The
Technician bulldogs.kettering.edu/technician
July 29, 2017
•
•
Volume 124
Issue 1
SAE AutoDrive Challenge
Robert Lyman Distribution Editor General Motors and SAE International revealed the eight North American universities who will be participating in the AutoDrive Challenge in April of this year: Kettering University, Michigan State University, Michigan Tech, North Carolina A&T University, Texas A&M University, The University of Toronto, The University of Waterloo, and Virginia Tech. Over the course of three years, each school will be tasked with creating a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV that can navigate an urban driving course in a completely automated driving mode – a level four autonomous vehicle as defined by the SAE. Continued on Page 2
What’s Inside
Study Tips
Autonomous Vehicles Opinion
A Time Gone By Art Exhibit
6
Abdul El-Sayed Visits Kettering
Battle of the Chefs
Adam Lecznar Editor-In-Chief Kettering University is well known for its ties to industry and business. Cooperative education and corporate partnerships place Kettering at the forefront of STEM knowledge and its use in fields such as manufacturing. Its students and faculty know and participate in these industries. Rarely, though, do students engage and contribute to more liberal fields, such as politics. That did not deter one man, Abdul El-Sayed, from visiting the school and promoting engagement in such important topics of thought and discussion. Abdul El-Sayed, a physician and epidemiologist by trade, arrived at Kettering University on July 25, 2017 to meet students and faculty as part of a series of guest speakers coordinated by the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. El-Sayed was introduced in AB 2-225 by Kettering student Eddie Schodowski and his own grandfather, class of 1962 GMI alum Jan Johnson. Standing in front of the gathered crowd, ElSayed began first by shaking hands and personally introducing himself to those near the front rows of seating. Once the presentation formally began, he recalled his con-
Rebecca Roughton Layout Editor On Tuesday, July 25th, things heated up in Sunrise Cafe. That’s because four talented chefs met in a battle to provide the best dish to students and staff alike, making for one delicious and competitive meal. The first of the four dishes was a barbeque chicken slider by Chef Todd Venstra. The next, by Chef Joseph McCullough, was a Michigan pinot grigio braised pork with mascarpone cavatappi and peperonata. Following that, by Chef Kyle Perrault, was a grilled pork cutlet over wild rice with mushroom demi and asparagus tossed in shallots and garlic. Finally, Chef Bill Robinson brought out an Asian Crepe Shrimp Salad. Before discussing the delicious dishes, time was taken to get an overview of all of the chefs, with information provided by the managers of the event. Chef Todd Venstra, creator of the barbecue chicken slider, grew on a small dairy farm in Northern Michigan, where his food service began as a dishwasher, and would grow over the next 30 years. He served in the United States army for 4 years, dur-
Continued on Page 3
War for the Planet of the Apes Reviews
New IME Department Head, Dr. Grasman Adam Lecznar Editor-In-Chief The next years of Kettering University’s existence will be marked by countless changes, both small and large. As the University nears its Centennial, parts of its makeup are changing fundamentally. Adding to the establishment of a College system, the c o nti nu e d work on new spaces on campus, and community integration, many new faculty members are being added to Kettering. One such faculty member, Dr. Scott Grasman, will play a pivotal role as the new Department Head of the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Kettering University’s College of Engineering. Dr. Grasman, originally from Norton Shore, MI near Muskegon, officially began his Kettering career on July 3, 2017. Dr. Grasman brings with him a wealth of experience in managing academia. A graduate of the University of Michigan, having there attained his Bachelor's, Master's, and in 2000 his
Continued on Page 9
Continued on Page 9 Photo courtesy of Kettering University
Page 2
The Technician
News SAE Challenge Continued from front page
As the industry moves toward autonomous vehicles, it is more important than ever that the future workforce – us – is able to understand, and be comfortable with, the technologies that go into making such a vehicle. Chris Ciuca, SAE International’s Director of Pre-Professional Programs, had this to say about the Challenge: “SAE International is excited to expand our partnership with GM to build the future STEM workforce through the AutoDrive Challenge. Building on our success through programs like Formula SAE, the AutoDrive Challenge launches a new platform to engage industry and academia in working towards a common goal of preparing the brightest young minds for the future of autonomous technologies.” I had a chance to sit down with one of the students on our AutoDrive team, Ian Lasher, to ask him a few questions about the competition. Hi, Ian. Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. No problem. It’s a good thing you caught me now, though – things are really going to ramp up fast once we get into the middle of term. You’re certainly right about that. So, the AutoDrive Challenge is tasking the University with building a fully self-driving car from essentially scratch. What kind of a car are we working with? GM is providing us with a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, which is a brand new, prototypequality vehicle, along with the technology to automate the steering, throttle, brakes, and some other assorted parts associated with driving the car. Intel is giving us a computing platform to use. These two things are combined to make a kit that makes the AutoDrive Challenge more like the First Tech Challenge than the First Robotics Competition: everyone will be starting with the same basic stuff and going from there, but the specifics and most of the major differences will come mainly from the coding.
