Issue 2, Summer 2014

The

Technician bulldogs.kettering.edu/technician

August 18, 2014

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Volume 115

Issue 2

Mike Riggs SAC Presentation

By Erin Boyse Online Editor Mike Riggs graduated from gmi in 1977, but his generosity during a Student Alumni Council presentation on Thursday, August 7 is what he will be remembered for around Kettering. Riggs shocked the room full of students, faculty, and staff who attended his talk when he gave a $1,000 scholarship to each of the 55 students in attendance.

Riggs is the Chairman and owner of Jack Cooper Holdings, the largest car haul trucking and logistics company in the us. He acquired the 85-year-old business in 2008, when it was near bankruptcy. He took the company from 100 to 5000 employees and gave students advice on what he had learned throughout his career as a successful and not so successful entrepreneur.

What’s Inside

Mike was poor growing up, and shared a picture of his $280 Volkswagen he had while at gmi that he often had to push to get it started. He asked who thought they were the poorest student in the room, and five students raised their hands. He stated that he would give each one a thousand dollar scholarship if they could summarize one of his five main points. He shared his pieces of advice, each one complete with a personal anecdote from his life.

He started with commit to continuous learning, and told the audience to take full advantage of their time at Kettering, because they never stop learning even after they enter the real world. His second main point was that character counts and your integrity, honesty, and reputation will stick with you the rest of your life.

Continued on page 3

Ethics Forum Students & Faculty discuss "cribbing"

Mike Riggs (right) with his favorite instructor Tony Hain (left)

Student Voices

Bookstore 2

New plans for the space & KU Gear

3

Hear about co-op experiences 5

Kettering’s New 20 Years of Study Curator Abroad

Opinions Movie Review & Freshman Year

14

Maker Faire Detroit

By Matthew White Copy Editor

By Erin Boyse Online Editor

By Matthew White Copy Editor

Although it may come as a shock to many students, Kettering University has an art gallery. Perched on the fourth floor of the Academic Building in the middle of the building, it has remained a hidden gem for those few in-the-know.

Enter Regina Schreck.

Although her title is simply Art Center Curator— and her decade of experience between the Flint Institute of Arts and the Detroit Institute of Arts certainly qualifies her for that—her ambitions are much greater. She wants to bring art to engineers.

Esslingen University, one of the five universities in Germany that Kettering partners with for the study abroad program hosted the 20th year celebration of the program in June. The partnership was started by Neil McCarthy, who founded the business exchange program, and Mohammad Torfeh followed by starting the electrical engineering program. Every five years is a celebration that swaps locations between Kettering and the universities in Germany.

The celebration included various faculty from Kettering, including department heads, President McMahan, and Provost Simpson and Provost Zhang.

They toured Esslingen University, met students who were currently studying abroad, and toured the town and got to enjoy the sights. They also attended a symposium that focused on improving the study abroad program, as well as joint teaching. Both Professor Bai and Professor Torfeh lectured for a graduate-level class while they were there.

The celebration extended beyond just the university, as even the state of Baden-Württemberg held an official celebration where a government official and President McMahan spoke on joint cooperation and student exchange.

About 100 students go to Germany every Spring and Fall term when the program is offered. The classes in Germany are very hands-on, similar to classes at Kettering. Chuck White, an ie professor, has even been teaching a metrology course at Esslingen every spring for the last 15 years.

Torfeh encouraged every student that has the opportunity to study abroad to do so, as it is an eyeopening experience that gives students exposure to different cultures and languages.

For the fifth year in a row, The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn hosted Maker Faire Detroit, a regional version of the international event celebrating creativity and do-it-yourself ideals. The weekend of July 26 saw over 400 “makers,” as exhibitors are known, share their knowledge, designs, and wares.

While the majority of vendors emphasized gadgets and technology, also on display were crafts, food, and large-scale exhibits like a human-sized version of the game Mousetrap.

Continued on page 3

Prospective students check out the Humanities Art Center during Discover Kettering earlier this term. Photo courtesy of Kettering Communications.

Kettering students helping with Kettering's booth at Detroit Maker Faire. Photo courtesy of Kettering Communications

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August 18, 2014

The Technician

Campus Updates A New Hope for Ethics

By Matthew White Copy Editor Student-faculty forums sponsored by cetl have focused on the ethics of cribs for some time. Typically, discussions devolve rather quickly into opinionated, entrenched battles between students and faculty. This term, however, the discussion was dominated by evidence from a recent graduate that helped the group come to some conclusions.

Andrew Rapin was a B-section student who graduated last academic year. As part of his Senior Seminar final paper, Mr. Rapin took a survey of students and faculty members on Blackboard exploring the use of cribs. His presentation of his findings, along with some anecdotes, explored the largest issues facing any discussion of cribs: defining them. In three different examples Mr. Rapin used, each student thought of their use of cribs as ethical. One student

used the materials to study for a test, another copied scans of the tests to view them on his calculator while in the testing environment, and a third turned in a photocopied lab report as his own. All three students called this “cribbing.”

