Kettering University Receives $19,000 Consumers Energy Foundation Grant for Sustainable Futures STEM Academy
Kettering University has received a $19,000 grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation to launch the Sustainable Futures STEM Academy, a one-year program beginning in October 2026 that will bring over 120 Michigan high school students to campus for three hands-on workshops focused on sustainability, energy analysis, waste reduction, and product design and manufacturing.
The investment extends the Consumers Energy Foundation’s longstanding support for education and workforce development in Michigan. Established in 1990, the Foundation supports efforts that build technical skills, expand career exploration, and prepare people for high-demand fields. In 2025, it awarded $7.8 million in grants impacting 662 nonprofits across the state.
“Michigan’s future depends on developing the talent and skills needed to address emerging challenges,” said Catherine Wilson, secretary and treasurer of the Consumers Energy Foundation. By giving young people the chance to explore STEM, we open a world of possibilities and career pathways while strengthening Michigan’s communities and economy.”
Dr. Farnaz Ghazi Nezami, associate professor and interim department head of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Kettering, is the project’s principal investigator.
“We want students, particularly those who may not have previously envisioned themselves in these fields, to build confidence in STEM, develop practical problem-solving skills, and see a pathway to college, technical training, and meaningful careers,” Ghazi Nezami said.
The academy draws on an educational approach that has defined Kettering for more than a century: connecting rigorous academic learning directly to application. Every undergraduate alternates academic study with professional Co-op work and can graduate with up to 2.5 years of relevant experience. In the 2026 Launchpad Rankings, Kettering was named the No. 1 undergraduate institution in America for the second consecutive year and ranked No. 1 nationally in experiential learning.
The university’s model also produces measurable value for the industry. More than 600 employers have participated in Kettering’s Co-op program, and student work has contributed to more than 100 patent applications, more than 1,500 documented corporate improvements, and an estimated $401 million in savings for employer partners.
A team of Kettering professors will create curriculum and assessment materials that can be used again, laying the groundwork for the initiative to reach additional schools in future years. Student reflections and pre- and post-workshop assessments will help document its impact and inform the program's development.
“My colleagues in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Dr. Sam Aljarrah and Dr. Ping Ren, are helping me develop the workshop modules, and my previous experience with a U.S. Department of Energy-funded Industrial Assessment Center has helped shape the curriculum,” Ghazi Nezami said. “We’re developing activities that show students how energy data, sustainability principles, and engineering tools are used to address real-world problems.”
For Ghazi Nezami, the measure of the academy’s success will extend beyond what students learn in the workshops to what they can imagine doing with that knowledge.
“We want to build their confidence and show them that STEM careers can allow them to make a meaningful difference in their communities and in Michigan’s future,” Ghazi Nezami said.
