Thanks to a generous donation from the Charles J. Strosacker Foundation, students at Kettering University will see a boost in Chemical Engineering lab space.

The Strosacker Foundation recently awarded Kettering $210,000 to remodel an old acoustics lab into a Chemical Engineering research/lab space for undergraduate students.

“The Charles J. Strosacker Foundation is pleased to help provide a new laboratory space to Kettering University. The unique education being offered to students takes them to the work place prepared for today’s continually changing world,” said Bobbie Arnold, President and CEO of the Strosacker Foundation. “We like the way Kettering University is collaborating with the surrounding community and providing a space for students to live and work. We are proud to be among your many supporters and thrilled to have the Strosacker Foundation recognized for their commitment to higher education.”

The donation provides an opportunity for Kettering students to grow in-demand Chemical Engineering skills and continue important undergraduate research.

“With the continued growth in the Chemical Engineering program and the increased interest in undergraduate research opportunities, laboratory and research space is vital to our program,” said Dr. Stacy Seeley, Department Head of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Program Director of Chemical Engineering. “The Strosacker Foundation grant will help to provide the space and equipment required to enhance our teaching and research capacity at Kettering.”

The Strosacker Foundation donation will make it possible to transform a non-functioning space at Kettering into a classroom/laboratory for Chemical Engineering faculty and students.

The space, to be named the Charles J. Strosacker Chemical Engineering Classroom and Laboratory, is located in the Academic Building in the Chemical Engineering program space. The lab will replace 90-year-old acoustic lab space that has sat vacant for more than two decades. It will be outfitted with research equipment, moveable furniture and instructional technologies.

It will also be designed to support innovation, teamwork and group projects, while having additional features such as whiteboard walls, a large screen and technological connectivity to allow users access to online resources to share information and ideas.

In the Chemical Engineering program, 40 percent of students participate in undergraduate research. And the program is one of the fastest growing departments at Kettering, Seeley said, so it’s very important to have proper equipment and space to support the students.

“The growing chemical engineering lab promotes the expansion of the program and provides students with more opportunities to learn and innovate. The students will have the space and resources to design projects and be exposed to a larger variety of testing equipment,” said Alyssa Gilliland ‘18. “The more students can see and do, the easier they can pinpoint their interests and drive their careers in that direction. I think it is great that Kettering is further investing in the department with these grants.”