The
Technician bulldogs.kettering.edu/technician
February 18, 2017
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Volume 121
John Perkins Art Exhibit
Issue 2
Rebecca Roughton Layout Editor This term, Kettering University is celebrating John Perkins of class 1964 by displaying his incredible artwork on the fourth floor of the Academic Building in the art gallery. On Thursday, February 2nd, the University hosted an art reception for the exhibit, which discussed John Perkins’ history and the importance of the harmony between art and engineering. The gallery was abuzz with many faces, some familiar to the school, some from the Flint community, and others from even further. In addition, many different kinds of people were in attendance, including students, teachers, faculty, staff, community members, and even representatives of General Motors. With pieces of Perkins’ past proudly hang-
What’s Inside
Entrepreneur Profile
Guitar Club, KU Conservative Adam Lecznar Editor-In-Chief Student Life at Kettering University consists of many different groups and organizations, each with its own purpose and motivations. Student-run clubs are part of this segment of the university, and provide students the opportunity to hold leadership positions on campus and share their passions with others. Clubs can have almost any focus, technical or nontechnical, so long as they muster adequate student support. Two new clubs being established this Winter term are Guitar Club and KU Conservative. Both of these clubs aim to foster creativity and critical thinking in students through the special interests of members. Guitar Club is being formed by Kettering student Christian Ybarra, who came up with the idea during a lunchtime discussion with the planned club VP and co-creator, Nathaniel Whitelock. The two contacted Student Life that same day to begin the formation process. Continued on Page 2
Movie Review LEGO Batman
PLATINUM REXZ
Club Spotlight
Photo courtesy of GM Design Archive and Special Collections and John Perkins
Continued on Page 3
Rocket League Tournament
Mott CC Lockdown
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Super Bowl LI
Study Abroad
Jacob Hankerd Online Editor, Public Relations
Dave Sullivan Staff Writer
The Super Bowl of 2017, Super Bowl LI, was a record breaking event. It was an amazing battle of two elite teams, each led by a highly skilled quarterback. Tom Brady and the Patriots faced off against the league MVP Matt Ryan and the Falcons beginning at 6:30 and running late. The game got off to an intense start, but by half time, it already appeared to have ended with the Atlanta Falcons holding a 21-3 lead and playing good, hard football. When halftime ended and the teams returned to the field, however, it was clear that things were soon to change. The New England Patriots came out hard for the second half of the game. The Patriots were playing in a determined way, fighting for every yard so they could become the victors. Even playing as they were, by the end of the third quarter the score was still far from close, with the Falcons sitting on a 19 point lead (28-9). At 9:48 left in the 4th quarter and Atlanta still up 2812, the Patriots were truly rejuvenated as Matt Ryan fumbled the ball and the team’s offense capitalized, scoring a touchdown with a two point conversion to put them only eight points down. After the Fal-
Ever think about studying abroad? Between the school and work term, it can be hard to go on the college adventures we’ve dreamed about, but through the study abroad program it’s possible to go on a wild adventure as well as complete a school term along the way! Why else would anyone want to study abroad? Other than being an opportunity for fun associated with traveling, studying abroad boosts your resume by showing you have communication skills, independence, initiative, open-mindedness, and problem-solving skills. Studying abroad also offers a non-traditional learning environment. The final grade is determined only by the result of a final examination at the end of the term. Classes are received as pass or fail by Kettering. The current program offers classes in Germany; however, pilot programs to new study abroad locations are encouraged by the Office of International Programs. Contact them to discuss further details. They are located on the third floor of the Academic Building past the Academic Success center on the right. The following are the options for locations, terms available for schooling, and majors supported through the University of Applied Sciences: First, Esslingen, Germany offers classes for ME students and is available during the Fall as well as Spring terms. Second, Ulm, Germany supports EE, CE, and CS classes in the Spring. ME Classes are also offered in the Fall term only. Konstanz, Germany offers classes only in the Spring for ME students. Reutlingen, Germany offers classes for BioChem, CE, CHME, CS, EE, IE, IME, ME, and MGMT
Photo courtesy of Ezra Shaw
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The Technician
Announcements Club Spotlight Continued from Front Page