So it’s essentially a shell with no brain? Yup. The brain is our problem. How many different majors play into a project of this scale? ME, EE, CE, CS, and even Business majors have important roles to play in a competition of this nature, and I can even think of some ways for IE and Physics majors to play a role. While there isn’t really much for Chemistry majors to do in a competition about making a computer that drives a car, I can see ChemE majors helping with overall engineering issues: multi-disciplinal teams are important for a project like this, so that means that I’ll be getting my hands dirty on the sensors and some of the MEs will learn how to code. That’ll be the day. How long do you think it will be until we have a prototype ready for baseline testing? The car itself won’t arrive at Kettering until late August at the earliest, and it will take several weeks after that to get a prototype ready, but I’m hopeful that we’ll have something to test before the end of the term, even if that test is just verifying that we can use the car’s interface. T h e r e are obviously some new technologies involved with this. Which of those are you the most excited to be working with? Personally, I’m probably the most excited to be working with the more advanced machine-learning technologies like neural networks. Cool. Just try not to make Skynet, alright? I’ll do my best. How many hours a week do you anticipate the
The
Technician Adam Lecznar
Editor-in-chief
Rebecca Roughton L ayout Editor
Gabrielle Feeny
Copy Editor
Jacob Hankerd
Staff writers Jordan Mayer Khalid Foflonker Megan Cox Nathan Schleh Navardo Henry Alicia Brown Jerico Markel
Faculty Advisor Christine Levecq Special Thanks To Betsy Homsher & Debbie Stewart
Online Editor
Robert Lyman
Distribution Editor
Photo courtesy of Chevrolet.com
July 29, 2017
team will be spending working on this as we move down the stretch? I anticipate that each member of the team will likely be spending at least 5 hours each week on the car, and with almost 30 people on the A-Section team, that’s roughly 150 man-hours per week. As we get closer to the competition deadline and as people find more free time – or decide that they don’t need quite as much sleep – there will probably be somewhere toward 300 man-hours spent on the car per week. 10 hours a week per person on top of classes? That’s a lot of time! Well, at least two of those hours are an actual class we’re taking, but yeah, it’s quite a lot of time. We know that the car will have to make it to fully Level Four by the end of the competition, but where are the thresholds for testing that we’ll be looking for along the way? A Level Four autonomous vehicle is what we’re expected to have when we’re done. A Level Four vehicle still has a physical steering wheel, and is still at a point where we’re expecting that someone who knows how to drive is in the car. We’re not expecting them to be able to take over instantly if something goes wrong, but we can assume that they’re present and know how to physically drive. As for thresholds, by the end of the first year we’re going to be judged on how well we can detect obstacles in a linear path and other such things. Lane changes and other dynamic conditions are the focus for the second year. Aside from students, who is helping with the project? Dr. Peters is heading the project. As for other fac-
Submissions Policy The Technician encourages any interested students to attend staff meetings. Meetings for Winter 2017 will be each Tuesday and Thursday over the lunch hour in The Technician office, located on the 3rd floor of the Campus Center above the Sunrise Café. Student submissions are encouraged and will be published if their material is in the public interest. Submissions or letters to the editor from faculty and administrative entities will be published if space is available. The Technician reserves the right to edit any and all submissions for brevity and clarity. Anonymous submissions are rarely published and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Individuals wishing to publish anonymously should consult the Editor-in-chief. The deadline for the upcoming issue of The Technician is 9th Tuesday at 6pm. Expected distribution is 10th Monday. Send submissions to atechnician@kettering.edu.
July 29, 2017
ulty, since I’m not an ME I can’t tell you who all will be helping out from that department, but I can assume it’s a fair few of them. Dr. Park from the ECE department will be heavily involved with sensor processing, and Drs. Geske, Wang, and Turini from the CS department will be on hand to help out as well. Does anything you do for your Co-Op compare to the work you’ll be doing on the car for the competition? Quite a lot, actually. I work on autonomous vehicle research myself, and other students on the team work in active safety making braking systems and/or other safety systems for vehicles, so we should have the best idea of what to expect from this. However, everyone’s co-op experience should help prepare them for the Challenge, whether it’s through the design process, working with others in a cross-disciplined team, or any other sort of design, engineering, or teamwork-based qualities that are required. How difficult is it going to be for Kettering to keep up with the competition given that only half our team is on campus at a time, not to mention the gruelingly short semesters we have to contend with at the same time? Kettering has some unique challenges to overcome, as usual. Between our very short semesters and the handoff between A and B Sections, we’re at a disadvantage. However, I believe that we make up for that with the work experience all of our students have from their co-ops: they have actual skills that they can apply to the competition; for the other teams, this competition is how their students will GET that experience. So we’ve got a serious leg up there. And then there are people like me, who work with autonomous cars at our co-ops and have X years of experience working with them going into this competition. So think that at the very least we’ve evened out those drawbacks: in fact, I think we’ve got a serious advantage over many of the other schools. Can I take the car out for a spin when it’s complete? Unfortunately, no, you won’t get to drive it. The car isn’t actually licensed for use on a public road, and is in fact only allowed to be driven on a closed course by specially trained drivers. I probably won’t even get to take it for a test drive either. Thanks, Ian. My pleasure. The AutoDrive Challenge is being compared by some to the Space Race of the 1950-60s – and as a result all the universities involved are taking it extremely seriously: some of the teams at the other universities are more than 100 students strong! Couple that with the more relaxed pacing of the semesters at the other schools, not to mention the fact that all the students will be on campus at the same time, Kettering has more than a few hurdles to jump over if we want to remain competitive – but we can and do stand a very good chance of winning if we manage to clear those obstacles, and I’m confident that we’ll have no trouble doing so. Stay tuned for more updates as the competition continues.
