The Spring 2015 issue of Kettering Magazine is now available to read as an interactive PDF. The print edition will arrive on campus and in mailboxes next week. You can also read text of the magazine content below.

Top stories

Campus News

‘FIRST’ of its kind

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder visited Kettering University in September to help celebrate the grand opening of the FIRST Robotics Community Center – the first facility of its kind on any college campus in the country.

“To put it simply, this is awesome,” said Snyder, a prominent advocate for FIRST Robotics in Michigan.

The facility provides work areas for approximately eight FIRST teams, a regulation size practice field as well as a lab that will include machining tools and software. More importantly, the students on these teams will have unprecedented access to Kettering University’s faculty, staff and students as mentors and the campus facilities. The grand opening was attended by several dignitaries, including Don Bossi, president of FIRST Robotics, Flint Mayor Dayne Walling and Jennifer Liversedge from the C.S. Mott Foundation. Read more.

Impressive rankings continue

Kettering University continued to receive national attention for its leading curriculum and alumni outcomes in national rankings this year.

In the 2015 U.S. News and World Report ‘Best Colleges’ rankings, released in September, Kettering was ranked No. 14 in the country among non-Ph.D. granting engineering programs. The Mechanical Engineering program ranked No. 4 in the country among non-Ph.D. programs. Kettering also ranked 20th in the Midwest among all regional universities.

Kettering was ranked 12th nationally and No. 1 in the Midwest in Return on Investment by PayScale.com in March of 2015. PayScale also unveiled its annual salary potential rankings in September, with Kettering alumni ranking No. 1 among all universities in Michigan and No. 59 nationally in median mid-career salary potential for graduates.

Kettering was also featured in a December 2014 Automobile Magazine article looking at the best universities to attend for students hoping to work in the auto industry. Kettering was one of five universities profiled in the article, highlighted in particular for the long legacy of producing leading automotive engineers.

In a December 2014 MLive.com article entitled, “Kettering University continues to put Flint in national spotlight,” Flint Mayor Dayne Walling said, “Kettering’s success has created a positive draft that has pulled our entire community forward. Kettering is one of the global hubs of talent for science, technology, engineering, management and entrepreneurship.”

New ‘opportunity lab’ opens on campus

Kettering University hosted a grand opening for a student-led collaborative and creative space called the ‘T-Space’ in December.

The Kettering T-Space is constantly evolving its mission and offerings, but currently provides students access to 3D printing, laser cutting, soldering and other utilities to work on small electric and mechanical prototypes.

The T-Space will begin as a place for light prototyping with access to whiteboards, moveable furniture, music creation, communication devices and a green room for animation and multimedia production. In the near future, the space will contain servers that will provide students with access to software that may not otherwise be common on campus. The tools currently provided are plentiful for computer scientists and mechanical and electrical engineers to experiment

“The end is not to encourage our students to create businesses,” said Dr. Massoud Tavakoli, professor of Mechanical Engineering and faculty director of the T-Space. “That they can do on their own later in life. The underlying motivation for all of this is to get our students to adopt a mindset that might be alien or uncomfortable to engineering and science students. That mindset is the innovation and entrepreneurial mindset.” Read more.

Model U.N. Club awarded at conference

For a span four days from November 22-25, a group of Kettering University students weren’t only representing the yellow and blue of the Bulldogs. Instead they opted to add the white green and red of Bulgaria and were honored by their peers for their efforts at the American Model United Nations International Collegiate Conference in Chicago.

Kettering received an award for "Exceptional Representation of Bulgaria" at the General Assembly First Committee. Kettering was just one of six (out of 100 total) delegations awarded for their excellence in leadership in bringing nations together and writing and adopting resolutions concerning the worldwide illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

“Our objective as an organization is to get engineers and business-minded students to apply their skills to the wider world,” said Michael Graham, president of the Kettering University Model United Nations (KUMUN). “It helps Kettering students to not only be good scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs, but also develop a global mindset to solve world issues.”

Students win innovation competition

A team of five Kettering University students won the annual ‘Innovation Encounter’ competition at Lawrence Tech in October.

