How to Support Pre-College Programs

As Kettering University continues the pursuit of excellence, help from generous donors becomes increasingly necessary. There are three program areas that focus on our future students, our present students and stretching your donation. Please take a moment to look at the opportunities to assist in funding programs at Kettering.

Pre-college Programs

AIM - Academically Interested Minorities is a program created to help students of color make a successful transitions from high school to college. This six-week residential summer program provides students with real college life experiences. Students enroll in college level courses to develop functional, quantitative, and qualitative skills. They participate in a career institute program that exposes them to a variety of individuals working in engineering and management disciplines. The purpose of AIM is to increase the number of under-represented students pursuing degrees in engineering and management, offer a challenging college curriculum experience, and provide students with the tools necessary to matriculate successfully through college. The program also enables students to recognize their academic strengths and weaknesses in areas that may need improvement and prepare them for the self-discipline required to succeed. If you have any questions, or would like to obtain information on how you or your company could sponsor a student for $4,000 each, please contact Ricky Brown, associate director/director of Pre-College Programs, at (810) 762-9845.

LITE Program - Lives Improve Through Engineering is a two-week residential program for young women who have completed the 11th grade. The program focuses on bioengineering, one of the fastest growing engineering specialties and one with particular appeal to young women. We created LITE in response to a growing body of research that indicates women are particularly drawn to designing products like safety equipment, crash test dummies, and artificial limbs and organs -products that make a difference in the individual lives of ordinary people. The curriculum - carried out by Kettering faculty who specialize in bioengineering - includes classes in biomechanics, ergonomics, accident reconstruction and occupant kinematics, and biochemistry. LITE Program participants enjoy the mentorship of Kettering undergraduates who take unpaid leaves from their co-op assignments to share their enthusiasm, experience, and knowledge. If you have any questions contact Debbie Stewart, at (810) 762-9871. If you would like to obtain information on how you or your company could sponsor a student for $3,000, please contact Sue Weiss at (800) 955-4464, ext. 9768.

Kamp Kettering is a one-week science and engineering summer enrichment program for girls entering the 7th and 8th grades. Participants conduct exciting laboratory experiments in chemistry, physics, and engineering; sharpen their computer skills; and explore the broad range of career opportunities available to them in science, math, engineering, and technology. Other activities include taking field trips to science and technology centers, making friends with other girls who love math and science, and getting to know our undergraduate women, who share their passion for science, math, and engineering with participants. In Summer, 2006, we will host two sessions of Kamp Kettering: July 31-August 4 and August 7-11. For more information, contact Virginia Hill , (810) 762-9873. If you would like to learn how to make a donation please contact Sue Weiss at (800) 955-4464, ext. 9768. Information and applications will be posted on our website in mid April: www.kettering.edu/kampkettering.

DISCOVER U . A new century requires a new approach to solving an old problem: under-representation of women in engineering and the sciences at the collegiate and professional level. Kettering University, in cooperation with the Genesee Intermediate School District (GISD) which serves the 21 school districts of Genesee County, Michigan, has created a new career-oriented series of hands-on workshops for girls in grades 10-12. Eight day-long "discovery" programs throughout the academic year will allow participants to learn about specific fields of engineering, applied sciences and applied mathematics. Each program will emphasize the connections between the stimulating intellectual challenges the respective fields present and their potential for making a difference in people's lives. Participants - selected by GISD-member district teachers and counselors - will discover engineering career opportunities through hands-on laboratory activities and experiments, lunchtime colloquia featuring working professionals, interactions with women undergraduates of Kettering and "Prep for Success" sessions focused on preparing for and getting in to college. A final session each year, for participants and their parents, will be held in May and will focus on college and career planning. For more program information, contact Virginia Hill, (810) 762-9873. If you would like to learn how to make a donation please contact Sue Weiss at (800) 955-4464, ext. 9768.

Kettering's Student Chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers

Kettering University is working to obtain funding for Mini Baja, Clean Snowmobile and Formula SAE. You can obtain information about these three categories below. If you have further questions please contact Greg Davis at (810) 762-9886. If you would like to learn how to make a donation to any of these SAE programs, please contact Sue Weiss at (800) 955-4464, ext. 9768.

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE): Kettering University is working to obtain funding for Mini Baja, Clean Snowmobile and Formula SAE. You can obtain information about these three categories below. If you have further questions please contact Greg Davis at (810) 762-9886. If you would like to learn how to make a donation to any of these SAE programs, please contact Sue Weiss at (800) 955-4464, ext. 9768.

Mini Baja consists of three regional competitions that simulate real-world engineering design projects and their related challenges. Engineering students must design and build an off-road vehicle that will survive the severe punishment of rough terrain.

The object of the competition is to provide SAE student members with a challenging project that involves the planning and manufacturing tasks found when introducing a new product to the consumer industrial market. Teams compete against one another to have their design accepted for manufacture by a fictitious firm. Students must function as a team to not only design, build, test, promote, and race a vehicle within the limits of the rules, but also to generate financial support for their project and manage their educational priorities.

Clean Snowmobile The Clean Snowmobile Challenge is SAE's newest collegiate design competition that challenges engineering students to reengineer an existing snowmobile for improved emissions and noise while maintaining or improving the performance characteristics of the original snowmobile. The modified snowmobiles must also be cost-effective.

Formula SAE The primary objective of the Formula SAE program is to provide "hands-on" education for engineering students of all majors. Students design, fabricate, and compete with small formula-style racecars. Restrictions are on the car frame and engine to test students' knowledge, creativity, and imagination. The vehicles are judged in three different categories: static inspection and engineering design, solo performance trials, and high-performance track endurance.

The Kettering University Formula SAE Team consists of a variety of students. Students may be of any class standing and experience, and their level of involvement is dependant solely upon their interest. Because of the level of involvement, students receive hands-on experience with everything from engineering to management. As team members, they develop the capacity to lead and gain the experience of working on a team project. Formula SAE exposes students to real-world situations such as how the various fields of engineering and management work in parallel, allowing students to prepare for a career after school.

Matching Gifts

Your donation can go so much farther if you participate in a matching gift program. Many business and corporations match personal gifts to educational institutions made by employees, retirees and their family members. Please contact your human resources office for more information, or visit our online search engine to see if your company participates.

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