Page 3
The Technician
News El-Sayed Continued from front page nections to the school. “This place has a lot of meaning,” El-Sayed remarked. He recalled a period in his life when, as a sixth-grade middle school student, he would come to Kettering with his mom. “I remember being in this room and seeing Professor Reg Bell lecture.” Soon, though, it was on to business, and El-Sayed started by posing a question to the assembled crowd. “What keeps you up at night?” Responses from the audience ranged from preserving the Great Lake environment to Civil Asset Forfeiture, and included topics such as crime, infrastructure, and Michigan’s talent exodus. El-Sayed touched on each issue that was mentioned, then transitioned to a bit of his own history, ensuring the issues would be revisited. El-Sayed started by addressing some of the things about him that may lead to challenges in his campaign. He noted being told at times that he may be too young and too brown, and that his own name may hinder his progress. Shrugging off all of these claims, El-Sayed dove into his story to explain why he is adequately suited to represent the people of Michigan, and convey how he sees positive change occurring. “I come from an uncommon, if incredibly American family,” El-Sayed started, explaining his father’s decision to move to America from Egypt to live out the American dream, working hard and studying to one day earn his own way of living. “My father knew that to create his own path, he would have to do it by the book.” When deciding whether to continue his journey in Detroit, MI or Reutlingen, Germany, El-Sayed’s father decided to double down and make his way to the Motor City. “It appealed to him, the city’s message and ideals, that anyone could make is if they worked hard. That there was a place for anyone who would not shy away. He took a bet on an America that was big enough for him, too.” El-Sayed recalled how his parents met, raised him, and divorced. His father eventually remarried, and his step-mother Jackie, Jan Johnson’s daughter, cre-
Photos courtesy of Kettering University
ated an environment by which El-Sayed bridged the gap between two worlds. “My family happened to come from fundamentally different walks of life,” El-Sayed explained, painting a picture of his family. He described Thanksgiving dinners spent in a house in central Michigan that brought together people from as far as Egypt and Poland, where people who were atheist, Muslim, and Protestant sat at one table to watch the Detroit Lions lose. It was here that E-Sayed’s message began to take shape. “They saw a future in family.” “I really love people,” El-Sayed continued, remembering how observing his diverse family awoke such an interest in him. “I also realized I loved science.” Studying Biology and Politics explained how he started on the path that brought him to the position he’s in today. “I was a lot more interested in the politics of health,” he commented, citing how policies and decisions can affect people’s health. He cited Flint as an area which has much lower expected life-spans than the surrounding communities. “Why is that?” This path led El-Sayed to be hired as the Commissioner of the Detroit Health Department in 2015. The year prior, the department had been totally shut down, and El-Sayed was tasked with rebuilding it. In his experiences, he recalled one experience which stuck with him: a three-year old boy with his mother very easily introduced himself and hugged El-Sayed, something children of that age don’t often do. For El-Sayed, it set his priorities. “For us, our work has to be about justifying that child’s confidence,” El-Sayed expounded, turning to the poor quality of public school systems in the state. “I had to ask myself, what’s my role?” Again El-Sayed turned to the idea that working together, people could overcome challenges facing the state as he began revisiting issues discussed at the beginning of the session. He described how education plays such an important role in the building up of a society. “We as a state have an inside track to keeping our best and brightest here,” El-Sayed claimed, referencing the number of incredible universities in Central and Southeast Michigan, and how important it is that the talent Michigan produces comes back to
Continued on Page 4
Page 4
The Technician
News
El-Sayed Continued from Page 3 support the state. He also reminded the audience, though, of the importance of unions and skilled trades, citing that only 35% of people attend a fouryear university. El-Sayed also explained his approach to improving the economy. Rather than invest in manufacturing jobs that can be offshored, he believes the state should welcome knowledge industries that utilize new technology, such as what occurs out West. Alongside this, improving the infrastructure of Michigan, including but not limited to roadways, would open up possibilities for more ideas to be shared outside of and between the bubbles that exist around universities and cities. These updates could come in the form of rail systems, improved internet service to remote areas, and the complete restoration of roads and bridges. Finally El-Sayed discussed the necessity to provide basic essentials to all people. These include access to healthcare coverage and clean water and food, and the security that their vote matters. One of his largest goals is to establish nonpartisan redistricting of voting districts. After the talk, El-Sayed thanked the audience for attending, and opened the floor for more questions. He also provided information for opportunities to get involved with the election for Michigan’s governor and his campaign, which avoids Pac funding as part of his goal to reduce corporate money in politics. He is instead funded by small donations. Later in the afternoon, El-Sayed participated in a roundtable discussion with students and faculty who attended. “I really want to understand what folks are thinking about,” El-Sayed stated after initial introductions with the audience. There he had frank discussions with those seated, allowing them to lead the conversation, before finally preparing to leave the campus and continue his campaign planning. “We all pick the battles we want to fight, but sometimes the battles you do fight pick you,” El-Sayed said in closing, after discussing what motivated him to start his campaign. The election for Michigan’s governor takes place on November 6, 2018. More information on Abdul El-Sayed can be found at https://abdulformichigan.com/about.html , and general information about the election, such as other candidates, can be found at http://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2017/06/08/confused-michigans-wide-opengovernors-race-heres-guide/379465001/ .
Professor Randall Beikmann Jerico Markel Staff Writer With the start of the summer 2017 term, there have been some new additions to the faculty here at Kettering. Most of these new faces I will probably never have the chance to meet in a classroom setting but for one: Professor Randall S. Beikmann, who now teaches MECH-320 (Thermodynamics). Professor Beikmann, like most professors here at Kettering, gave my class a little synopsis about who he is, where he has been, and his background in the industry. Naturally I didn’t take any notes on this, so one week later I showed up at his office and requested an interview. He obliged and we hit it off. Two hours later I emerged with one scant page of notes (okay I’m not the best at taking notes) and had a much clearer idea about who this man was and where he intended to go. Now to get to the grit of this article: The man himself. Professor Beikmann graduated from Kansas State University with a BSME in 1982, and with a Master’s in ME in 83’ from Michigan State University. After jumping into the industry (at GM), it quickly became apparent to him that he needed to expand his education to better understand the work he was doing, and so six years later, he started working on his Ph.D. in Noise & Vibration, which he finally obtained in ’92. During the course of his undergrad years, Professor Beikmann took four semesters of Thermodynamics, two of which were graduate level courses. Now you might be wondering what kind of work Professor Beikmann did with GM. I’m going to point out the obvious and say that he worked in the noise & vibration lab. Some of his projects include hybrids, drive trains, and race projects (I’m also going to mention that he loved the racing projects). His time at GM wasn’t limited to just the lab, though. He spent time working at the proving grounds as well (another thing he loved to do) and even taught classes to GM engineers on engine noise & vibration. Now you might be wondering why Professor Beikmann is at Kettering. The answer is simple: after 33+ years with GM, he decided it was time to retire from the industry, but did not wish to sit idle for the rest of his life. By chance (or maybe on purpose, remember that part about scant notes) he saw a posting from Kettering seeking someone to teach Thermodynamics. In his own words, “It was like the posting was written for me.” He applied and was hired 3 weeks prior to the start of summer term. Now some of you might be wondering how easy it will be for him to interact with students. The answer is very easily. Professor Beikmann loves cars and loves to talk about cars. He has a project car, a Cayman, and loves to go to the track. I for one look forward to learning from him and visiting his office for help and random conversations about cars and other topics. All Photos Courtesy of abc12.com
