* potential for natural fiber, as well as other fiber composites in automotive applications.

Dr. Gero Nordmann, market development manager for BASF, and Dr. Donald Rosato, president of PlastiSource, Inc., said they were pleased to come to Flint to introduce eco-friendly Acrodur®.  Acrylic thermosets are thermally cross-linkable and free of formaldehyde and other emissions, and offer new routes to innovative composite materials.

An example of a suitable application for acrylic resin dispersions is the binding of natural fibers such as wood, flax, hemp or sisal.  Typically, the application is used in the production of shaped panels for automobile interiors.  Now, raw materials can be resinated in different ways.  It will provide a great variety of other natural and man-made fibers of the nonwoven industry or even granulated materials, which can be bonded with the new binder system.

Written by Patricia Mroczek
810-762-9533
pmroczek@kettering.edu

 

Detroit area teams win the 10th annual Kettering Kickoff

A three-team alliance of Detroit area teams won the 10th annual Kettering Kickoff FIRST Robotics competition Sept. 19 at Kettering University in Flint.  Winning “Top Dog” honors were Team 27, Team Rush from Clarkston; Team 68, Truck Town Thunder from Ortonville; and Team 326, Xtreme Eagles from Romulus.  The three teams shared the first-place alliance award and won the popular high school robotics contest that is affiliated with FIRST - For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

Taking “Big Dog” second-place honors was an alliance of Lightning Robotics (Team 862) of Canton, joined by the new team from Pontiac, Wings of Fire (Team 51) and the Martians (Team 494) of Goodrich.

"This was a very special Kettering Kickoff for us," said Founder Bob Nichols.  "It's been 10 years of FIRST fun here at Kettering.  We've been very proud to host the state's brightest math and science students at our event during this first decade.  Now it's on to our second decade of showing students the fun and challenge that engineering and the sciences can provide for them."

In all, 42 teams competed, including 40 of Michigan's best high school robotics teams.  One team each came from Ohio and Canada, too, Nichols said.  

Other prizes went to:

Top Score: Metal and Soul of Capac; Wings of Fire of Pontiac; and Killer Bees of Auburn Hills

Robot Design Excellence: Truck Town Thunder of Ortonville

Number One Seed: Xxtreme Eagles of Romulus

Spirit of FIRST: Lightning Robotics of Canton

Safety Award: Enginerds of Grand Blanc

Long Shot: Sinclair Sprockets of Whitby, Ontario

FIRST, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is a national effort to inspire youth to explore career possibilities in engineering, science and technology.  FIRST robotics pits teams in a head-to-head competition between large radio-controlled robots built by teams of high school students and sponsoring engineers and teachers.  Michigan is tops among the “big states” for team participation in FIRST.  Almost one-third of Michigan high schools now have a FIRST robotics team as a varsity sport.  

Each year, the Kettering Kickoff helps high school teams "kick off" the start of their competition season by using the game, rules and robots of the previous year’s national competition. “The Kettering Kickoff was founded in 2000,” Nichols explained, “to give participants who are new to the sport an opportunity to build camaraderie with their new teammates and to work on developing their skills in a competitive environment.” 

The 10th annual Kettering Kickoff was hosted by Team 70, Kettering/Goodrich More Martians; Team 314, Carman-Ainsworth Megatron Oracles; Team 322, Flint Schools F.I.R.E. Team; Team 397, Southwestern Academy Delphi Knight Riders; Team 494, Goodrich Martians; Team 1243 Swartz Creek Dragons; Team 1322, The G.R.A.Y.T. Leviathons; Team 1506, Kettering University Metal Muscle; Team 2337 Grand Blanc Enginerds; and Kettering University.

For more on the Kettering Kickoff, visit: www.KetteringFIRST.com

Written by Patricia Mroczek

810.762.9533

pmroczek@kettering.edu

The mood was high and the laughter loud at the 2009 Bulldog Alumni Reunion weekend Sept. 10 through 13. The class of 1959 might have been known as the year of the singing engineer – they sang at lunch and at dinner at Warwick Hills Country Club. They sang at dinner TWICE! Younger alumni in attendance were heard asking for the words so they could sing the racy little GMI song at their 50th reunion.

Nine outstanding alumni were recognized by the Kettering University Alumni Association. They shared the stories of their success and represented the diversity of careers that Kettering/GMI alumni have in Engineering, Science, Math, Business and Technology. The nine honorees were recognized for professional excellence and civic engagement.

The awardees for 2009 were:

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS James A. McCaslin ‘74 President, Chief Operating Officer for Harley-Davidson Motor Company

OUTSTANDING ALUMNUS David Kenny ‘84 Managing Partner of VivaKi, Publicis Groupe

MANAGEMENT ACHIEVEMENT Gregory Scott Deveson ‘84 Senior Vice President, Driveline and Chassis Control Systems, Magna Powertrain

ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENT Lori J. Queen ‘79 Vehicle Line Executive for General Motors Midsize Trucks

CIVIC ACHIEVEMENT Phillip C. Dutcher ‘73 Chief Operations Officer, Naples Community Healthcare System ALUMNI SERVICE Robert Evangelista ’89 President of The Business of Winning, LLC

ENTREPRENEURIAL ACHIEVEMENT Daniel R. Joseph ‘84 President and owner of D. R. Joseph, Inc., in Grand Prairie, Texas

HUMAN RELATIONS Aqua Y. Porter ‘84 Vice-President, Strategic Projects & Business Results and Corporate Lean Six Sigma Operations for Xerox Corporation

YOUNG ALUMNUS Sheri Hickok ‘99 Executive Technical Assistant to the Group Vice President of Global Engineering, General Motors

Here are some photos of the Kettering Back to the Bricks party.

