated from the rest of campus––working in silos, so I need to poke my head out and reach out across campus and let everyone know the capabilities of our department. Being able to assist the athletic department in this way shows our work isn’t just an academic pursuit––we are changing lives,” Singletary continued.