July 29, 2017
Factory Two Khalid Foflonker Staff Writer Factory Two is now open to the public in Flint and is free to Kettering University students. Located in the heart of downtown, Factory Two serves as a community maker space that is equipped to handle all of your project needs. Taking a tour of Factory Two is an entrepreneur’s dream. The workshop is equipped with a fully functional 3D printer, laser cutter, screen printer, vinyl cutter, full woodshop, metal shop, fabric press, CNC router, and much more. Factory Two is a nonprofit organization that aims to focus on youth, arts, entrepreneurship, and community engagement. The 14,000 square feet of space is uniquely designed in order to produce the greatest makerspace atmosphere. Factory Two utilizes a “clean to dirty” approach with regards to operational design. This means that upon entering, a customer finds themselves in the clean space and the further they move into the workshop the grittier it gets. The clean space contains open space for collaboration and computers. The computer stations are armed with a plethora of design software. Moving further along, the clean space transitions into more of a workshop. The next stage contains the circuits and electronics stations, crafting and fabrication, and the sound lab. Beyond that is screen printing and the bike shop. Lastly, ranking the most “dirty” is the wood and metal shops. Factory Two is well equipped to handle simple and complex projects alike. A full list of the available tools can be found on the Factory Two website. In order to utilize Factory Two to the fullest extent, students, tinkerers, and entrepreneurs may need to attend short volunteer-run safety courses to ensure they are adequately trained to operate machinery. The exposure/darkroom, laser cutter, vinyl cutter, 3D printer, textile printer, and flat stock printing require check out safety courses before use. Signup for these courses is available on the Factory Two website. Factory Two is also looking for Kettering student volunteers who are trained on any of the above mentioned machines who may teach a safety course. Additionally, students may volunteer for other activities aimed towards youth engagement. Kettering University and Factory Two currently have a partnership that allows students to freely use the Factory Two facility. The facility is state of the art and has immense value. Personally, I have used the fabric press to create custom t-shirts at exorbitantly less cost than that of traditional online print services. With the amount of entrepreneurial ideas that come from Kettering students, Factory two may serve as the link between that first prototype and production. Hours of operation, membership, and events are all available on the Factory Two website: https:// factorytwo.org. Kettering University students may pick up passes for Factory Two from the library staff. I strongly suggest everyone check out the latest Flint startup and community makerspace Factory Two. It is located on 129 N Grand Traverse St Flint. If you have any further questions please feel free to reach out to me or email info@factorytwo.org.
July 29, 2017
Thompson Hall Assembly Megan Cox Staff Writer Thompson Hall Assembly (THA) is a new initiative supported by the Office of Residence Life that was started in the Spring term of 2017. Stemmed from Residence Hall Association (RHA), an organization that Thompson Hall had in the past, and under National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH), THA is a way for students to get involved. THA is student-led and gives residents the opportunity to grow as future leaders and be a voice for other students living in the residence hall. When asked about THA, Assistant Director of Residence Life and THA Advisor, Sybil Jacob, stated that “participating in THA allows students to increase the quality of life through community development, identity, programming, and tradition. Students participating in THA [also] have opportunities to attend leadership conferences and retreats on a regional and national level.” Thompson Hall Assembly consists of an Advisor who is the Assistant Director of Residence Life, Executive Board that is in charge of running meetings, a senator from each unit in Thompson Hall who represents each of their units and works alongside their Resident Assistant, and a General Council, which consists of those not holding a position, but who still wish to attend meetings. Anyone currently a resident in Thompson can hold a position and/or attend. Senators are elected annually by their units and as of now, Executive Board positions are appointed annually based off interest and experience. Meetings are also known as THA-GC (General Council) and are held on even Tuesdays at 9:00 PM in the Thompson Hall lobby. When asked what impact students can make by getting involved in THA, Sybil Jacob stated that “regardless of the titles they hold, or the depth of their involvement, the choice is always theirs. We provide an avenue to create change within Thompson Hall and that change has the potential to create a ripple effect.” Meetings are intended to be discussion based; THA is meant to be an open environment where students are free to share ideas on how to grow. Whether that growth is regarding the Thompson Hall environment, physically, or otherwise, that is up to the residents. Thompson Hall Assembly is currently still growing as an organization, but in the words of Sybil, its goal remains “…to train future leaders while representing, advocating for, and assisting students that live in Thompson Hall.”
Page 5
The Technician
News
Study Tips Grabrielle Feeny Copy Editor It can be difficult to focus on homework when you attend school during the summer. Even though some of us may get acceptable grades, I’m sure we all can admit that we could study better than we currently do. For anyone out there looking to improve themselves (or in need of a starting point), here are my top study tips: 1. Find a special place to study. It’s helpful to seek out a quiet area where you can be left alone for a while. This should be some place you designate for studying, such as a dspace or lounge in the Academic Building – NOT your room! If the place you do your work is the same place you goof around in, it can be easy to fall back into that habit. 2. Remove all distractions. Have you ever sat down to do homework for a good chunk of time, only to look back and realize you didn’t get much done at all? Sometimes a lot of time gets lost when we look at our phones or check social media, as those “breaks” end up being too long or too frequent. Because of this, it can be a good idea to leave phones and laptops behind when going to do work, if possible. There are also apps that exist to block the use of other apps or certain webpages for a given amount of time, which could aid in keeping you focused. 3. Schedule time to study. Look at your current schedule and pick out any breaks you may have in between classes, meals, and other events. These are now your designated study hours. If you stick to being productive at a certain time every week, even if you don’t necessarily have any homework to do, you can turn studying into a habit.