Kettering’s Section A freshman class will have 270 fresh faces in it!  They will be joined by the second half of the freshman class (Section B) in October.

Many of the incoming freshmen are the finest students of their high schools from around the country.  There are at least eight valedictorians and one salutatorian in the entering class. 

Kettering’s new freshmen will participate in a first-in-the-country program, “Entrepreneurship Across the Curriculum,” that is reshaping the University.  “Kettering is the only university in the country with a head start on the Innovation Economy through “Entrepreneurship Across the Curriculum,” said Dr. Michael Harris, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.  “Our faculty and staff are focused on exposing Kettering students to innovation and entrepreneurship at every level of their education.  We are preparing the next generation of scientific experts who are innovators because Kettering’s intellectual and practical learning capacities are cutting edge and current.”  (Read more on this leading-edge effort at: http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=2888

Also, new students are arriving just after the recent celebration of the 15th anniversary of  Kettering’s study abroad program with Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany.  Students use the popular study trip to explore Europe.  (Read more: http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=2879).

So welcome, freshmen!  Here’s the Freshman Class at a Glance:

A-Section freshmen: 270 students

Male: 224; Female: 46

Gender: 83 % male; 17 % female (last year: 81% and 19%)

African American: 4        

Hispanic: 7

Michigan residents: 72 %

Midwest residents: 85 %

Number of states represented: 24   

Physical facilities upgrades:

A number of physical facilities updates and renovations will greet the new class and returning students:

• Physics, Computer Science and Math are completing a renovation project that divides the spaces and adds more definition to each academic area. 
• Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering opened a new Conference Room and Student Project area in the old Mechanical Engineering office, adjacent to the International Office.
• Construction of Kettering’s new incubator building on Bluff Street is “swinging steel,” which will soon give shape to the first building in Kettering’s Technology Park and will be the first seeking LEED certification in Flint.  (See: http://www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=2827)
• Kettering has been working closely with the design engineers for the new Flint River Trail extension which will come through campus along University and Chevrolet avenues and is expected to begin construction spring 2010.
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity is expected to start construction on its new house on University and Mathewson early this fall.
• The Recreation Center recently refinished its wood floors.
• Testing is in process for a road construction project that is slated for 2010 to redo Chevrolet Avenue from University Avenue to the bridge on Chevrolet.
• The extension from Miller Road is underway to connect Chevrolet Avenue to Miller Road.  Construction documents are currently being reviewed by the Michigan Department of Transportation.  Utility relocation will occur late in 2009, with the bulk of the road construction expected in the spring.

The new academic year begins with two special events – Orientation and the first day of the 2009-10 academic year.  Orientation is Thursday, July 9 through Sunday, July 12.  Classes begin Monday, July 13.

MEET SOME OF THE NEW FACES …

FIRST SCHOLARS: About one of every five students now coming to Kettering have had experiences in FIRST – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.  The international robotics contest for high school students was designed almost 20 years ago to showcase career options in Science, Math, and Engineering.  Kettering has been actively involved for a decade.  This year’s FIRST Scholars each received a total of $22,500 for their college education.  Kettering’s 2009-10 FIRST Scholars class is:

Eric Barch of Oxford; Team Rush (Team 27);

Caitlin Bunt of Rockford, Ill.; IMSA Robotics, (Team 2022);

Justin Cetnar of St. Clair Shores; Macomb Mathematics Science Technology Center (Team 818);

Katherine Dale of Novi; Frog Force (Team 503), will attend in B Section;

Ashley Eidsmore of Aberdeen High School, Aberdeen, Maryland; The Brigade (Team 1980);

Gage Hainer of Grand Blanc High School; The Enginerds (Team 2337);

Eric Salem of Grand Blanc High School; The Enginerds (Team 2337);

Donald Tinsley of Stoney Creek High School in Rochester; Kettering’s Metal Muscle team (Team 1506);

Ryan Todd of Plymouth High School; Lightning Robotics (Team 862), will attend in B Section; and

Quinn Wagner, home schooled in Greensboro, N.C. with dual enrollment at Guilford Technical Community College; (junior mentor to Team 2655), will attend in B Section.

Others in the entering class include the following:

Keven Bartz was #1 in his class at Kearsley High School and will study Mechanical Engineering.  He was active in Quiz Bowl, chess, soccer and the National Honor Society in high school.  He will be joined by “Top 10” classmate Andrew Sierra, who is planning to study Electrical Engineering.  Andrew is active in the martial arts, National Honor Society, golf and soccer.