The intercollegiate competition, which was sponsored this year by Faurecia North America, rewards inventive problem solving. The Kettering team, which was sponsored by the University’s Innovation to Entrepreneurship Across the University (i2e-AU) initiative (directed by Dr. Massoud Tavakoli, professor of Mechanical Engineering), competed against teams from Ohio Northern, Lawrence Tech, University of Detroit Mercy, Bucknell University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Team members were Andrew Mazzola (ECE), Anna Macherkevich (ME), Hunter Casbeer (ECE), Mihir Mistry (ME) and Vignesh Samban (ME). Read more.

Scholarship helps students pursue Medical School

Through a major gift from a Flint couple, a new scholarship is now available to premedical students at Kettering University and the University of Michigan–Flint who are accepted into Michigan State University College of Human Medicine through MSU’s Early Assurance Program.

Mark Weiss, MD, and his wife Susan Thompson Weiss established the “Charles and Lois Thompson and Alexander and Irene Weiss Endowed Scholarship” in honor of their parents. The endowed scholarship will provide one student a total of $10,000 ($2,500 per year) for a maximum of four years. The $10,000 scholarship will repeat with a different student awarded every four years. Read more. 

Spreading STEM

Nearly 100 Girl Scouts from southeastern Michigan worked to earn badges and learn STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) concepts at the third annual Kettering University Girl Scout STEM Daycamp on September 6. This is the third year for the program, and an increase in volunteers this year allowed female Kettering University students to mentor an even larger number of Girl Scouts.

“We had about 20 Kettering volunteers this year, and that really allowed us to grow,” said Beth Facemire, a Mechanical Engineering major and organizer of this year’s event. “In the past, we’ve only had about 50 girls in the camp. This year, we were able to serve a lot more young girls and help encourage them to explore STEM-related fields.” Read more.

New VEX Robotics scholarship

The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation and Kettering University today announced a partnership to establish 10 new scholarships for students participating in the annual VEX Robotics Competition, which are valued at $225,000. In addition, Kettering University will participate at the VEX Robotics World Championship as part of College Row on April 15 – 18, 2015. Kettering University’s VEX scholarship is the third largest VEX scholarship offered by any university in the country. Read more.

Philanthropy News

Autoliv funds new d.space on campus

Kettering University students will soon have a new d.space in the Academic Building, thanks to a donation from AutoLiv ASP Inc. Autoliv has committed $75,000 to the project.

Earlier this year, d.space1 opened in the AB, giving students, faculty and staff access to technology-enabled space with two very simple rules – it is open to anyone at any time and it can’t be reserved.

“The key to this space is that nobody owns it,” said Kettering President Robert K. McMahan. “It is available for ad-hoc meetings for student groups, faculty or staff, but you can’t reserve it. It’s always open for anyone who needs the space to use it.”

The first d.space is located in an area that was formerly a small lounge near the library and the new Applied Biology labs. The d.space concept is intended to infuse open, collaborative and technology-enabled spaces throughout campus as a way to build an environment supportive of rampant creativity, innovation, teamwork and project work.

The first d.space includes a wall painted with dry erase paint, whiteboards, moveable furniture, a large screen and technology features that allow those using the space to connect devices and share information and ideas with collaborators. The second space, which will be located in or near the library, will have similar features.

“This is intended to solely be open collaboration space to foster creativity,” McMahan said. “It is intended to provide something we don’t currently have much of on campus -- unclaimed space full of technology, whiteboards and other elements that creates a fluid, productive work area for anyone who needs it. Collaborative spaces like this are a component of the new Campus Master Plan as well.”

For more than 60 years, Autoliv has focused on life-saving technologies. The company was the first to introduce the two- and three-point seat belt system and airbags for front and side impacts and the first to launch pyrotechnic belt pretensioners and pedestrian protection systems. The company, one of Kettering’s more than 550 industry partners, manufactures a range of products and systems and is a leader in automotive safety. They also hosted an admissions event for Kettering at their Auburn Hills Technical Center in December.

Kettering receives $1 million grant to promote safety in Flint

Efforts to create a safe, walkable University Avenue Corridor region connecting McLaren Regional Medical Center, Kettering University and surrounding neighborhoods to downtown Flint along University Avenue received a major boost with a $1 million federal grant to Kettering University that will support neighborhood revitalization efforts.

The Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) Program grant -- part of the Obama Administration’s Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative -- will provide $1 million over three years to help convert the University Avenue Corridor into a vibrant region by developing and implementing sustainable crime prevention strategies that spur community engagement and development and promote health and safety. Kettering and Flint were one of only six communities nationally to receive the BCJI grants.

The grant encourages a wide cross section of partnerships. Kettering, along with the Flint Area Reinvestment Office (FARO) and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), led the grant proposal process. Kettering will act as the fiscal agent for the grant.

The grant has also enabled research collaborations among many universities, including Kettering University’s Computer Science department, the Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice, the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) Youth Violence Prevention Center and the University of Michigan-Flint’s Department of Health and Health Sciences and Department of Earth and Resource Science. MSU’s School of Criminal Justice will act as the lead research agent for the grant.

“This is tremendous news. This grant will bring in significant resources to further enhance an already rapidly improving part of the city,” said Kettering University President Dr. Robert K. McMahan. “The grant allows Kettering, the University Avenue Corridor Coalition and our many community partners to continue to lead Flint’s transformation into a world class research and knowledge center that is built upon the city’s vast higher education, healthcare, technology and industry resources. This grant is also a perfect example of how collaboration within the city can lead to significant progress. Not only did we work collaboratively with multiple organizations to secure this grant, but with it some of the country’s finest research institutions will be working closely right here in Flint over the next three years to develop and implement placemaking solutions for rebuilding our community that are sustainable and ensure a bright future for the region.” Read more.

CDC grant helps Kettering with cleanup, wellness initiatives

Funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing $150,000 over three years to the University Avenue Corridor Coalition (UACC) and Kettering University to help fund a warming shelter during ice skating at Atwood Stadium, allow resources for cleanups of abandoned lots and fund the purchase and installation of new lighting along the Flint River Trail, among other initiatives.

The Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) grant is a partnership among Kettering University, University of Michigan School of Public Health (UM SPH), and the UACC. Kettering will serve as a fiduciary for the community improvement projects and a research team from the UM SPH will collect outcome data that includes local health and safety data, parcel assessment data and a ‘Speak to Your Health!’ community survey. Funds from the grant can be used for education workshops for schools and the community, community cleanups, community events and recreation supplies. Read more.

Graduate gives back through scholarship

Richard DeVaughn ’77 has established a scholarship to help provide more opportunities for young African-American men to attend Kettering University.

DeVaughn is president and CEO of The Arcadia Group International, LLC. He is an International Coach Federation (ICF) Professional Certified Coach and has more than 30 years of diversified strategic and operational leadership in world-class companies.

“Students who graduate from Kettering are ready to participate in dynamic business environments,” DeVaughn said during a return to campus to speak to students as part of the Student Alumni Council’s Bulldog Insights series in the summer of 2014.

‘Ford Day’ celebrated on campus

Ford Motor Company and Kettering University celebrated a growing partnership aimed at producing the next generation of multi-skilled engineers for the workforce on Aug. 22.

The day commemorated Ford’s support for Kettering, including the announcement of a major contribution from the Ford Motor Company Fund to the new FIRST Robotics Community Center at Kettering University. Over the past year, Ford Motor Company and the Ford Motor Company Fund have provided more than $100,000 worth of support for various Kettering University programs, including a donation of a 2013 Ford F-250 truck to Kettering’s SAE competition teams and a donation of a Ford Focus Electric to the Advanced Power Electronics Lab (APEL) and Dr. Kevin Bai, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. A group of Kettering University students also received a $25,000 grant from the Ford Motor Company Fund’s College Community Challenge to help fund an aquaponics project to create a sustainable local food source in Flint.

“Ford and the Ford Motor Company Fund are extremely supportive of programs like FIRST Robotics that get students excited about careers in science, technology and engineering fields,” said Raj Nair '87, Group Vice President, Global Product Development, at Ford. “Our support for Kettering University’s programs is also done with a strategic eye on the future needs of industry – Kettering has allowed us over the past year to support programs like FIRST, the SAE competition teams and power electronics research. These programs are supporting high school and college students as they develop varied and well-rounded skillsets and also supporting cutting-edge vehicle research that will help shape the future of industry.”