All Photos Courtesy of Kettering University
New Freshmen Navardo Henry & Alicia Brown Staff Writers Every Kettering student can tell when there are freshmen coming in. Apart from the fact that it says “WELCOME KU CLASS OF 2017” literally everywhere on campus, a few not so obvious changes can also be seen: the influx of strange new faces beaming about the campus, the occasional lost soul in the tunnels asking for directions, and of course, the plethora of orientation week activities all geared at getting our new students initiated into the ways of the university. But what do these new faces think? What thoughts go through the brilliant minds of these young impressionable freshmen as they gait about their new home for the next four and a half years? Well, the Technician caught up with a few of the newcomers, and when asked about what they think of life on campus thus far, here are some of the responses: “ It’s a lot of work but a lot of fun!” This freshman was obviously still “SO PUMPED” from orientation week activities. “ I like it but I don’t see a lot of vegetarian options in the cafeteria”. While Kettering has done some work to broaden food choices, such as introducing Einstein’s and Bj’s, the Sunrise café continues to be the main source of nourishment for Kettering students , freshmen especially. The need for a wider variety of vegetarian dishes is therefore understandable because if anyone knows Sunrise, they know it’s not vegetarian. Some of the freshmen have already experienced what it is to be a part of the Kettering family. One such freshman answered saying: “ I like how supportive and helpful the upper-classmen are” . This phenomenon is quite visible around campus, in the study lounges , D-spaces and residence halls where we can see upper-class students helping the freshmen around, assisting with different courses, etc. Absolutely amazing. While every freshman is automatically a member of the Kettering family upon entrance, others are more interested in the many sub-families around campus, one such family being the intramural sports teams and clubs. This was definitely highlighted in the interviews as many freshmen gave responses such as “I can’t wait till winter to play intramural basketball hashtag a tourney” and “ The club variety here on campus is Awesome.” Another set of responses that were collected concerned courses thus far. A number of the freshmen indicated that they were pretty comfortable with their classes and professors, and some even went as far as to request shout outs! “ Shout out to Professors Masha, Gellis and Kiernan” was the response given by a group of freshmen when they were asked this question. On the other hand, one freshman, in a jovial and lighthearted fashion reported “ Pretty good, I haven’t cried this week, so it’s good,” highlighting the fact that Kettering is indeed a “fast paced university.” There you have it, a peek into the thoughts of the Kettering University Class of 2022!
Page 6
The Technician
through the camera lens
July 29, 2017
Top: Students at this year's summer commencement. Bottom: Students check out cars for Ford Day
Photos courtesy of Kettering University
July 29, 2017
The Technician
around campus
Top: Students taking part in the AIM (Academically Interested Minds) summer program. Bottom: Fraternity and sorority members assist new freshmen with moving in. .
Photos courtesy of Kettering University
Page 7
Page 8
The Technician
News Opinion: Learning Commons
Opinion: Autonomous Vehicles
Eddie Schodowski Guest Writer I was initially skeptical about the university’s direction on the Learning Commons. I worried that it would threaten the core of Kettering’s American Dream offering by raising tuition. But I then realized that buildings like these aren’t built from within the existing budget, and it’s definitely worth investing in the university for the long term. I now think it’s a great step forward for the university, and it has the long-term potential to seriously put Kettering on the map as a school that produces some of the best engineers and best American Dream stories. The Learning Commons opens up many opportunities and resources to redesign and rethink engineering education provided there’s a parallel push to academically experiment with methods of teaching engineering [1]. There are obviously more nuances to this that I won’t talk about on-the-record yet, but I have never been more optimistic about Kettering’s future. There are some seriously strong headwinds in the automotive industry, and Kettering’s Learning Commons and “skid-pad” [2] have enormously undervalued potential to push the university in the right direction. Two Recommendations: 1. Invest in well-thought-out CS classroom design; it will become incredibly important for all engineering disciplines to master the fundamentals of CS. Most CS classes write some code in class and the desks don’t have plugs for students to charge their laptops in two hour classes. 2. Separate food and study areas unless the food offering is similarly quiet to the C-Store. BJ’s Lounge is noisy, smelly, and not a go-to study place. [1] It will eventually be worth considering whether we should remain on a quarter system. [2] All credit goes to Kevin Connor for coining “skid-pad” as the GM Mobility Research Center’s informal name.
Eddie Schodowski Guest Writer You may have read the latest article about Kettering being selected to participate in SAE’s Autonomous Vehicle challenge. Kettering can win, and it should win. The tectonic plates of the entire automotive industry are shifting. GMI was founded during the boom of the automotive industry, and Kettering risks becoming irrelevant (like Blockbuster became to Netflix) in the next technological revolution if it doesn’t win and flex its capabilities. This has the potential of rejuvenating the local economy where companies could recruit talent of the winning teams. A close quarters industrial park of AV co-op employers all around campus would be an enormous asset to the university. I actually think Kettering has a great chance of winning — we have great resources, automotive domain expertise, and an incredibly powerful network. But Kettering needs to commit the resources to winning if they’re serious right away. Here are some steps to take: 1. Start Now! There is no time to waste. If Kettering wants to win, we have the hurdle of coordinating between both A-section and B-section. We’ll need the talent in both sections in order to do this. Some options for this cross-section communication and project management on ten week terms are Slack and Asana. 2. Allow students to take an independent study to work on the AV project for 8 credits. This sounds like it’s asking for a lot, but if we’re serious about winning, the university will easily approve this. It will be very difficult to recruit great student engineering talent as an extracurricular. I wrote more about this in my essay, Project Schedule, Class Schedule. If a student has 4 to 5 traditional classes (16 to 20 credits), they’ll never have the mental capacity, time, or energy to make significant progress on the competition because they’ll be focused on getting their tuition’s worth! If they have 3 traditional classes (12 credits), that’s a manageable course-load to also commit a meaningful amount of time to the AV project. The university should not forget about seniors, too. Allowing this in lieu of a capstone project could
Reading Recommendations: A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure) Maintaining Success for the Long Term
photos courtesy of mlive.com and chevrolet.com
July 29, 2017
do great things to teach seniors about engineering from nothing and help the university. 3. Recruit Dan Bartz (’02) as an adjunct professor for 4 credits of the independent study from 8pm-10pm in Summer 2017. If Dan agrees to this (I think he would love to profess this, and he’s honestly so brilliant about such an important trend that the university should compensate him well), then I think we would already be a magnitude ahead of the competition. Dan got his BS in ME/EE from Kettering in 2002, and then got his MS in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon in 2006. He is easily the smartest alumnus we have on autonomous vehicles. In 2005, he helped develop high-speed (up to 50 mph!) mobile robots for the DARPA Grand Challenge. B-section students that can’t make it in person can be added to a Facebook Group where we could record the lectures for them via Facebook Live. This can allow them to ask questions despite not being there in person. 4. Have Student Alumni Council bring back Sheri (Houston) Hickok (’00) to speak about her role at General Motors as Executive Chief Engineer — Autonomous Partnerships & Fleets. Because we’ll have to coordinate across sections, it’s again important that Student Alumni Council livestreams the talk on Facebook so more people can watch if they can’t make it. 5. Give Kyle Vogt, CEO of Cruise Automation (acquired by General Motors), an Honorary Doctorate to speak at commencement. Kettering would really benefit to start interfacing with Silicon Valley in general, especially Cruise Automation. I t wo u l d n’t hurt to partner with Cruise Automation as a co-op employer too, but Kettering students in general don’t seem to have the engineering portfolio or really strong skills they need to build an insane product like an autonomous vehicle from the ground up (e.g., C++, ROS, OpenCV, TCP/IP/UDP, Algorithm Design for 3D Point Cloud Data, LIDAR, QGIS, etc.). I don’t think this any fault by Kettering students that they lack these skills. We can teach mechanical engineers how to be software engineers, but projects like these are expensive to build as individuals (in both time and money), and it’s hard to do that on 10 week terms (especially if you’re taking 20 credits) as a full time student or full time employee. Students are capable of doing much more than they think, but they just need a pathway to allow it. 6. Allocate money for the AV project through KSG.
