“There is a thrill behind problem solving on the field. With the help of mentors, FIRST challenges you to solve issues efficiently.”
Kettering University alumni are at the forefront of solving the most pressing challenges in 2015. Kettering honored the achievements of alumni at the 2015 Alumni Awards. Eight alumni were honored in an awards dinner and ceremony on October 22.
“The recipients of this year’s awards embody the limitless ability and power of a Kettering University education,” said Susan Davies, Kettering University vice president for University Advancement and External Relations. “The eight alumni being honored are leaders in industry and positive contributors to their respective communities.”
More 2015 Alumni News
Tim Allison ‘82 and Amy Allison became the first father-daughter to be inducted into the prestigious Robot Society. Read more.
Dave Stenson ‘86 participated in an event sponsored by The Hill titled, “The Next generation of Electric Transportation: Innovation in Technology & Power,” on November 12, 2014 in Washington D.C. Read more.
Matt Cheng ‘94’s latest pursuit: leaving a global consulting firm to pursue a job with Towel Tracker, a startup venture out of Grand Rapids that is attempting to protect the environment by conserving energy, reducing expenses for businesses and introduce a technology that leads to future innovations. Read more.
“Being involved in FIRST inspired me to be an engineer,” Hayley Schuller ‘14 said. “There is a thrill behind problem solving on the field. With the help of mentors, FIRST challenges you to solve issues efficiently.” Read more.
Nathaniel Hunter ‘09 is part of a team trying to turn Hollywood fantasy into a reality with Megabots - 15-foot human-driven vehicle robots made to combat other robots in an entertainment arena. Read more.
Dr. Dane Miller ‘69 created a legacy as an innovator and entrepreneur in the biomedical industry as well as a devoted philanthropist who passionately supported many causes and institutions. Read more.
Roger Sears ‘71 always had a passion for motorcycles and kept a Honda 750 while at Kettering. From graduating in 1971 until February 2015, Sears worked in the auto industry and now, 44 years later, he’s finally returning to his original passion - motorcycles. Read more.
From a shy, introverted high school student in the suburbs of Flint to a global traveler with international ambitions, Bryan Coburn ‘12 unleashed his professional and personal potential at Kettering University. Read more.
The pursuit of innovative engineering, adventure and skiing has led Ed Pearson ‘67 all over the country and the globe. Read more.
Donna Ray '79 (right).
At a glance, Donna Kostiuk Ray ’79's life story tells itself like an impromptu journey filled with adventure, longing for a greater purpose and the pursuit of selfless service. Read more.
Mike Riggs ‘76 is so grateful for his educational experiences at Kettering University that he wants to propagate those onto others by giving back generously to the campus and its programs. Generously and spontaneously. At a ‘Bulldog Insights’ lecture sponsored by the Student Alumni Council on August 8, 2014, Riggs surprised the students in attendance by spontaneously giving each of them a $1,000 scholarship. The impromptu $60,000 donation directly to students is just one of Riggs’ many contributions to Kettering University. Read more.
Rodney O’Neal, a 1976 Kettering University graduate and former Delphi Automotive PLC CEO and president, delivered the Kettering University Commencement Address on June 20, 2015. Read more.
Pacific Standard has named Matt Gaidica ‘10 one of the Thirty Under 30 Top Young Thinkers in Economics, Education, and Political Science. Gaidica is currently a doctoral student in the Neuroscience department at the University of Michigan. Read more.
The journey of Michelle Ross ‘06, an Industrial Engineering graduate from Kettering University, mirrors that of another Akron hero, only replacing the hoop for a computer and the hardwood for a factory floor. Read more.
Sheri Hickok ‘00 didn’t originally come to Kettering University to become an engineer. Instead, she traveled 40 miles west from Imlay City to Flint looking for a stepping-stone towards her ultimate goal of becoming an architect. Read more.
Every morning for four years, Ed Arends ‘57 took the bus from his home on Atherton Road and Grand Traverse Street north to Kettering University (then General Motors Institute). Even during his co-op term, his routine did not change as he switched from the classrooms on the west side of Chevrolet Avenue to the factory floor on the east side to Chevy Manufacturing. Read more.
More than 150 Kettering University alumni, including General Motors CEO Mary Barra ‘85, who are current GM employees gathered for a special reception at the Renaissance Center in Detroit to celebrate and support a new scholarship fund for Kettering students on June 25, 2015. Read more.
Kettering University’s monthly Service Saturdays received an influx of added support this past summer as employees from General Motors facilities in mid-Michigan also volunteered for service projects in the University Avenue Corridor. Read more.
Victoria Hills ‘11 graduated from Kettering in 2011 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and then again in 2015 from Michigan State University with a master’s in Mechanical Engineering. She’s currently a Product Development Ford College Graduate, which is a 32-month rotation program through multiple departments at the Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters of the company. Read more.
Marci McGuire ‘96 graduated from Kettering in 1996 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. She grew up in Blissfield, Michigan, a small town southeast of Adrian where her father worked as a tool and die maker for General Motors (GM) and Delphi. McGuire’s father inspired her to pursue engineering which eventually directed her towards Kettering. Read more.
Humble beginnings in rural Northern Quebec infused Gus Gosselin ‘75 with an outdoors etiquette and a conservationists’ mentality. The eldest of eight children, frugality was a theme in the Gosselin household and for Gus that extended to the natural environment around him as well. Read more.
In search of cutting edge technology and personal leadership opportunities, Justin Maurina ‘14 is taking an unconventional path towards his pursuits - he’s joining the Navy. Read more.
Norm Szydlowski '74 has lived his life with two American passports. One he carried with him during his travels. The other was always shipped to a consulate’s office for future travels. Read more.
Paul Cloutier ‘92 believes that Kettering University and the start-up atmosphere in Silicon Valley have two shared characteristics. One, the dire need to be able to figure stuff out (FSO) and two, the prioritized pursuit to get stuff done (GSD). Read more.
If presented with the option of having a guaranteed, secure, prestigious, high-paying job at a major university in a vibrant college town for the rest of your life, or joining an industry going through bankruptcy - which would you choose? What if all your colleagues diagnosed you as being insane for even considering the bankruptcy opportunity? This scenario confronted John Samuels ‘66 in 1978 and he made a decision that caused his colleagues to question his sanity and future. Read more.
Rod Kirkham ‘75 first discovered Kettering University from an unusual source - the morning announcements at his high school in Kansas City, Missouri. The announcement was about co-op opportunities with General Motors in Kansas City and eventually led to his post-secondary career at Kettering. Read more.
Chris Brady ‘90’s neighbor in Grand Blanc, Michigan, had a Chevy S10 pickup truck, a windsurfer and a girlfriend. The neighbor was a recent Kettering University graduate and possessed everything that a 17-year-old Brady wanted at the time. Read more.
The startup company Genomenon aims to bring software to labs that will allow them to more efficiently and quickly analyze genomes to help research, diagnose, and treat cancer and other inheritable diseases. The company’s team - based out of Ann Arbor - hopes to launch the product in January. One of the team members behind the project is Steve Schwartz ‘08, co-founder and chief technology officer. Read more.