Dr. Jim Huggins of the Department of Computer Science offered a thread of insight that persisted in the discussions, which began over the lunch hour and continued for another two hours in the cetl office. The ethics of “cribs,” as an entire body of retained materials, is related to the pursuit of the student—learning versus memorizing. As other students chimed in, it became clear that students who were blatantly cheating were using the phrase “crib” to rationalize and disguise their intended use of course materials.

Various solutions were tossed about. Mr. Rapin has the intention of building a student ethics com-

ECE Wing Renovations

By Ari Budiono Layout Editor In the first few weeks of the Summer 2014 term, some students may have noticed that there was new construction down in the ece wing of the Academic building.

This construction is actually a part of a development of new lab space for faculty and graduate student research. ece department head professor McDonald explained that this construction is the result of an idea that the department has had for the last couple decades, but only until now have the funds and planning have been able to allow it to come to fruition.

Where: The construction is taking place in the “1961 edition” of the ece wing, where until 2005 the ece department offices used to be located (opposite side of the Digitals Lab).

What: The 2,500 square foot room will be used primarily for faculty research. The current plan is for it to be a flexible room with no partitions, but with dedicated lab sections for each type of research.

Although it is primarily for faculty, there is a possibility that the lab space would be used for some graduate projects. With the current status of faculty, some of the possible research projects would include

power electronics, battery technologies, and various alternative energy systems.

Who and How: This is all through the collaboration of the whole university from the University Advancement department, led by vp Susan Davies, several potential donors, Dr. Simpson, Tom Ayers from the Financial office and the ece department.

Throughout the years, the ece department has been able to accumulate funds from various industry partners that the department contributed with their research. This, along, with some endowments from Dr. Simpson, provided a large portion of the money for the renovation.

Why: Kettering wanted to have facilities that would be able to support professor’s research efforts in their respective fields, as well as being open to supporting graduate and post-docs. Currently there is not an area dedicated for electrical engineering faculty research. Hopefully this space will also be used for new projects to advance Kettering’s presence in research.

There is no set timeline for when everything will be set for the faculty to start their research, but hopefully, the construction will be finished by the end of next year.

The

Technician Chloe Hauxwell

Editor-in-chief

Kaitlin Solovey

Assistant Editor

Ari Budiono

L ayout Editor

Erin Boyse

Online Editor

Matthew White Copy Editor

Bryan Boyse

Distribution Editor

Staff writers Devin Aryan Colleen Chavis Charles Mancino Adam Lecznar Photographer Joseph Stevenson

Faculty Advisor Christine Levecq Special Thanks To Betsy Homsher

mittee, which would define a code of ethics for students and hold them accountable (through referral to the Dean of Students for punishment). Dr. James McDonald, Department Head of Electrical and Computer Engineering, suggested that students be careful what they wish for—although teachers may have an easy time making “uncribbable” tests, they would be nigh-impossible for most students to do well on. Dr. Henry Kowalski, a professor of Mechanical Engineering, closed the lunch hour by saying that teachers who were unwilling to change their tests “have no right” to continue teaching at a school like Kettering.

Ultimately, it has yet to be seen what changes will be made as a result of these discussions. For more information about Mr. Rapin’s research and proposal, interested parties can find them at goo.gl/qQ8SKS.

Technician Student Forum

By Chloe Hauxwell Editor-in-Chief As the student voice of Kettering University, The Technician strives to hear the thoughts and opinions of as many Kettering students as possible. The staff meets with students for interviews and 'Man on the Street' pieces, and also accepts many student submitted pieces. Another way for the Technician staff to be the student voice as be meeting with students at the student forum each term. This term's student forum will be 7th week Wednesday during lunch in AB 1817. There will be free food for those students who attend. This forum is a chance for all students to let the Technician staff know what they think about the campus, and what they would like to see the paper focusing on in the future.

Submissions Policy The Technician encourages any interested students to attend staff meetings. Meetings for Summer 2014 will be each Tuesday and Friday 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 8th Tuesday at 6pm. Expected distribution is 9th Wednesday. Send submissions to atechnician@kettering.edu.

August 18, 2014

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The Technician

Campus Updates The Final Chapter

By Matthew White Copy Editor As many students know, the Kettering bookstore is no more. With the rise of the Internet and book sharing, Follett, the company Kettering contracts with for its bookstore, could no longer justify the cost of maintaining a physical presence. They approached Kettering with their concerns, and the university agreed to move to a virtual bookstore.

Although the university had other options, they believed that working with Follett would ease the transition, and it made negotiations over the rather odd Kettering schedule more tenable for both parties.