Research News

Leading the way in applied research

Kettering University faculty have successfully secured more than $2 million in equipment through Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grants through the National Science Foundation since 2013. Faculty have received five MRI grants in that span – tied for the most of any university in Michigan and further enabling Kettering’s capabilities as a leading applied research institution. Here’s a list of the grants:

  • Kettering’s most recent MRI grant will, once installed, give Kettering something no other university in the country has -- its own 4G long term evolution (LTE) wireless system. The equipment, made possible through the MRI grant worth $143,920, will take approximately one year to be installed, but once it is operational, it will have a wide range of research, academic and even community uses -- including assisting law enforcement. Read more.
  • 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. The XPS is the industry standard measurement tool for the chemical composition of surface materials. Read more.
  • 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.
  • Five faculty members combined their research efforts to garner an $114,039 grant that will allow for the acquisition of a three position sensor 3D Investigator Motion Capture System by Northern Digital Inc. This instrument acquisition will serve faculty researchers from the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME), Computer Science (CS), and Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) departments (see Table 1). Their overlapping research specialties include ergonomics, human factors, human-computer interaction (HCI), haptic interfaces, virtual reality and simulation environments, medical robotics, and autonomous vehicle navigation. Read more.
  • Dr. Jaerock Kwon, Kettering University assistant professor of Computer Engineering, obtained a $341,563 grant for a program entitled, "MRI: Development of High-Throughput and High-Resolution Three-Dimensional Tissue Scanner with Internet-Connected 3D Virtual Microscope for Large-Scale Automated Histology." The program focuses on the development of a three-dimensional brain tissue scanner. Read more.

A sixth NSF grant, this one focused on scholarships rather than equipment and research, provides nearly $600,000 to support academically talented but financially disadvantaged students in their pursuit to become leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The funding allows Kettering’s S-STEM for Undergraduate Education program -- Support Through Robotics for Underserved Talented Students (STRUTS) -- to award gap scholarships to students who are able to qualify academically for Kettering but can’t secure enough financial aid to attend. Read more.

Crash Safety Center featured on CBC News

The Kettering University Crash Safety Center was featured in a segment on Canada Broadcasting Corporation's (CBC) Marketplace, a consumer reports news show, in December.

The segment, which focused on consumer products on the market related to pet safety during vehicle crashes, was partially filmed in Kettering’s Crash Safety Center (CSC) in October. Dr. Janet Brelin-Fornari, professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the CSC, along with research engineer Sheryl Janca and graduate students Craig Price and John Casci, conducted testing on five different products.

“This (Kettering) University lab is a regular stop for the auto industry,” the segment states. “Testing the safety of seatbelts, airbags, even child seats.”

Recent work in the Crash Safety Center includes contributing to soon-to-be-adopted standards by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop a side impact test procedure for child restraint systems. That research helped inform new testing standards that were proposed by NHTSA. Kettering worked with NHTSA for more than two years and the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) became public in 2014. Read more.

Transforming 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.

“We are confident our technique would work because we have results of preliminary testing in a petri dish,” Vaishnava said. “We have documented proof that our procedure would kill cancer cells without using chemotherapy and/or radiation.”

The treatment uses magnetic nanoparticles and magnetic microbubbles to specifically target Chorodial Melanoma and Retinoblastoma – both cancers of the eye. This technique is currently being used to treat cancer in humans in Europe but has not yet been approved in the United States.

 “The science is there and there’s proof that it works. Phase I and Phase II trials have been conducted successfully using magnetic nanoparticles in animals in the United States,” Vaishnava said. Read more.

Researchers working on durable joint replacement materials

Kettering University student Julia Carson’s mother is an oncology nurse and her father is a controls engineer – combine the two and you have the makeup of her passions and academic pursuits at Kettering.

Carson is a Mechanical Engineering major with a minor in Biology and is striving to solve engineering dilemmas involving the human body. At Kettering, she has partnered with Dr. Cheryl Samaniego, Applied Biology professor, to address the concerns of joint replacement materials.