“The goal of Guitar Club is to teach students how to play the guitar and help experienced players learn new techniques,” explained Ybarra, who is an avid guitar player himself. “We want to create an environment where people can share that knowledge.” Ybarra and the other students involved in creating the club, including future Secretary Albert Schirall, Treasurer Robert Quinn, and Public Relations officer Colin Malcolm, were motivated by their desire for a more informal music club at Kettering. They received positive feedback from the community almost immediately. “Everybody seemed to like the idea,” recalled Ybarra, who is slated to be the club’s first president. “Some people just stopped me and said ‘You’re that guy starting Guitar Club,’ then went and got their own guitar to show me. Others said to me ‘I’m really nervous about learning guitar.’ I think a lot of people are willing to help others.” Josephina Wright, a Junior II Applied Physics student, is also working to create a club. KU Conservative is a club that aims to increase the political awareness and engagement of Kettering students. “The purpose of KU Conservative is to help make students at Kettering more aware,” described Wright, who was inspired to create the club after seeing the number of students at Kettering who supported conservative politics. KU Conservative aims to achieve its goals by hosting events on campus and promoting open discussion regarding politics. “I’ve always been interested in conservative politics,” stated Wright, who worked with fellow student Dylan Brewer to write the club’s Constitution, Executing Summary, Mission, and other forms. The two saw support from the student body in their initiative to obtain signatures for the club petition, which received 101 signatures. These clubs, as is the case with most clubs, will be open to all Kettering students. Students do not need to have a background in the clubs’ focuses in order to be involved. Guitar Club has made that very apparent with the support of Daniel Ludwigsen, the Physics Department Head and manager of Kettering’s Acoustics laboratory. Ludwigsen and the others forming Guitar Club are very excited to use it as a catalyst to teach students the technical aspects of music.
The
Technician
“Guitar club is for students looking to expand their musical knowledge as well as learn the technical aspects of electric guitars,” stressed Ybarra, who looks forward to teaching students how to properly string and tune guitars, as well as build components from scratch. His hope is to give students access to guitars without requiring them to invest in one immediately. KU Conservative also will open its doors to all students interested in learning more about the political process and ways to be more involved. “The club is not just for people with conservative ideals,” emphasized Wright. “It’s for people to learn about conservative ideals, the political process, and how to get involved. Through the club, I’d like to see students politically engaged in the school and community.” Both Ybarra and Wright have invested large amounts of time and effort in their attempts to establish these clubs, but felt more could have been done to help them through the process. The two expressed concern regarding the process for creating a club, which they feel could be more standardized. Both had difficulties determining the correct people to contact and times to meet with appropriate councils regarding the approval of each club. They hope that in the future students who wish to form clubs experience less road bumps along the way. Though the clubs have not officially been formed on the campus, the supporters of these clubs are eager to get started, and will continue to push for similar activities even if they cannot receive university funding. As of February 17, 2017, Guitar Club had been denied formation once with the intention of increasing the focus of technical studies related to acoustics. KU Conservative is currently meeting with certain committees to gain the appropriate signatures. Both remain optimistic for the future. “Even if Guitar Club is not approved and given a budget, I want to teach people music and technical skills with guitar,” Ybarra summarized. Students who wish to support either club can do so by joining the preliminary club membership lists.
Adam Lecznar
Editor-in-chief
Rebecca Roughton L ayout Editor
Gabrielle Feeny
Copy Editor
Jacob Hankerd
Online Editor
Staff writers Ciro Napoletano Jacob Watt Jordan Mayer Khalid Foflonker Megan Cox Nathan Schleh
Faculty Advisor Christine Levecq Special Thanks To Betsy Homsher & Debbie Stewart
Robert Lyman
Distribution Editor
Photo courtesy of Ezra Shaw
February 18, 2017
Super Bowl LI Continued from Front Page cons put together an intense drive, they ended just short of field goal range and were forced to punt. With less than 5 minutes left in the game the Patriots were again able to press forward, shortly grabbing a touchdown then quickly claiming a two point conversion. When the game-clock hit 0, the score remained as 28-28, and the Patriots had pulled off the greatest comeback in football history, also pushing the Super Bowl into its first ever overtime. From there, a short drive by the Patriots ended with the running back James White driving forward for a 2 yard rushing touchdown, cementing the Patriots’ victory over the Falcons in overtime. All while the Super Bowl was taking place, Kettering Students had the opportunity to attend a party being hosted by the Thompson Hall in conjunction with Kettering Student Life. The party opened up at 5, and everyone that attended received a ticket that allowed for a free meal from BJ’s, as well as a raffle ticket that entered them into a prize drawing which occurred during halftime. Shortly before halftime, popcorn and refreshments were also set out, available as long as they lasted for anyone in attendance. For the halftime event many prizes were given out, including Kettering “swag”, a power pak, an external hard drive, and various gift cards. Overall, this event was a success, with close to 150 attendees and a lot of happy customers.