With the absence of a physical store, administration expected that students would be worried about getting textbooks. To their surprise, students were more concerned with getting testing materials like blue books and Scantron sheets. Although the school looked at offering these materials for sale in the C-store, they ultimately figured the hassle of sell-

ing the 25¢ sheets was not worth the cost. To make everyone’s life easier, the administration ultimately decided to have a supply of materials on hand in central receiving for academic departments to pick up. All materials will be provided to students free of charge.

Items of Kettering apparel will be sold in the online bookstore, but administration also wanted items on campus. The C-store will begin offering “Bulldog Wear,” as it is called, with input from students as to what colors and styles of merchandise will rotate through. Because the university owns the process, uses local vendors, and can make smaller batches, the variety is more responsive to student needs. It will also be priced affordably. Ms. Nadine Thor, Director of Auxiliary Services, offered prices around $12 for a logo t-shirt, $27 for a hooded sweatshirt, and $32 for a zip-up hooded jacket. Of special concern is women’s clothing, which had been neglected in the book store. Other small items like hats, lanyards, and pen/ highlighter/stylus combinations would also be sold.

The then-vacant bookstore will become the new Gary and Kate Cowger Board Room, which was originally planned to occupy the storage space opposite the store. Architectural demands, however, scrapped those plans. The room, designed to be a modern office space, will be available to the Kettering community for use. Mr. Tom Ayers, Vice President of Administration and Finance, hopes the room will be ready for the February board meeting.

Other changes on campus that continue include the FIRST Community Center, which has been delayed due to problems with drainage. The original construction piped water underneath the gymnasium floor, which over time has led to dramatic erosion. Without any visible signs, this went unnoticed long enough to delay the project, which is again making progress.

Editor’s Note: In learning more about the bookstore closure, the author of this article was given examples of apparel and trinkets as part of his review.

Kettering's New Art Curator Continued from the front page Although most Kettering students could not think of more different subjects, Mrs. Schreck sees them both as creative endeavors.

Engineers “create things all the time,” she says, and although the fields are different, there is “not as much of a leap as people might think.”

In her first exhibit, Mrs. Schreck proves her point by showing the works of two local artists that merge their engineering interests with their artistic passion to create work of incredible detail. The exhibit, called Straight Lines: The Art of Draftsmanship, includes nearly twenty pieces. One of the artists, Matthew Malott, is a Kettering graduate, while the other, Christopher Watson, painted billboards for the

automotive industry. The collection will remain on display until October 23, with a reception on September 8 over the lunch hour with Dr. McMahan (who himself has a degree in art).

Mrs. Schreck hopes that she can bring art to Kettering students in a meaningful way. The Humanities Art Center and Gallery will be open more often, and art books will be laid out on the tables in the back of the gallery for students to inspire learning. She is also exploring different forms of art like kinetic sculpture that might engage students better.

Top: Viracocha by Christopher Watson. Bottom: Ropes on Tarangini by Matthew Malott. Both of these artists are currently on display in the Art Center. Photos courtesy of Kettering Communications.

Mike Riggs SAC Presentation Continued from the front page

“As I looked out on those faces and saw people being attentive, being engaged, being like that dry sponge, it just sort of hit me, ‘I bet $1,000 would help every one of them.’”

Instead of his original idea to give away five scholarships, he proceeded to announce that he needed the names of every student before they left because he was going to give each of them a $1000 scholarship. Every student made sure to shake his hand and personally thank him for the gift.

His actions spoke truth to the advice he had just given, as he revealed his character and commitment to helping the future generation continue their education.

He emphasized that family is more important than work, even mentioning that this is the opposite of what Bob Lutz had said in his talk on campus months prior.

Riggs stressed that he makes business strategies for future generations, not just to get the most profit in the short run. He calls this the “Zoe Strategy,” named after his granddaughter. He also stated the importance of persistence and that you cannot be afraid to fail, quoting Einstein, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

His biggest piece of advice was to dream big. This doesn’t have to be a specific dream, Mike Riggs talks to student after the presentation as he never imagined he’d be working for a trucking company. He also stated that you cannot At this point in the presentation, one student got make your dream happen by yourself and need peo- up to go to class. As they were leaving, he realized, Photo Courtesy of Kettering Communications ple to support you.

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The Technician

Automotive

August 18, 2014

By Chaz Mancino Staff Writer After being dormant in the supercar realm for several years, Honda plans on rocking the car world with the return of the nsx. While this car will be sold as a Honda in most of the world, Americans will know it as an Acura.

The nsx will come with a twin turbocharged V6 engine and three electric motors coupled to a dualclutch automatic transmission. Since it does receive power from both an internal combustion engine and electric motors, the nsx will be a hybrid supercar, although do not expect Toyota Prius-level performance or fuel economy.

