A steady stream of major news related to Kettering University’s impact on the city of Flint and beyond occurred throughout 2015, beginning with a call-out from Michigan Governor Rick Snyder in the 2015 State of the State address in January.

 

Snyder praised Kettering University’s FIRST Robotics Community Center -- the only facility of its kind on a college campus in the country -- for the opportunities it is creating for young people to get involved in robotics and learn more about the limitless possibilities a STEM education offers. Kettering University President Dr. Robert K. McMahan and student Harrison Ford represented Kettering at the State of the State address.

More Community Vitality News

Angad Mehrotra '16 had two goals when he chose to attend Kettering University. First, he wanted to create unique opportunities for himself that would also expand the scope of Kettering’s collective co-op reach. Secondly, Mehrotra wanted to dedicate himself to using his engineering education to make Kettering and the greater Flint community a better place. Read more.

Kettering University’s multi-faceted commitment to local outreach and regional economic development took another step forward for 2015 with the eighth annual renewal of its Host partnership with the Michigan Small Business Development Center (MI-SBDC) and an investment in creating a more “purpose built” space for SBDC at Kettering. Read more.

Kettering University and the City of Flint are at the forefront of the next technological revolution in American cities through the national US Ignite initiative. Read more.

Dr. Beverly Jones, faculty member in the Kettering University Department of Business, received the “Award of Excellence” for her contributions in Genesee County at the 14th Annual Black History Month Brunch sponsored by the Genesee District Library on February 7. Read more.

Dr. Petros “Pete” Gheresus spoke about his journey at the annual Black History Month celebration at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Flint on February 8. The theme of this year’s celebration focused on “struggle.” Read more.

The Campus Master Plan responds in part to the findings of a two-year, in-depth study by the University of the priorities and preferences of current and prospective students. The Plan heralds the creation of new facilities that will enhance learning opportunities on campus, open new opportunities for industry research and partnerships, create collaborative learning and living environments, and make Kettering’s campus a vibrant place that seamlessly intersects with the surrounding community and the growing number of assets in a resurgent city of Flint. Read more.

Long established FIRST Robotics teams in Flint are being given the opportunity to give back through their new unique setup at the FIRST Robotics Community Center (FRCC) on Kettering University’s campus. Read more.

Sheila Barnes has two goals for Team 322 Flint F.I.R.E. as they prepare for the district competition at Kettering University from March 5-7. Firstly, have fun. Secondly, use these  competitions and life experiences to prepare students for college. Read more.

Students in 4th-12th grades presented projects at the 59th Annual Flint Regional Science Fair March 20-23 at Kettering University. Read more.

At age 14, while most young adults are embarking on one of the biggest developmental milestones of their lives and preparing for their freshman year of high school, current Kettering University student Caitlyn Ulinski instead found herself faced with a life-disrupting shift. Read more about her recovery and efforts to help others.

Dr. Uma Ramabadran and Dr. Gillian Ryan in the Department of Physics are partnering with Warmilu, an Ann Arbor startup that is attempting to provide incubated blankets to villages in India that lack electricity. India has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world which is partly due to the lack of electricity in rural villages. Read more.

The $2 million gift from the GM Foundation will enable Kettering to construct Kettering University’s GM Mobility Research Center, an automotive proving ground on a piece of campus that is of historical significance to GM as the former site of the Chevrolet Division, or ‘Chevy in the Hole.’ The proving ground will be built on a 19-acre parcel of land at the corner of Chevrolet Avenue and Bluff Street. Read more.

Throughout her upbringing, education and professional career, the one underlying theme in Essence Wilson ‘05's life is unwavering support and belief in Flint’s revitalization. Read more.

More than 100 young inventors ages 9-13 displayed their inventions that they’ve been working on since November 2014. They will be asked to present their inventions to peers, educators and other attendees at the Innovators: Kettering Young Inventors Fair. A total of 400 elementary students from nine K-12 schools in seven districts throughout Genesee County will be in attendance to see the displays. Read more.

Thanks to community-wide support from many individuals and organizations and culminating with a $1.75 million grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Atwood Stadium’s future as a viable, unique community gathering space in the heart of Flint is more secure. New turf, along with a separate gift from Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. in support of Flint Community Schools and Powers Catholic High School, will allow varsity high school to return to Atwood in the fall. Read more.

Kettering University’s golf club has not only provided a way for Kettering students to continue participating in the game -- through community outreach efforts, they’ve worked to pass on their love of golf to kids in Genesee County through The First Tee of Eastern Michigan program. Read more.

The Computer Engineering department at Kettering University is offering two summer camps for high school students looking to learn how consumer electronics, automobiles and robots are made “smart.” Read more.

The project involved working with Metro Community Development to design an aquaponics facility in a warehouse as well as working with the organization’s YouthBuild program to construct it. Once fully operational, the facility will provide the Flint community with access to fresh fish and produce, provide opportunities to learn job skills for the YouthBuild students and be scalable so that it can be expanded at a larger property in the future. Read more.

Vanessa Robinson, a senior Mechanical Engineering major, partnered with Dr. Laura Sullivan (Mechanical Engineering), Dr. Karen Palmer (Electrical and Computer Engineering) and Mark Richardson (Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering) to collaboratively construct the simplistic solar panel design for households on the Pine Ridge Reservation in southwest South Dakota, a 3,500 square mile reservation with a population of 28,000 people. Read more.

A group of Kettering University students recently completed a service project that is not only giving dogs at Genesee County Animal Control something to do -- it’s helping them prepare to find new homes. Read more.

Kettering University’s monthly Service Saturdays received an influx of added support beginning on July 11 -- employees from General Motors facilities in mid-Michigan will also be volunteering for service projects in the University Avenue Corridor. Read more.

This summer marked the 12th consecutive year of the Smarter Girls Camp and the 11th consecutive year that it’s been held at Kettering University. With support from the GM Foundation, each year the camp has evolved but at its core, the mission has remained the same. Read more.

Kettering University and the Ruth Mott Foundation have partnered to create “Grand Traverse Circle” on the southeast corner of Grand Traverse and University Avenues in Flint, Michigan. Read more.The renovation and grand re-opening of Atwood Stadium on Kettering University's campus represents a significant milestone in the ongoing rebirth of the city of Flint. Read more.

In three years, the University Avenue region stretching from downtown Flint past Kettering University to McLaren Regional Medical Center and extending to the Flint River has undergone rapid improvements. Much of this work has been accomplished as a result of coalition of partners known as the University Avenue Corridor Coalition (UACC). Read more.

It was that boldness and out-of-the-box thinking that led Jonathan Blanchard to creating his own co-op opportunity to fit his new career path. Blanchard had volunteered at Genesee STEM Academy, a K-7 charter school in Flint, in the past and saw great potential there and wanted to be a part of it. Read more.

Lili Tang ‘15 was recognized with the Applied Mathematics Student Research Award for her thesis evaluating crime data in Flint, Michigan. Tang is the first Kettering University undergraduate to receive this award since Matthew Causley in 2003. Causley is now a professor in the Department of Mathematics at Kettering. Read more.

University Avenue has become a lot brighter as part of the University Avenue Corridor Coalition’s (UACC) ‘Light up the Avenue’ contest. Read more.Students at two Genesee County elementary schools, with the help of a Kettering University faculty member, were among millions of people around the world to participate in an “Hour of Code” as part of Code.org’s annual Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek). Read more.