July 29, 2017
The benefit of having the school significantly help subsidize the project is that students can begin to have the time and money to work on the technologies necessary to make the AV work. We would very likely need someone on the team to be a fundraiser to get sponsorship money from various companies working in the AV space (e.g., Waymo, Baidu, Intel/Mobileye, Lyft, Uber ATC, OEMs, Suppliers, etc.). 7. Buy a PolySync to get started learning how to build autonomous vehicles fast. PolySync sells an automation-ready Kia that the school can afford to buy. We could also try to partner with AutonomouStuff to get a quick cycle time on their products so we can get our own built quickly. 8. Meet with engineers in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute and Uber ATC, or bring them in to speak for a lunch talk. Uber ATC would also be another great co-op employer partnership, but our curriculum needs to shift to get mechanical and electrical engineers more proficient in algorithms and software development for our students to provide value to them. After Moe and I met with him, I’m fairly confident Craig Hoff is paying closer attention to rounding out MEs and EEs like this as the new Dean of the College of Engineering. Fortunately, once Lynda.com access is up for all students, it will be easier for any major to learn software development. But this still doesn’t solve the problem of students having the time to invest in skills development. 9. Understand the Challenge SAE International and General Motors (GM) have partnered to headline sponsor AutoDrive Challenge, the latest of SAE International’s Collegiate Design Series. This newly established, three-year autonomous vehicle competition will task students to develop and demonstrate a full autonomous driving passenger vehicle. The technical goal of the competition is to navigate an urban driving course in an automated driving mode as described by SAE Standard ( J3016) level 4 definition by year three. Throughout the AutoDrive Challenge™ competition cycle, students and faculty will be invited to attend technology specific workshops to help them in their concept refinement and overall autonomous technical understanding. The competition will consist of up to 10 teams from select universities that were invited to participate in the inaugural competition. These foundational teams will be announced April 2017. The first of three yearly competitions will take place the following spring 2018. 10. Treat the competition with the seriousness it deserves like the Manhattan Project or Space Program. There is that much potential in this competition. Make the most of it. The juice is worth the squeeze.
Page 9
The Technician
News Dr. Scott Grasman
Battle of the Chefs
Continued from Front Page
Continued from Front Page
PHD in Industrial & Operations Engineering, Dr. Grasman started his professional career at Missouri University of Science & Technology as an assistant professor. From there he became a full professor, before moving to Rochester Institute of Technology as its Industrial Systems Engineering Department Head, where he’s spent the past six years. Now Dr. Grasman finds himself back close to home at Kettering University. “I always knew about Kettering University. I knew a few graduate students at U of M who had graduated from there,” Dr. Grasman elaborated, naming Dr. Terry Lynch Caras, and recalling a time roughly seven years ago when the same position had been made available to him. “The position was posted again last Fall. The opportunity to come back and teach here appealed to me.” In the first weeks since his date of hire, Dr. Grasman has been adjusting to life at Kettering, as well as forming a vision for what he can make of the IME department. “I’ve had a lot of meetings,” explained Dr. Grasman, who has been finding priorities for his attention, while at the same time enjoying the view his office offers of the Pool and Beach that are frequented by students. “I’ve also been getting to know some students and doing directed study with them.” From these initial touchpoints, Dr. Grasman sees opportunities to incorporate practices he saw at Missouri and Rochester into Kettering’s IME Department. “I think the college structure is a good opportunity for groups and departments to collaborate in interdisciplinary projects,” Dr. Grasman commented, referring to the implementation of Colleges, focused schools of Engineering disciplines, at Kettering. These colleges are meant to allow individual departments to more easily interact with each other. “Engineering in particular is about problem-solving. It’s no longer discipline-specific.” To reach this goal, Dr. Grasman is looking for potential to diversify the courses of the IME department, as well as add electives options. This may help bring specialties back to the department that had been removed, such as Manufacturing or Quality Assurance. “I want to be engaged with students and provide them opportunities for application of the skills they learn,” said Dr. Grasman, considering his role as department head and the professors in his group. “Faculty are at Kettering because they want to engage with students. This includes research.” As Dr. Grasman settles in, his view of Kettering’s campus is sure to engrain itself in his mind. Within a few school terms, students may begin seeing his impact on the IME department, and see their opportunities to have similar changes grow, as well.
