Kettering University honored seven faculty members for outstanding teaching, research and citizenship during the institution’s University Conference for employees in September. Provost Dr. Michael Harris congratulated the recipients and thanked members of the committee that made the recommendations to him. He indicated this is the first time that faculty recognitions have been based on recommendations submitted by a faculty committee. “Recognizing faculty for outstanding teaching, research and citizenship is a reflection of the entire faculty's commitment to academic excellence," said Harris.

The seven honorees were:

Dr. Ilya Kudish, professor of Mathematics, who received the 2008 Rodes Professorship, for his project entitled, “Design of stable numerical methods for elastohydrodynamic lubrication.”  The Rodes Professorship honors Kettering faculty for breadth and depth of knowledge, commitment to diligence in terms of academic research, and leadership in developing and applying an area of knowledge, among other attributes.

The award includes a grant of $5,000 to provide the recipient with opportunity for continued professional development and a chance to disseminate the results of their research to Kettering students, alumni, University clubs, industrial groups and other colleges and universities.

Dr. Petros Gheresus, professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, who received the 2008 Faculty Distinguished Citizenship Award. This award is conferred upon a faculty member who serves the University through sustained engagement in activities such as leadership in departmental or university committees, participation in activities that contribute to the strategic mission of the university, activities that contribute to the recruitment, retention, and satisfaction of Kettering students, and performance in leadership positions in local, regional, state, national, and/or international professional organizations.

Three faculty won the 2008 Outstanding Teaching Awards:

Dr. Yuri Sikorski, assistant professor of Physics;

Dr. Stacy Seeley, interim head of Chemistry/Biochemistry and Pre-Med coordinator; and

Dr. Bassem Ramadan, professor of Mechanical Engineering.

The Outstanding Teaching Award honors faculty who have demonstrated outstanding teaching and support for students.

Dr. Peter Stanchev, professor of Computer Science, received the 2008 Outstanding Researcher Award for his substantial contributions to the area of medical imaging and multimedia systems recognized throughout the world.

Dr. Gianfranco DiGuiseppe, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering, received the 2008 Outstanding New Researcher Award for his work in fuel cell research.

Dr. Ilya Kudish was also honored with the 2008 Distinguished Researcher Award for his contributions to the science of tribology and contact mechanics that are recognized worldwide.

Commencement is June 14

Innovation and technology will be the theme for Kettering University’s Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, June 14, in the Connie and Jim John Recreation Center.

Kettering President Stan Liberty will preside at the 11 a.m. graduation services for 315 graduates (238 undergrads and 77 master’s candidates).  The grand marshal will once again be Dr. Henry Kowalski, professor of Mechanical Engineering. 

Two technology innovators, who helped propel their industries to new heights, will receive honorary degrees.  They are: Dr. Curtis R. Carlson, president and chief executive officer of SRI International, and the late David W. Hermance, a 1970 graduate of Kettering/GMI, who has been called “the ambassador for green cars” and “a giant in advanced vehicle technologies.”

Two graduates of Kettering’s Academically Interested Minorities program (AIM) are the undergraduate student speakers.  They are Gadryn Higgs and Stephanie Thach.  Higgs is from Freeport, Bahamas, and will receive a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Thach is from Flint and will receive a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering. 

James Bendert of San Diego, Calif., will receive the Outstanding Thesis Award and a bachelor’s degree in Applied Physics.  His co-op was at Argonne National Labs in Argonne, Ill.  Bendert's thesis title is: "Diagnostics of PEM Fuel Cell Electrolytes by Raman Spectroscopy and AC Impedance Spectroscopy". It covers diagnostic study of cation impurities in PEM fuel cell electrolytes by Raman spectroscopy and AC impedance spectroscopy both in the pure membrane form and within the electrode. He was nominated by his faculty adviser Dr. Bahram Roughani, interim department head of Physics.

Here are the highlights of the upcoming ceremony:

Saturday, June 14, 2008, 11 a.m. 

• Connie and Jim John Recreation Center 
• No tickets required to attend Commencement 
• Allow 1 1/2 hours for the ceremony 
• Presiding: Kettering University President Stan Liberty
• Grand Marshal: Dr. Henry Kowalski of Mechanical Engineering
• Parking is free and available in all campus parking lots 
• Information center will be on the first floor of the Campus Center (behind the elevators), outside BJ's Lounge, from 8:30 - 11 a.m. 
• There is no graduation rehearsal
• Total graduates: 238 undergraduates, 77 master’s candidates 
• Graduates expecting to march: 144 undergraduates, 30 graduate 
• Expected number of guests: 1,600 
• Faculty will host a light breakfast in the International Room, Fifth Floor of the Campus Center, 8:30-10 a.m. 
• Recreation Center doors open at 9 a.m. for visitors to arrive and be seated 
• Faculty and staff members assemble for the Processional between 10-10:55 a.m. in the Third Floor, Recreation Center 
• Graduates assemble on the first floor of the Campus Center (just outside BJ's Lounge) between 10:30-10:55 a.m.  
• Formal processional begins at 11 a.m.

HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENTS: 2
Dr. Curtis R. Carlson

HONORARY DOCTOR OF SCIENCE
President and Chief Executive Officer
SRI International
Menlo Park, California 

Carlson will present the Commencement address.  He helped start and lead the high-definition television (HDTV) program that became the U.S. standard and won an Emmy Award for outstanding technical achievement.  Another team started and led by Carlson won an Emmy in 2000 for a system that measures broadcast image quality.  See his entire bio at: http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=2765

David W. Hermance ’70

HONORARY DOCTOR OF ENGINEERING (Posthumous Award)
Executive Engineer for Advanced Technology Vehicles
Toyota Technical Center, USA
Gardena, California

Hermance has been called “the point man for an entire technology – the gasoline-electric hybrid.”  He died in November 2006 when his single-engine stunt plane crashed into the ocean near Los Angeles.  Hermance’s wife, Mary, and family members will accept a posthumous award.  See his entire bio at: http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=2766.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT SPEAKERS:  2
Gadryn Higgs of Freeport, Bahamas (AIM graduate), Mechanical Engineering
Stephanie Thach of Flint (AIM graduate), Industrial Engineering

ACADEMIC HONORS:
Summa Cum Laude (97.0-100) - 6
Magna Cum Laude (94.5-96.9) - 12
Cum Laude (92-94.4) - 29

PRESIDENT’S MEDALISTS: 5
Gadryn Higgs, Freeport, Bahamas;
Ken Luiten, Tucson, Ariz.;
Kristin Rice, Albany, N.Y.;
Robert Riggs, Spring, Texas; and
Ryan Sullivan, Ada, Mich.

SOBEY SCHOLARS: 4
Gadryn Higgs of Freeport, Bahamas;
Kristin Rice of Albany, N.Y.;
Ryan Sullivan, Ada, Mich.; and Stephanie Welch of Clio, Mich. 

OUTSTANDING THESIS AWARD:  1
James Bendert of San Diego, Calif.  

TOTAL GRADUATES, BY DEGREE: 315
Undergraduate Degrees:
1          Applied Mathematics
4          Applied Physics
1          Biochemistry
2          Chemistry
5          Computer Engineering
4          Computer Science
35        Electrical Engineering
0          Engineering Physics
14        Industrial Engineering
14        Management
150      Mechanical Engineering
4          Dual (Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering)
2          Dual (Computer Science and Computer Engineering)
1          Dual (Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics)
1          Dual (Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering)
238     TOTAL

Master’s Degrees:
9          MBA
5          Engineering Management
9          Engineering
1          Information Technology
5          Manufacturing Management
33        Manufacturing Operations
12        Operations Management
2          Dual (Operations Management and MBA)
1          Dual (Engineering Management and MBA)
77        TOTAL  

FOR MORE ON COMMENCEMENT, visit: http://www.kettering.edu/registrar/commencement_information.jsp

HOTELS/RESTAURANTS: Contact the Flint Area Convention and Visitors Bureau: 1-800-24-FLINT or (810) 232-2211.

CAN WE HELP? 1-800-955-4464, ext. 9585, or 810-762-9585.

Written by Patricia Mroczek
810.762.9533
pmroczek@kettering.edu

Always on the cutting edge of what is happening in industry and the marketplace, the new degree program was approved by the Kettering University board in March, effective for the 2007-08 academic year.

"This program will fill a niche in technology and industry usually not addressed by traditional engineering programs and it coincides with the growth in high-tech industries such as telecommunication, photonics, electronic materials, biotechnology and nanotechnology," said Dr. Bahram Roughani, professor and department head for Physics at Kettering.

The traditional Applied Physics program prepares students for careers or graduate studies in the areas of Physics and Applied Sciences. Engineering Physics, on other hand, gives students a more detailed engineering curriculum that allows them to pursue careers in Engineering as well as graduate degrees in Engineering and Physics, according to Roughani.

"The resources to develop this degree program were already available at Kettering. We were able to leverage those resources to develop this degree program without adding infrastructure. In the process we created more options for our students," he said.

Kettering's EP curriculum was benchmarked against the highest ranked EP programs in the nation in terms of content and quality, and did not require additional laboratory, staff, resources, expenses, or budget. In addition, the program has the support of the Physics Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) at Kettering with curriculum developed in part based on recommendations of IAB members to respond to current and emerging industrial needs and market opportunities.

Based on integrated program content across disciplinary boundaries, the EP degree at Kettering is comprised of 40 courses that combine knowledge in optics, acoustics, materials, nanotechnology, modern physics, waves, quantum mechanics, photonics, optoelectronics, solid state physics and nuclear physics with a sequence of existing engineering courses with emphasis on systems engineering applications.