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.
February 18, 2017
The Technician
Campus News
Art Exhibit Continued from Front Page ing on the wall, chatter flowed from comments on the art to Perkins’ history. From his childhood, John Perkins adored drawing cars. Some of his earliest pieces shown in the gallery are from the time he was just beginning elementary school. His love for drawing existing and new car designs would follow him as he grew. “Even in my teenage years, I just kept drawing. I would be inside drawing cars while the other kids were playing outside,” Perkins has shared. With a push from his father to seek out further education that could provide him with desired skills for the workplace, Perkins attended Kettering University (then General Motors Institute) from 1959 until 1964. During this time, he co-oped for his first two years at Oldsmobile in Lansing, a familiar location, as both his father and uncle worked there. After two years at Oldsmobile, he presented a portfolio of his designs to the General Motors Design staff, who were so impressed with Perkins’ work that they told him he “could come to work next Monday,” according to Perkins. For Perkins’ thesis project, he designed a bus, which is one of the first pieces on displayed upon entering the exhibit. Post-Kettering , Perkins continued to work with the General Motors Design Staff in the Cadillac Studio in Warren. Four years later, in 1968, he moved to Pontiac Studios to work on sporty vehicles. There, he designed anything from the full body of the car to smaller details, like wheels and bumpers. Perkins would continue to work for General Motors for
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kins’ work, she explained that the important aspects to her were providing a variety of different pieces. Another important detail she looked for was ones that packed a “visual punch,” especially in their usage of color and dynamic positions. “I’ve had mechanical engineering students come in to look,” Schreck shared. According to her story, they marveled at the design process and work, stating that they “don’t do [design] like this,” instead using computer-aided design programs. Seeing the old-fashioned design was an incredible experience to them. “John is an infusion of the arts and technical skills of his engineering,” Schreck said adamantly. This sentiment of the parallels between artist and engineer would then be shared by the succeeding speakers. Greg Miller, the Director of Special Collections and University Archives followed Schreck, once again giving thanks and credit to the representatives of General Motors, Kettering University’s representatives, and John Perkins himself. Greg Miller himself worked with these people to acquire the art pieces and set up the exhibit. Finally, the University’s provost, Dr. James Zhang, shared with the crowd his own takeaways on the importance of the exhibit. Highlighting the art classes Kettering University offers, Dr. Zhang stressed the importance of flexibility in work and diversification of skills as qualities for the working engineer to possess. briefly on his behalf due to him not being there. She The gallery is located on the fourth floor of the continued on to give credit to those who made the Academic Building and is open from 10 am to 3 pm exhibit possible, such as Natalie Morath from GM Monday-Friday. Perkins’ pieces will be showcased Design Archive and Special Collections, who had until March 17th. Students of all majors and years originally contacted Schreck. are encouraged to stop by for a visit. Upon being asked how she managed to select the pictures to showcase from the entirety of John Perthe entirety of his career before retiring in 1999. He is quoted by Pardeep Toor to have said: “I look back fondly on having such a wonderful career because I was following my dream... I was doing something I loved as a profession.” After exploring a bit of John Perkins’ history, the reception focused on sharing an important message with the collective. The theme of all of the speakers’ speeches was the importance of art in engineering fields. Regina Schreck, the curator at Kettering University’s art gallery, was the first to speak. She shared warm thoughts about John Perkins, and spoke
Photos courtesy of GM Design Archive and Special Collections and John Perkins
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The Technician
Through The Camera Lens
Top: Professor Sullivan presents her experience working with the Flint community on the Flint Water Crisis. Bottom: Dr. Tackett presents a newly aquired Transmission Electron Microscope on Friday, February 10.