ing which he also worked some time as a cook and would participate in food competitions. Following the army and college, he went on to work as a sous chef in a French restaurant. Chef Venstra is the executive chef at Michigan Flint University, and has worked with them for the last twelve years. Chef Joseph McCullough, mastermind behind the pork and noodles with cheese, has worked with campus dining for seven years and is currently the Executive Chef at Concordia University in Ann Arbor. Previously, he has done work at museums and country clubs. According to the information given, he draws inspiration from nature and the arts, works hard to pair complementary flavors, but most importantly “loves to cook and remembers not to take himself too seriously.” Chef Kyle Perrault, responsible for the grilled pork cutlet, is the current executive chef at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan. From a young age, he had a great interest in cooking, and went on to own his own catering company. With this experience, he then became the sous chef at Siena Heights University. After this, he attained his current position at Adrian College. It’s said that his prime subject matter for food involves grilling and smoking. He is also well-known for his “signature BBQ sauce” and “smoked duck rangoon.” To further solidify his prowess with barbeque, Chef Perrault is currently going through the process to become a “Certified Master Barbeque Chef.” Chef Bill Robinson, our hometeam chef who offered the shrimp wrap, is the executive chef of Kettering University. He started his career in food service over forty years ago, working up from a cook to a chef at an upscale pizzeria. Then, he went on to be a rotisserie chef and garde manager in Tampa at a customer-customized, classy catering company. He began working with Sodexo in 2001, at one point holding the district chef position, before attaining his current spot at Kettering. He was a founding member of the Flint/Saginaw Valley ACF (American Culinary Federation) chapter, whose mission is to help provide for culinarians in the area. Chef Robinson has also competed, and won, several hot food challenges. Be sure to give him a hello if you see him! The barbecue chicken slider, while simple in concept, was carefully constructed with a well-paired coleslaw, complementary bread, and a seasoned pickle. Meanwhile, the chicken itself had a great depth of flavor, featuring smoky yet sweet notes. The pork noodles and cheese caught the eyes of Continued on Page 10
Page 10
The Technician
Entertainment
Battle of the Chefs Continued from page 9 many mac and cheese fans, but delivered a significantly more intricate combination of flavors. Mascarpone, being a soft, sweet cheese, brought out the savory quality of the meat, while the red pepper added a more distinct taste to accentuate the lot. The noodles were well-cooked and served the other ingredients well. The pork cutlet was a deeply savory dish, with all of its elements contributing to the rich taste. The pork was easy to cut and without too much fat, coupling well with the sauce. The cooked asparagus and mushroom had a tender texture, and, along with the rice, absorbed much of the sauce deliciously. Finally, the shrimp crepe wrap drew the eye due to its usage of plating against the salad, while its taste drew the taste, smell, and touch. Paired with a sweet mustard, bitter greens, and a banana in a crepe, the plate flowed through the different tastes elegantly. A sentiment from a few testers was that, while they weren’t fond of shrimp, the crepe wrap was delicious to them. The students’ responses were overwhelmingly positive to the event. Many commented that they were more than happy to take on the four plates. Others took the opportunity to give their best analysis of the strengths of each dish. Rose Joynt, a senior on her final term, shared that “in all of my years at Kettering, this has been the best lunch by far.” Gillian Powers, a junior, was greatly surprised to find that “banana tastes good with shrimp.” When asked for his opinion, Kyle Colby, a junior, smiled and gave a thumbs up, his other hand and mouth being preoccupied with the chicken slider. Finally, Michael MacDonald, a junior, left us pondering with his question of “is that food, or is that art?” Overall, the event was a great success. In the end, the barbeque chicken slider from Chef Todd Venstra ended up being the crowd favorite. Hopefully, this high-note that the challenge ended on may signal similar events in the future. Until then, stay hungry KU!
July 29, 2017
Review of War for the Planet of the Apes Jordan Mayer Staff Writer War of the Planet of the Apes is the third and most likely last installment of the Planet of the Apes series reboot. This movie takes place after the apes have gained intelligence via the ALZ-112 viral based drug that was being tested on them and after the war between apes and humans has started. This is a world where people are ravaged by the effects of the “Simian Flu” and this war for control of the world is taking place. After killing Koba, an ape that triggered the beginning of the war in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Caesar is trying to maintain peace between the humans and apes… or he’s at least trying to keep his fellow apes safe. He found a new base to try to hide the rest of the simians in. As could be expected by the title, the Colonel finds the base and in an attempt to kill Caesar, kills Caesar’s wife and son instead. It’s at this pivotal moment that Caesar, full of bloodlust, goes after the Colonel to end things once and for all. One of the most influential parts of this movie is the empathy it guides you into feeling. There are multiple scenes in which you can put yourself into Caesar’s “shoes” so to speak and you can understand the pain he feels and the motives has for doing what he does. Caesar’s loss and mourning humanize him to the point where it’s worth wondering if he’s more human than his enemies. That being said, Caesar spends the rest of the movie struggling with his darker side and he even questions if he’s any better than the evil chimp, Koba. The minor characters in the movie aid Caesar in keeping up his humanity by remaining by his side
Photos Courtesy of empire.com
during his internal conflict and steering him towards more ethical decisions when he wavers. There are even two new minor characters that are added and through their addition we see the strong, kind leader that Caesar truly is as he takes them under his wing on his journey. The other striking thing about this movie are the phenomenal special effects in the CGI. With a $150 million dollar budget and improvements in technology, it comes as no surprise that these are the most realistic looking animals that have been created. Every movement in Caesar and the other minor character’s faces was matched to their real actor counterparts enhancing the realism of the movie. Part of the movie took place in a snowy area which created a new challenge in making the snow appear real on the apes’ fur. Achieving the look of fresh snow on the fur was executed well and it was believable. Overall, this movie has done alright in the box office. It was initially beat out by Dunkirk, but has grossed a little over $104 million in the two and a half weeks it’s been out. This is not bad for being the third movie in the series. War of the Planet of the Apes scored a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes from top critics and an overall 87% rating from the audience. Some critics have complained that Matt Reeves focused more on making the CGI beautiful and realistic than on actual storyline. Whether or not that’s true is up to personal preference. Beautiful graphics aside, this movie tells the harrowing tale of a forlorn leader looking for justice for his people and himself with enough comic relief and surprises to keep the audience captivated.