Typically, joint replacement materials in the knee and hip last an average of 10-15 years after which they begin to deteriorate. The materials break down into smaller components and trigger the body’s immune response. Samaniego, Carson and colleagues are performing biocompatibility studies to test different coatings and surfaces designed by Chemical Engineering faculty Dr. Susan Farhat, Dr. Mary Gilliam and Dr. Ali Zand that can be used on joint replacement materials to enhance their durability and longevity and minimize the deterioration that leads to ill effects in the human body. Read more.  

Using Tolkien to teach leadership

Tolkien’s stories have played a big role in the life of Liberal Studies faculty member Dr. Laura Miller-Purrenhage.

She has partnered with fellow faculty member Dr. Denise Stodola to make her lifelong passion for Tolkien into her professional pursuit as they have combined to offer LIT 374: Seminar on J.R.R. Tolkien as a Liberal Studies course for Kettering students. 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.

“We look at leadership. What makes an effective leader?,” Miller-Purrenhage said. “Aragorn, Gandalf, Theoden and Denethor - what are the differences in the way they lead?”

Miller-Purrenhage uses the examples of Frodo and Sam to discuss how unethical behavior can be resisted in the corporate environments just as the hobbits resisted the temptations of the Ring.

“What causes unethical behavior?,” Miller-Purrenhage said. “We all hope to be good people but over and over again, we find that even the best of people can get corrupted.” Read more.  

Kettering joins PEIC

Kettering University became the first university to join the Power Electronics Industry Collaborative (PEIC -- pronounced ‘peak’), a national consortium of manufacturers, suppliers, researchers and other stakeholders working to advance the power electronics industry in the United States.

Kettering is currently an associate member of the consortium, which includes major companies like General Motors, Delphi, Magna Powertrain, Dow Corning, NextEnergy and Argonne National Laboratories, among others.

“PEIC evaluates the power electronics workforce in the United States and helps fill gaps in education,” said Dr. Kevin Bai, assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of Kettering University’s Advanced Power Electronics Lab (APEL). “The organization is trying to identify the types of expertise needed in power electronics and develop solutions.” Read more.

Faculty member a leading expert on mobile social networks

Social networks are still a relatively new as a communications technology, but rapid advances are already causing the original definition to evolve.

In particular, the proliferation of mobile devices along with increased networking capabilities has spurred development of an entirely new kind of social network -- the opportunistic mobile social network. Opportunistic mobile social networks are platforms that provide services aimed at maintaining social connections through a handheld, wireless device. Characteristics of these networks include intermittent contacts, disconnections and reconnections, energy and storage limitations.

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.

“This is a new and rapidly growing field,” Wang said. “Practically speaking, there is great interest in the potential of these networks because they can foster new forms of collaboration and offer new types of services.” Read more.

Hospital donates birthing simulator to Kettering

Genesys Regional Medical Center is contributing to Kettering University’s Bio-Mechanical and Bio-Engineering research efforts by donating a life-like birthing simulator to the University.

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. At Kettering University, the birthing simulator is housed in the Mechanical Engineering department in the C.S. Mott Building, but will be used by faculty and students across campus.

“At Genesys they simulate situations that might happen during a birth and then practice how they deal with it,” said Dr. Theresa Atkinson, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at Kettering University. “Here we want to use the tool to simulate a broader range of medical procedures.” Read more.

Engineering tech products for human design

The consumption of digital media on mobile phones, tablets and laptops is at an all-time high and technology is rapidly evolving to accommodate touch and motion interfaces as a replacement for the traditional mouse and keyboard.  As technology expands, so does the pursuit of safe and ergonomically sound uses of digital devices in Dr. Justin Young’s lab at Kettering University.

“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.

Young’s research focuses on touchless gestural controls for devices – the ability to control elements occurring on a screen without making physical contact with an interface.

“These types of interfaces have worked really well in certain types of situations,” Young said. “You aren’t likely going to use gestures to control Microsoft Excel but if I’m working in 3D environments, and I want to, for example, spin a map of the earth around, gestures may be better options than the mouse.” Read more.

Greener is better

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.

Ngniatedema and his research team, consisting of Dr. Suhong Li at Bryant University and Dr. Abdou Illia at Eastern Illinois University, used data from Newsweek’s environmental reports on the top 500 publicly traded companies in the United States. They compared the financial performance of organizations in the manufacturing and service sectors with their respective environmental metrics over the course of two years to look for profitable correlations. Metrics such as Environmental Impact Scores and Reputation Score were used in their study.