All Photos Courtesy of Pardeep Toor
February 18, 2017
February 18, 2017
The Technician
Kettering In Pictures
Top: Jessica Suer, the RA for unit24, smiles brightly with friends at a hot cocoa and cookies event in Thompson Hall Bottom: A group of women engineers work together for a Society of Women Engineers event to build the best eggtossing machine in the Great Court on February 11th..
All Photos Courtesy of Pardeep Toor
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The Technician
Mott Community College Lockdown By Jordan Mayer Staff Writer Whether you heard about it from the email that was sent out, a police dispatch, or simply word of mouth, Mott Community College as well as the University of Michig an-Flint went into lockdown mode early February 6th. I sat down with Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students Betsy Homsher to speak about this incident and what exactly happened. “It’s my understanding that Mott received via Twitter, or some form of social media, some kind of message that suggested that a person made a threat, that said they were coming to campus with a gun” Homsher conveyed. In response to this threat, the campus was immediately put into emergency shut down. Following shut down officers arrived on campus, followed shortly by media. The police’s main objective was to find out who had placed the threat, but events unfolded quickly. “Obviously my first concern was Kettering’s safety, as I’m sure Mott’s primary concern was for their students, faculty, and staff ” she indicated. Mott Community College has many campuses and while the person who posted the threat never specified which one, it was assumed that they meant the main one. Never the less all campuses were put into lockdown mode and U of M-Flint soon followed suit. When faculty were informed of the situation, Kettering’s Director of Campus Safety and Emergency Preparedness Paul Crane initiated “heightened security measures”. At Kettering University, Key Card access is required to enter any building except for the Recreation Center. This allows the campus to lock its buildings from outside entry unless the person has a Kettering University ID. This feature, which is not available at U of M-Flint, influenced the decision to not put the school into full lockdown. “We locked the Rec Center and had a Campus Safety Officer and faculty member checking people’s ID’s at the door” Homsher explained, “We lifted this around 3 in the afternoon.” It is important to note that the person who placed this threat has been apprehended and the police are seeking an arrest warrant for him. Dean Homsher said “We were cautious about communications about this situation, it wasn’t occurring on our campus, and we didn’t want to give it more attention
News
than necessary. If we had overreacted about this, it would have had a cascading effect and everyone would have overreacted. This is why we set in place the security measures that we did.” She also added, “In light of this event it, it is so crucial not to let people tailgate you into our buildings. We’ve been raised to hold doors for people since we were children and it’s unfortunate that we have to look out for this sort of thing, but this is the best way to keep our campus safe. Kettering University has been virtually crime free for years.” If you have any concerns, you can contact the Campus Safety Service Center at (810) 762-9501, or for 24/7 help contact (810) 762-9501.
February 18, 2017
Study Abroad Continued from Front Page majors; however, only in the Fall term. Housing is provided, but not covered. Students are given a stipend of $1,500. All courses are taught in English, and all credit goes towards degree program. There are, however, a few requirements -- you must have the approval of your department chair and academic advisor. You must also have a minimum GPA of 2.5 with no failed courses in the last two terms at Kettering. To prepare to go abroad, you need to complete a few tasks. You will need to apply for a passport, discuss courses with their respective department advisor, research the area you are going to, budget for the trip, and communicate your plans with your work and family. Kettering requires that each student get an ISIC Card (more info at myisic.com). Kettering also offers assistance finding scholarships in order to lower cost for study abroad. If you have any other questions, you can contact the Office of International programs.
Rocket League Megan Cox Staff Writer On Thursday, January 26th, Kettering Student Government hosted a Rocket League Tournament in BJ’s Lounge from 7:00 pm until 9:30 pm. Food vouchers were given to those who participated. Eleven teams of two people competed for first, second, and third place in a double elimination, bracket-style tournament. The first place team, Michael Gies and Jake Rye, each took home an Amazon Fire tablet. Brendan Young and Ryan Anderson came in second place and each of them received a $25 gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings. The third place team, Kyle Kennedy and Justin Chouinard, each won a portable charger. Rocket League is a video game that can be played on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Players compete in teams of one, two, or three. The game is played similar to soccer, except with cars and an arena that gives special boosts to them. Each team tries to score goals on the other.