Ultimately, the program unifies areas of industrial physics with a sequence of courses in engineering applications. This, along with the unique work integrated co-op education and industrial thesis, puts the Kettering University Physics program ahead of most undergraduate programs in the nation.

"We offer two unique undergraduate Physics degree programs designed to provide flexibility for our students to combine their general education, science education, physics and applied physics with a sequence that might be from various fields such as applied sciences, engineering, and business," said Roughani. "We prepare our students for two options after graduation, either an immediate career in industry, the private sector or government, or further studies in a graduate program in variety of science, engineering, medical, or even business fields," he said.

The start of the EP program coincides with formation of the new Physics Department. Kettering restructured academic departments to reflect the growth in applied science degree programs at the University since 1995. The restructuring separated Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science and Chemistry/Bio-Chemistry into independent departments.

The success of all these programs depends on a university-wide integrated approach, according to Roughani. He is encouraged by the leadership at Kettering and the new vision for diversifying the University and expanding beyond the institution's traditional boundaries.

View more information about the Engineering Physics major.

Written by Dawn Hibbard
810-762-9865
dhibbard@kettering.edu

They presented the program for the first time to students at St. Pius Catholic School in Flint, Mich. Six of the nine SPS members in Kettering's A Section demonstrated scientific principles such as momentum and diffraction through a series of hands-on activities.

"We developed the program to ignite an interest in math and science in students from sixth through eighth grades," said Josh Rea, of Temperance, Mich., and SPS president. The group is eligible to receive grants from the national SPS organization for community service projects, he added.

To make Physics "phun" for the students at St. Pius School, SPS came up with some demonstrations using everyday objects. To illustrate momentum they used a small car with a marble in a cup on top. The car was pushed forward and a lever popped the marble into the air. Because the marble and car were traveling at the same velocity, the car caught the marble in the cup as it rolled forward. Then the group added weights to the car to increase its velocity. Because it was moving faster than the marble in the air, the marble dropped behind the car missing the cup.

"We tied this demonstration to the importance of wearing seat belts in a car," said Rea, "comparing the passengers in the car to the marble. Both are traveling at the same velocity, and if the car stops quickly the passengers are still moving unless they are restrained," he said.

To explain why parents encourage beginning bike riders to "ride faster because it's easier," SPS used a bike wheel on handles to illustrate the effects of anglular velocity and rotation. "The faster the wheel spins the harder it is to move it off its rotational axis," said Rea.

They were also able to explain the conservation of angular momentum, or why figure skaters slow down when they spread out their arms and speed up when they pull their arms in toward their bodies. They put St. Pius students on a spinning base (like a lazy susan) and had them hold books in their outstretched hands. First they spun them around slowly then had them pull their arms in to their chests, and of course, they spun faster.

SPS resorted to Optics for the "ooh and ahh" effect, said Rea. The groups used lenses, mirrors and prisms with a laser to show diffraction of light. First they shone a flashlight through a single slit in a piece of paper. The result is that one only sees a slit of light. When a laser is shone through the slit it spreads out in an entire line of color, creating a diffraction pattern.

The SPS members involved in the program at St. Pius included:
Josh Rea, of Temperance, Mich.,
Kurt Webb, of Manistee, Mich.,
Christopher Ocedek, of Swartz Creek, Mich.,
Herman Orgeron, of Stafford, Va.,
Scott Duhaime, of Troy, Mich., and
Ken Meyer, of Rochester, Mich.

SPS will present their program again March 21 at a junior high in Grand Blanc, Mich. In addition to working with primary and secondary students, SPS also offers Physics tutoring for Kettering students enrolled in Physics 1 and 2.

For more information about SPS contact Josh Rea or Dr. Daniel Russell, associate professor of Physics and SPS adviser.

Written by Dawn Hibbard
810-762-9865
dhibbard@kettering.edu

This website provides PDF copies of conference proceedings published by faculty on recent research efforts, as well as science journalism that has appeared in national media outlets on research activities undertaken by Kettering faculty members. The goal behind this website is to help the University connect in deeper ways with visitors and alumni by posting original research, science journalism and links to interesting websites and books that may be of interest. The Kettering University Technical Publications Website Committee will play a crucial role in ensuring that materials posted on the website provide appropriate citations to copyrighted work and receive permissions to reprint work.

For Bob Werenski, a 1961 graduate of Kettering/GMI and member of the University's Alumni Association Board of Directors, and one of the champions of the new website, this resource would serve as a point of reconnection for many alumni who have not visited the institution since their graduation. "It would help readers experience in a direct way the role our University is playing in their continuing interest in science, math, engineering and business," he said.

The benefits to faculty would include an additional outlet to promote their research efforts, receive additional recognition by their peers, stimulate learning and communication between readers and other researchers, and finally demonstrate the practical aspects of science, engineering, math and business, which are at the root of the Kettering brand of education.

To learn more about this website, contact Judy Howald, associate vice president of Individual Giving, at (810) 762-9759.

Written by Gary J. Erwin
(810) 762-9538
gerwin@kettering.edu