Below is a roundup of profiles on world class research currently being conducted by Kettering University faculty and students in 2014. Last year, Kettering received its fifth Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award in the last three years. The five awards ties Kettering with Wayne State University for the most amongst higher education institutions in the state of Michigan. The NSF grants will continue to propel Kettering’s research efforts to new heights in 2015.

NSF grant will help Kettering acquire X-Ray Diffractometer: Materials science at Kettering University is about to be propelled to new heights as the school has been awarded a $77,808 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant which will be used to acquire an X-Ray Diffractometer. Read more.

Kettering University continued to add to its reputation as a leading applied research institution in 2014.

Crash Safety Center Makes Life-Saving Research Possible: The Crash Safety Center has conducted research that has significantly contributed to reducing the risk of injury to children in crashes, including recently working with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop a side impact test procedure for child restraint systems. Read more.

KUSARA will add world class research facility to campus: “KUSARA will be a fantastic tool for faculty to take concepts discussed in the classroom and immediately let students test those concepts in a facility that replicates what they would experience in industry,” said Dr. Craig Hoff, Mechanical Engineering Department Head. Read more.

Work in plastics lab helping reduce waste in manufacturing: In Richardson’s Polymer Processing Lab, students and industry partners are developing ways to challenge the notion that plastics are destined to pose major environmental threats. In fact, the goal is to create methods that will allow industry to send zero waste to landfills. Read more.

Outstanding Thesis recipient recognized by Kettering, industry: Gravelle, who received the 2014 Outstanding Thesis Award from the Kettering University Center for Culminating Undergraduate Experiences (CCUE) for his thesis entitled, “Optimization of Single Cyclone Dirt Separators,” will be recognized at an awards ceremony and at commencement for his work. His co-op employer, Bissell Homecare Inc., also considered the research for its Bissell Homecare David E McDowell Process Innovation Award. Read more.

Kettering receives NSF grant to support robotics students: Kettering University has received a grant for nearly $600,000 from the National Science Foundation to support academically talented but financially disadvantaged students in their pursuit to become leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Read more.

Physics graduate wins award for research at Argonne National Lab: Tilocco was awarded the William Robert Marshall award for the paper that his research team presented at the ILASS-Americas 25th Annual Conference Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems in May 2013. Read more.

Kettering University receives fifth MRI grant from the National Science Foundation: Kettering faculty and students involved in nine different projects from the Chemical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Biochemistry and Applied Biology departments will benefit from the $552,650 award that will lead to the acquisition of an X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) instrument. Read more.

Chemistry research to be featured at ACS National Meeting: Collaborative research between the chemical engineering and biochemistry departments at Kettering University was featured at the 248th American Chemical Society National Meeting from August 10-14 in San Francisco, California. Read more.

Researchers working on more durable joint replacement materials: “What surfaces have already shown to be friendly to the human body? We look at these polymers first, then alter their molecular weight by adding or removing side chains to create different compounds,” Samaniego said. “We use derivatives of substances that we already know are safe in the body. We are taking what we know to be biocompatible substances and trying to make them better.” Read more.

Is there medicinal value in discarded fruit parts?: What do grape stems, walnut husks, pomegranate peels and chokeberries have in common? They are all disposable, but an interdisciplinary team of applied biologists, chemists and chemical engineering students and faculty at Kettering University are also trying to discover whether they possess medicinal values such as antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, or even anti-cancer activities. Read more.

Faculty member finds environmentally friendly practices increase profits: A team of researchers led by Kettering University’s Dr. Thomas Ngniatedema from the Department of Business have presented empirical evidence regarding the importance  of corporate environmental consciousness and a company’s financial performance. Read more.

Engineering the next generation of tech products: “What did the introduction of laptops do to change how people do work? What about tablets? Ergonomists are constantly playing catch-up to technology and the idea hopefully is that we can be proactive to solve design issues before they arise,” Young said. Read more.

Latest NSF grant will give Kettering University its own 4G LTE wireless system: Kettering University’s most recent Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will, once installed, give Kettering something no other university in the country has -- its own 4G long term evolution (LTE) wireless system. Read more.

Birthing simulator donated by Genesys helps Kettering University bring out medical side of engineering: The simulator was designed for doctors and nurses at Genesys Regional Medical Center to mimic potential emergencies that may arise during the birthing process and allow them to practice working together to deliver care. Read more.

Faculty member document ‘survival strategies’ of Flint retail workers: For her dissertation, Mebert conducted an ethnographic study at a superstore chain in Flint. She worked at this store as a general merchandise worker for three months to experience the lives of retail employees from a material and economic standpoint. Read more.

Faculty member studying what factors help convince people to do mobile banking: Kettering University business professor Dr. Thomas Ngniatedema is following the transition in banking from in-person to online and now to mobile devices and is attempting to determine the crucial factors leading to the adoption of this new technology. Read more.

Kettering, University of Michigan researchers partner to transform ocular cancer treatment: A newfound partnership between Dr. Prem Vaishnava, professor of Physics at Kettering University, and Dr. Hakan Demirci at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center is attempting to forever change the treatment of ocular cancer in the United States through a targeted and precise technique that has proven to mitigate the disease without the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Read more.

Faculty member publishes book analyzing opportunistic mobile social networks: The study of opportunistic mobile social networks is of great interest to scholars, industry and consumers because of the potential for the technology, and Kettering University faculty member Dr. Yungsheng Wang, assistant professor of Computer Science, has co-edited a comprehensive new book on the topic called, Opportunistic Mobile Social Networks. Read more.

Using J.R.R. Tolkien to teach corporate leadership: Miller-Purrenhage wanted to develop a course that was relevant to Kettering students who split their educational careers between the classroom and corporate settings. She also wanted to direct her research to coincide with the themes of the classroom and chose to study leadership and withstanding evil - both narratives in Tolkien’s work that can be analogous to corporate environments. Read more.