Faculty and Staff

Dr. Gregory W. Davis, professor of Mechanical Engineering
Ph.D. from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor in Mechanical Engineering, with expertise in automotive engineering and energy systems.

Davis finds Kettering students to be motivated gearheads and feels that it is the cooperative education experience that distinguishes them from students at other colleges. He enjoys working with students, especially those involved in the SAE design teams (Clean Snowmobile, Baja, and Formula). It was automotive engineering and the teaching reputation of Kettering which first attracted Davis to teaching here.

Once a student came to Davis' office to ask about his grade during the last week of the term. He wanted to know if was going to pass the Plastics course. Davis doesn't teach Plastics; at the time it was taught by an older faculty member, Dr. C. Davis! Davis informed him that he was probably not doing well and sent him down the hall to discuss his situation with Dr. C. Davis.

His hot tip for prospective students is to "join an SAE student team to maximize your experience!"

Hidden talents and outside interests: When not teaching or working with SAE students, Davis spends time camping, hiking, fishing, and off-roading.

Automotive emissions
Computer software packages
Engine development, multifuel
Engine testing
Finite element methods
Numerical methods

Dr. Richard E. Dippery, Jr., professor of Mechanical Engineering
Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati in Mechanical Engineering, with expertise in design and failure of mechanical components, gearing, and boundary element methods.

Dippery views Kettering students as interested, personable and diverse. It is their "interest in how things work and their interest in enhancing practical knowledge in the real world," that sets Kettering students apart from others their age. He was initially drawn to teaching at Kettering because academics are the main concern ahead of research. Dippery enjoys the closeness with students.

Several years ago, a student asked Dippery if he could be excused from class to visit his ailing grandmother. Dippery told him it was okay. About a year later the same student visited the office of a colleague who was not there and Dippery offered to help. The student again asked if he could be excused from class to visit an ailing grandmother. When Dippery asked him if this was the same ailing grandmother from the previous year, the students chin dropped almost to the floor and he left. He never did approach Dippery's colleague about missing class.

His advice to prospective students is that "if you want a professor 'who cares' and you want an education to prepare you for the 'real world,' this is it."

Hidden talents and outside interests: When not teaching or researching Dippery spends time in such diverse activities as reading and railroading.

Boundary element methods
Design
Failure analysis
Fatigue
Finite element stress analysis
Mechanical design
Optimization, in design
Pressure vessel
Stress analysis

Dr. Raghu Echempati, professor of Mechanical Engineering
Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology in Mechanical Engineering, with expertise in design simulation and metal forming.

Echempati finds Kettering students capable, talented, and goal-oriented, and feels they are different from students at other schools because their extensive cooperative education experience makes it interesting in class discussions. It is through them that Echempati feels a connection with industries. It is this connection with industry partners through co-op experience and the student thesis program that he enjoys the most and what drew him to teach at Kettering.

His hot tip for prospective students is that "they should continue to work hard while enjoying the cooperative education experience."

Hidden talents and outside interests: When not teaching or engaged in research, Echempati enjoys travel, international and cultural experiences, tennis, and jogging.

Computer aided design
Fatigue
Finite element methods
Machine design
Manufacturing product design, synthesis and conceptual design
Mechanical design
Mechanism design
Metal-forming simulation
Sheet metal forming
Vibrations

Kent S. Eddy, lecturer of Mechanical Engineering
B.S.M.E and E.I.T. from Saginaw Valley State University, with expertise in CAD and HVAC.

Eddy finds Kettering students to be intelligent and possessing potential. Kettering students are distinguished by an above-average maturity academically, emotionally and socially. Eddy enjoys encouraging students to set and attain their life goals. He says he was initially attracted to teaching at Kettering because he "wanted to be an encouragement and example to students" while advancing his own education.

For any quiz handed in, Eddy gives a minimum of two points out of 10 as long as the student's name and the correct section number are filled in on the top of the quiz, reserving "zeroes" for students who don't show up for class. He says he has given only a single one-point quiz where the student failed to fill out the information on the top completely; and the section number was correct. Somehow the student had written down the wrong first name. The student was as befuddled as Eddy as to why the error had occurred.

Hidden talents and outside interests: When not teaching or learning, Eddy home schools his children, hunts and enjoys horticulture.