The Environmental Impact Score is a comprehensive, qualitative and standardized measurement of the overall environmental impact of a company’s global operations.

“We found that firms in the manufacturing industry tend to be more green-oriented than those in the service industry,” Ngniatedema said.

Specifically, financial performance of Fortune 500 companies was improved in consumer products, food and beverage, healthcare and retail sectors when green operations were taken into consideration and therefore the industries received a higher environmental impact or reputation score. Read more.  

Class Notes

Submit Class Notes online at www.kettering.edu/alumni

1952

Ralph R. McCoy passed away on July 29, 2013. He was survived by his wife of 55 years Donna McCoy, two daughters, six grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, his brother, his sister and several nieces and nephews. He worked as an engineer for General Motors and the Ormet Corporation and as a plant manager for Ernie Green Industries. He was a 46-year Mason, member of the Dayton Antioch Shrine and the Ancient Accepted Scottish Right, Valley of Dayton. He enjoyed travel, watching sports and was an avid golfer.

1955

Michael J. Tahy, president of Michael J. Tahy and Associates, is hoping to locate a copy of the book, The Good Old Days at the Buick, by Lynn Ruester. The book was published in 1990. Anyone who has a copy and would be willing to share it can contact Michael Tahy at (248) 652-1044.

John Mahoney passes on this note: “May 15-17, 2015, will be the 60th reunion for the Class of 1955. It doesn’t seem that long, but as they say, do the math. I received a lot of interest from fellow classmates and we hope to plan something fun and meaningful for this great opportunity to reunite the class. Let me know your interest in attending and any ideas for making it a memorable occasion. Perhaps we can set an attendance record. Best wishes to you all, John Mahoney, class of ’55 secretary, email - johnm3430@comcast.net; phone – (248) 214-5061; address – 3430 Devon Rd., Unit B, Royal Oak, MI, 48073.”

1958

David Merrion was elected a Fellow in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME, in 2014, with the following citation: "Mr. Merrion has been involved with diesel engineering for 60 years and has distinguished himself as an engine designer, exhaust emission expert, engineering manager, company executive, emissions compliance auditor, consultant and member of Board of Directors. Accomplishments include designing five new diesel engines, discovering the cause of hydrocarbons and odor in diesel exhaust, leading the engineering department of a major diesel engine and transmission manufacturer, being a member of the team to take a company public, serving as compliance auditor reporting to EPA and consultant to several companies and the National Academy of Science." 

1961

Three graduates – Herb Adams ’61, Joe Brady ’69 and Jeff Young ’70 – were featured in a recently published book called Blood, Sweat & Gears: The Story of the Gray Ghost and the Junkyard Firebird by David Barnes. The paperback and eBook versions just went on sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, etc. The Publisher is Telemachus Press. The book is historical fiction - based on a true story - about a group of independent engineers led by Adams at GM's Pontiac Division who designed and built a racecar from an old 1964 sedan and seriously competed with it in the 1971 professional Trans-Am circuit. They did this on their own time and money.  In 1972 they did it again starting with a wrecked Firebird and surprised a lot of people at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

1972

Tom Lockwood retired from General Motors after 47 years. He is now working at Isuzu Manufacturing Services of America in Plymouth, Michigan, as a Project Engineer.

After retiring, Graham Smith and his wife moved to Gibraltar, a British territory on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar is probably best known as the Rock of Gibraltar. It is the only place in Europe where there are free roaming monkeys. I was a GMOO co-opted to AC Spark Plug. My home plant was AC Delco in Dunstable, England.

Karl Krapek of Avon, Connecticut, has been selected by the North-American Interfraternity Conference Foundation as this year's recipient of the Outstanding Foundation Volunteer Award.

1979

Loren C. Rex, an independent financial advisor with Generations Financial Planning and Wealth Management, was named to Cambridge Signature Club 2014 by his independent broker-dealer, Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. Cambridge is among the largest privately controlled independent broker-dealers in the U.S. This honor recognizes a financial advisor’s success based on production, client service, and commitment to values.