The valedictorian from Randolph High School in Massachusetts will study Applied Mathematics.  Rebeccah MacKinnon said she was “done in” by her 8x tables in the third grade.  By senior year, however, she was enjoying calculus, statistics and engineering --all at the same time.  Rebeccah plays the flute and hopes to travel the world once she graduates from college.

Valedictorian Marcus Anthony Bennett from Brook Hill High School in Bullard, Texas, will major in Computer and Electrical Engineering.  He was in Headmasters Honor Guard, National Honor Roll, National Honor Society and Who’s Who Among American High School Students.  He was the state’s TAPPS biology champion and district TAPPS science champion; a choir pianist and named Mr. Tennis. 

One of three valedictorians from Ohio’s Garfield High School, near Youngstown, shared top honors with two friends – all of whom maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average through high school.  Nathan Hadzinsky will double major in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering.  He was captain of the Garfield boys soccer team, vice president of his graduating class and participated in Model United Nations. 

Marysville High School Valedictorian David Fowler was in National Honor Society and played baseball and basketball in high school.  Among his scholarships is $500 from Kimball Township Trustee Brad Barrett, who presented the educational funds to him at a township board meeting in May.

Matthew Gessler from Erie, Mich., shared valedictorian honors at Mason Senior High School.  A star in the Science Olympiad, he maintained a 4.0 grade point average all through high school.  He will study Computer Science.

The Detroit News wrote about Jacob King, who graduated from Eisenhower High School in Shelby Township.  He will study Electrical Engineering, with career plans that blend engineering and the military.  He is an Eagle Scholar, an International Honors Thespian, rugby player and active in drama and orchestra.  Read more about Jacob at: http://www.detnews.com/article/20090519/SCHOOLS/905200320/Jacob+King

Elizabeth Talsma of Zeeland, Mich., was “heavily recruited” by Harvard University but chose Kettering for multiple reasons, including FIRST robotics.  A participant in Kettering’s LITE (Lives Improve Through Engineering) program for girls, she will study Mechanical Engineering.  She is a graduate of Zeeland East High School and the recipient a West Michigan Scholarship. 

Rechelle Ewalt was named a “Great Grad” by the Lansing State Journal.  The honors student graduated from Carson City-Crystal High School, where she was involved with National Honor Society, Student Council, volleyball, the Red Cross Blood Drive, Wellness Team and Secret Santa Gift Delivery.  She will study Engineering.

Co-valedictorian Lance Dorian of DeWitt High School will study Mechanical Engineering.  He was involved in soccer, church youth group and recreational basketball in high school.  He lives in Lansing.

Luke Steele comes to Kettering from Frankenmuth High School, where he played football and participated in wrestling, tennis and band.  He will study Mechanical Engineering, with a bio-medical focus.  Luke hopes to design medical instruments and prosthetics and said he feels Kettering’s rank as a top engineering school and its lab equipment will help him toward his career goal.

Honors student Tiffany Strom from Flint’s Bentley High School will study Chemical Engineering.  She has participated in Book Club, track and power lifting.

Patrick Kostanecki of Goodells, Mich., comes to Kettering on the Howard A. Acheson Memorial Scholarship.  He is a graduate of Port Huron High School.

Honors student Kyle Deachin of Genesee Christian High School served as vice president of the National Honor Society and was on the varsity baseball team.  He will study Engineering.

Katherine Irons graduated with top honors from Brandywine High School, near Niles.  She will study Mechanical Engineering, with a bio-engineering concentration.

Salutatorian Daniel Lynch comes to Kettering from Leslie High School, near Jackson.  He was in National Honor Society, band, drama, choir, Camp Barakel engineering, Relay for Life, and he was a middle school tutor.  He will study Mechanical Engineering.

Ben Schuman of Churchville, N.Y., comes to Kettering mesmerized by FIRST robotics.  A member of the internationally competitive Team 340 at Churchville-Chili High School, his team is a past winner of the prestigious Chairman’s Award.  “(FIRST) taught me to use power tools and build a machine – what can be better than that?” he told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in New York.

 Jake Rowe was third in his class at Marcellus High School, near Kalamazoo, and part of the boys basketball team that sported a combined GPA of 3.75 this season.  He was dually enrolled at Southwestern Michigan College; active in National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes; and he earned varsity letters in track, football and basketball.  He was a member of the All-Conference defensive line in football.  He will study Engineering.

Julia Hershey of Akron, Ohio, helped Our Lady of the Elms with a “green” addition to their school as a finishing touch of her high school career.  She will study Engineering.  Read more about the construction project in the Akron Beacon Journal at: http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/44176412.html

So welcome freshmen to Kettering University, the home of the nation’s most advanced professional co-operative education program and a national leader in the preparation of innovators and entrepreneurs.  We’re glad you’re here!

Written by Patricia Mroczek
810.762.9533
pmroczek@kettering.edu

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July Weekend. Kettering University will be closed July 3 in honor of the Fourth of July Holiday. Campus will re-open for regular business on Monday, July 6.

In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. (Source - Wikipedia)