Photo courtesy of Mott Community College
Photo courtesy of rockeleaguegame.com
February 18, 2017
PLATINUM REXZ Entreprenuer Profile Khalid Foflonker Staff Writer With its intense innovative pressures and entrepreneurial spirit, Kettering University students are not hesitant to start their own business ventures. While Kettering students have created many entrepreneurial projects, one stands out not because of the venture’s unique engineering application, but because of its unique genre. Fashion. Ronnie Terell, a Mechanical Engineering student at Kettering University, has created a web based fashion and lifestyle outlet that caters unique clothing and art to generation z. Generation Z, also known as post-millennials, includes people born from the mid 90’s up until the early 2000’s. The venture is called PLATINUM REXZ (PREXZ) and the web-based storefront is functional at www.prexz.com . The organization also operates social media on Facebook and Twitter. Customers generally follow these platforms to stay up to date on new trends. I had the chance to sit down with Ronnie Terell and ask him a few questions with regards to his primary influences and the future of his business. Ronnie had stated that his primary influence for starting his business is due to his grandfather’s restaurant in the Southside of Chicago. Terell had grown up there and his grandfather had given him his first job there
Technician Open Student Forum An opportunity for students and faculty to come speak with Technician Staff and suggest future topics or have their questions answered.
Thursday, February 23, 2017 7:00 P.M. AB Room 2-225 Food will be Provided All are welcome!
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The Technician
News
as well. Ever since then Terrell has had the goal of following in his grandfather’s footsteps as a business owner. Terrell says he would like to “find my own business path to give back to Chicago and the city of Flint”. In the next two years, Terrell would like to use his social media promotion outlets of his business to release videos promoting LED shoes as well as his 3D print clothing line. In the future, he would like to replace all generic still model shots with live videos modeling clothing. Per his research, this is something new to the industry and has not been utilized as much as it could. With regards to his social media lifestyle platforms, Ronnie would like to utilize PREXZ artists to gain a large social media following. As it currently stands, PREXZ is a distribution organization, but is looking to grow much further beyond that. PREXZ will create, rebrand, design, and sell anything that they believe to be a unique urban fashion. Since Ronnie Terrell has started his business, he has seen genuine natural spikes in his social media following and natural sales.
Women in Physics Conference By Gabrielle Feeny Staff Writer Over first weekend, several students were able to attend the 2017 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) at Wayne State University in Detroit. Organized by the American Physical Society (APS), the conference was one of ten taking place at the same time in different regions around the country. These conferences are meant to give undergraduate women physicists the opportunity to meet and network with both their peers and established women scientists in the hope of being empowered.
Lego Batman Movie Review Dave Sullivan Staff Writer Lego Batman introduces lighthearted comedy to the traditionally dark story of Batman. Will Arnet brings a gravely-voiced yet goofy Batman to the silver screen, and while the preceding Lego movie’s clever and creative style of comedy is preserved, Lego Batman’s slightly darker and edgier story is not smothered by it. Lego Batman is very quotable, and is filled to the brim with Easter eggs for lovers of science fiction, fantasy, and all things Batman. Some of these references, however, could easily be lost on someone who is not familiar with these genres. That said, Lego Batman is a must-see this school term. The use of Legos in the movie gives viewers a sense of familiarity. You can almost reach out and touch the bricks, feeling their studs and textures. This adds the sense of touch to the film experience in a way that few movies ever could. Who could hate Legos and laughter? The movie features two main driving points of the plot. First, the relationship between the Joker (Zack Galifianakis) and Batman features a Joker not seen before. This Joker is portrayed as far more vulnerable and smiley than the previous iterations because he struggles with a Batman who cares very little about their relationship as rivals. This takes away from the traditional anarchy-loving, threatening, and unstable nature of what would be commonly associated with the Joker, and may not have the effect that filmmakers had in mind. The second driving point is the development of Batman as a character: his transformation from a selfish loner to being part of a family. Batman is forced to take a very hard look at himself over the course of the movie. Throughout the movie he realizes that he cannot do everything on his own, that having a team or family is a more fun and fulfilling than being alone, and that he needs to take care of the people who care about him. All in all, Lego Batman was very entertaining and definitely worth the watch!
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February 18, 2017
The Technician
Entertainment Sudoku Goal of the Game: The goal of Sudoku is to fill in the entire 81-square grid with a number 1-9. Each number may only appear once in a row, column, or 3x3 box.
Easy
Intermediate
Solutions
Puzzles courtesy of Tampa Bay Daily
Photo courtesy of apmcdn.org