July 29, 2017
Page 11
The Technician
Horoscopes Aries- It is up to you and only you to make your love life what you want it to be. There can be surprising developments in love where people from other places are involved. Someone who lives in the next town or someone from another country could be the one for you and vice versa. For now, you will know that everything you did was for the right reasons. You really can't have it any other way so the faster you accept things, the better you will adjust to strange situations in your life. Taurus- Situations at home and work are not half as bad as you are making them out to be. Why do you feel the need to worry about things over which you have no control? Love is looking especially cozy and warm for you this summer. You naturally respond to “taking things slowly” in matters of the heart. You do this because you feel you need a partner who is as dedicated and thorough as you. You can and will wait a long time for the right person, Taurus. Tone down any pickiness this term and watch how much easier your life becomes. Gemini- This term, with a massive buildup of energy in so many crucial areas of your life, it is imperative that you to step away from the dramas surrounding you and focus on the details of every agreement. Get commitments in writing and make sure you have signatures. Legal matters could dominate down the line if you are not extra cautious with your relationships, both personal and professional this term. Be sure that you see relationships as they are and not how you desire them to be. Focus on making yourself emotionally and financially secure and be happy with who you really are. Cancer- It’s time to make a fresh start in the right direction, Cancer. You could experience life as you have never imagined and love every minute of it. As good as this appears, you must also be willing to let go of the past and jump into your future before someone else steals your lover or your chance. Don't let love escape when it's this close to you. You may find yourself suddenly up close and personal with a Leo, Libra or Capricorn and fall in love. You may also meet an Aquarius or an Aries who can and will change your life for the better. Leo- You will rediscover yourself this term. You will experience love and have amazing relationships through the coming months. This is a new era for you and you couldn't be happier. The problems of years past are all over now, so breathe that overdue sigh
of relief already because fate promises the lions and lionesses of the universe nothing less than the royal on it could turn into a nightmare. You don’t have to treatment. get serious about it yet, so give it a bit more thought. No matter who you are or what you are passionate Virgo- Now is the time to go about, it’s never too late to make a change in your beyond your normal limits Vir- life. Something you’ve wanted so much in the past go. You may have reservations, may not appeal to you now, and that is absolutely but now is the time to overcome natural. Cater to your current needs, so that you are them. Going above and beyond happy now, and not later. in your personal and professional life will reap you the greatest rewards of the Pisces- This term brings a heart and mind. You will soar above all the others sense of security to your love with this unexpected turnabout, and leave everyone life but you could find it a little wanting more. stale and somewhat predictable at times. You may find yourself Libra- You will feel like gofeeling restless with any ongoing here, there and everywhere ing long-term associations or with your significant other. If romantic relationships. If you you are single, this is the time are single, this is the term you can make your dreams to get going, Libra. You are des- come true, Pisces. You may meet someone new who tined to meet someone who will jump at the chance embodies the right qualities and whom you find to to take you out of a lonely situation. Spending time be extremely enticing. If you are already in a relawith this new or old significant other will bring you tionship you will need to work harder than usual to much happiness for the both of you. make every effort to understand where your partner is coming from. Scorpio- The workload has definitely been getting to you Michael MacDonald Scorpio. You are normally the Guest Writer life of the party and are always on the move, but at this point it's starting to become a bit much. Now is the time to relax a bit. You’ve been putting out so much effort for so long, and have been reaping the rewards that come from it. Take a step back and relax now Scorpio. You’ve earned it. Sagittarius- By nature, your outgoing, optimistic, and charming ways tend to attract VIP's and persons in powerful positions. This term will be no exception either, Sagittarius. You are due to gain recognition in your professional life, and romantic satisfaction will follow close behind. Your public image and professional affairs will demand extra time and responsibilities but the rewards that follow will be worth it. Capricorn- Make an effort to start the week in a mellow mood. Few things in life are worth getting worked up about, so stay calm and let whatever fate sends your way wash over you without getting you too worked. Others will marvel at your relaxed state of mind. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t still be passionate about things you care about, but don’t sweat the small stuff. Aquarius- Before you go all out to realize your dream make sure it is what you truly desire, because if you change your mind later
Tuesday and Thursday : 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday :
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Student Discounts Available at most vendors
Interested in joining Kettering Student Government? The application for President, VP, and Administrator is due 4th Friday by 5 p.m. Class representative and multicultural representative due by 6th Friday by 5 p.m. Questions? Contact kkupsche@kettering.edu or pind4717@ kettering.edu
Page 12
The Technician
Art Gallery: A Time Gone By Rebecca Roughton Layout Editor Kettering University is proud to present “A Time Gone By,” an art collection featuring several intricate and homely pieces of the daily life from the 19th to 20th century. For the first time in a long time, the art center is featuring pieces from the permanent collection of over 500 works. Regina Schrek, the curator of the art center, shared that she brought this collection together with “leisure, work...and the hearth” in mind. Outside of content, the pieces in the art exhibit share similar styling techniques. Most of the pieces have almost a sketch-like quality to them, with individual strokes being very distinct. It’s easy to lose track of time looking at all of the detail in each piece. The medium of these works varies from etchings, lithographs on paper, wood engraving on paper, and even color silkscreen on paper. The pieces are from 19th to mid 20th century, with the artists being from several different countries, such as the United States, France, and Italy. Much of the subject matter revolves around landscape shots of homes and small groups gathered, but there is plenty of variance. The art center is located on the fourth floor of the academic building by the Department of Liberal Studies. Currently, they are taking entries for a nature-themed competition. More details are available through Regina Schrek, the curator.
Top: Fiske Boyd American, 1895-1975 Interior Wood Engraving on paper, 1936 Humanities Art Center Middle: John William Winkler American (b. Austrian), 1894-1979 Fisherman's Shack Etching on paper, 20th century Humanities Art Center Bottom: Davis Gray American, 1929-1995 Mules Pulling Canal Barge Pochoir watercolor on paper, 1871-1980 Humanities Art Center
July 29, 2017