Mike Richardson is now Executive Board Director and SVP Global Strategy for Nexteer Automotive. Richardson led the roadshow team to both list Nexteer on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange & issue a corporate bond in 2014.

1980

Carol Beatty graduated with a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Tulsa in May. She passed the law bar exam at the end of July and she was sworn in as a lawyer on September 24. She now works full time for Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma doing exactly the type of work she hoped to do: providing legal assistance to people with disabilities, the elderly and other Oklahomans with low income. Carol and her husband Tom Witte, who is also a 1980 graduate of Kettering, celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary in September.

1982

John Cachat has left manufacturing and now working in healthcare. One of his companies, Directed Medical Systems, was recently acquired by COMS Interactive. Cachat’s current focus is improving end of life care with advance care planning and advance directives.

1986

Garrold DeGrace received a promotion to technical fellow in September 2013, leading the Manufacturing Process Analysis Group in General Motors Powertrain in Pontiac, Michigan. He’s received numerous GM Intellectual Property Awards, including patents in the usage of advanced structural analysis tools in the simulation of powertrain manufacturing processes.

1987

Daniel Nicholson was promoted to vice president, global powertrain at General Motors on November 20, 2014.

1998

Scott Richardson joined Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. as Counsel in Carrollton, Texas.

1999

Dr. Cleamon Moorer was named Dean of the School of Business at Madonna University. He was also featured in Crain’s Detroit Business’s 2014 ’30 in their 30s’ edition.

2000

Michael Varvel was promoted to Vice President - Operations for Sodexo in June 2014.

2002

Shannon D. Peters joined Husch Blackwell’s Product Liability group. He received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law (2014), where he was president of the Intellectual Property Legal Society, a student member of the American Bar Association and member of the Black Law Student Association. Prior to law school, Peters spent more than 10 years in the automotive industry working for industry leaders including Moog Automotive, Electronic Data Systems, Saturn Corporation, General Motors and Nissan Extended Services North America. In addition, he taught undergraduate courses in business management for the University of Phoenix. An entrepreneur, Peters also owned and operated Music City Customs LLC, an automotive aftermarket accessories company.

2003

Ryan and Courtney Garn are proud to announce the birth of their son, Henry William, on July 28, 2014. He weighed 9 pounds, 13 ounces and was 22.25 inches long. Henry was welcomed home by older siblings Grace, George and Lucy.

2006

Bryan '06 and Christina Knowles ‘07 welcomed their second child, daughter Aubrielle Grace, on March 21, 2014.

Corey M. Beaubien co-authored an article titled Patent Eligibility and Medical Diagnostic and Treatment Methods—Principles to Apply, published in BNA’s Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal in September 2014. He is a shareholder at the intellectual property law firm Reising Ethington P.C.

2007

Adam Riegle is now a manager with Prism Healthcare Partners.

2010

Derek B. Lavender has joined Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP’s Indianapolis office as an associate. Lavender is an associate in Taft’s Intellectual Property group and focuses his practice on patent prosecution. Lavender received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He earned his J.D. with an IP Certificate from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 2014. While in law school, Lavender worked for Taft’s Intellectual Property group and gained experience in patent prosecution through an externship with the Naval Surface Warfare Center.

2012

Elizabeth (Casci) Bier is currently in her second year of medical school at Ohio University.

Engagements/Weddings:

  • Lee Hutchinson ’09 and Patricia Mays ‘09
  • Kenneth Krasowski Jr. ’05 and Nicole R. Childers

In Memoriam:

  • James B. McGregor ‘47
  • Raymond J. Haefner ‘49
  • Richard D. Whitney ‘50
  • Raymond G. Ingalsbe ‘51
  • Ralph R. McCoy ‘52
  • Darwin J. Ripperda ‘54
  • Charles F. Sirl II ‘54
  • Gordon A. White ‘54
  • Robert E. Gustaveson ‘56
  • Jerry C. Harman ‘56
  • Donald S. Demo ‘57
  • Lawrence M. Means ‘57
  • Glen R. Ohl ‘57
  • Donald E. "Mike" Mikesell ‘59
  • Ronald B. Embrey ‘67
  • Charles A. Beeley ‘67
  • Vincent P. Sardone ‘76
  • Jonathan M. Dascher ‘08
  • Stephen  T. Root ‘12