One of the electric motors will be a part of the transmission while the other two will be placed at each front wheel. Everything will be a part of the nsx’s Sport Hybrid Super-Handling All Wheel Drive (sh-awd) system that was developed by Honda Motor Company. The expected horsepower output is over 500.

The nsx will have its own platform to allow it to be mid-engine. The engine will be placed longitudinally on it.

Like all prototypes, Honda still has some issues to work through before the nsx is production ready.

On its first day on the Nürburgring in Germany, an nsx prototype burst into flames. The driver got out safely, but the fire spread throughout the whole car, rendering it totaled.

The nsx is scheduled to arrive at dealerships in about a year and will command a price of around $110,000. Unlike the original nsx, which was built in Japan, this one will be built in Marysville, Ohio.

Honda officials have their eyes set on supercars such as the Audi R8, Porsche 911, Jaguar F-Type R Coupe, and Nissan gt-r as competitors for the nsx.

Above and Left, Released NSX concept (Photo courtesy of Acura )

A Brief History of the NSX: In 1984, Honda paired up with the Italian car designer Pininfarina to create a supercar named the hp-x (Honda Pininfarina eXperimental). The hp-x sported a C20A 2.0-liter V6 engine.

The hp-x soon evolved into the ns-x (New Sportscar eXperimental). Honda declared that it was to meet or surpass the performance of every car from Italy and Germany, mainly Ferrari’s 328, which was replaced by the 348.

The first generation launched with a 3.0-liter vtec V6 engine to compete against the Ferrari 348 in 1990. Notable parts of the first generation nsx were an all-aluminum monocoque body and suspension, four-channel antilock brakes, electric power steering, and, to allow reliable high-rpm operation of the engine, titanium connecting rods.

According to one of the first magazine articles about the nsx, it could go zero-to-sixty miles per hour (m.p.h.) in around 5.03 seconds while 13.47 seconds brought it through the quarter mile. The nsx won Australia’s Wheels magazine 1991 Car of

the Year Award and was named Automobile Magazine’s 1991 Automobile of the Year.

Different variations of the first generation nsx included the nsx-r, nsx-t, nsx-s, nsx-Zero, Alex Zanardi Edition, and nsx-r gt. A more powerful 3.2-liter V6 engine replaced the 3.0-liter in 1997.

Horsepower and torque ratings went up from 270 to 290 and 210 to 225 pound-feet (lb-ft), respectively, compared to the 3.0-liter.

In 2002, the nsx shed its original pop-up headlights for fixed xenon hid headlights. The redesign also brought wider rear tires as an addition to an updated suspension. Also in 2002, the North American models lost their fixed roof.

The first generation ceased production in 2005.

European model production stopped in September 2005 while North American production lasted until December of that year. According to Honda Motor Company, the nsx was too much of a costly investment to continue with. In addition, the nsx's competitors had moved on, causing the nsx to become nearly obsolete in the supercar world. Roughly 18,000 first generation nsxs were produced during its 15 year lifespan. In its first generation, the nsxcompeted in the 24 Hours of LeMans, Super gt, and Word Challenge.

1999 Acura nsx (Photo courtesy of Car and Driver Magazine)

August 18, 2014

Page 5

The Technician

Student Perspectives

The Technician sent out reporter Bryan Boyse to talk to students about their co-op positions. Each student was asked where they worked, what they did, and what they like about their position. Here is a sampling of their responses.

Steven Tracy Sophomore, Industrial Engineering Where is your co-op?

Royal Building Products What did you get to do at your co-op?

I worked on new product testing, product design, and fixing manufacturing processes.

What did you like about the position?

I liked product testing because I got to break stuff.

Everett Owen Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering Where is your co-op at?

ESE LLC. What did you get to do at your co-op?

I designed part fixtures for cnc machines and machine part details for machines.

What did you like about your position?

I like the hands-on work and the ability to make things.

Allan Wicker

Jeremy Eekoff

Senior, Mechanical Engineering Where is your co-op?

Livingston & Haven What did you get to do at your co-op?

Hydraulic system fabrication, structural analysis, database management, and quoting.

What did you like about your position?

I like that I got to manage a design project from start to finish.

Senior, Mechanical Engineering Where is your co-op?

Biomet What did you get to do at your co-op?

I designed instruments and fixtures for intermediary nails and surgeon specific tools.

What did you like about your position?

I like the responsibility of working on final product design.

Jake Ellis

Kellin Lee

Sophomore, Electrical Engineering Where is your co-op at?

Siemens What did you get to do at your co-op?

I worked on customer service and measuring acoustic sound vibration of cars and their component.

What did you like about your position?

I like the friendly work environment.

Sophomore, Mechanical Engineering Where is your co-op at?

General Motors What did you get to do at your co-op?

I helped develop cooling systems for electric vehicles and did warm and cold weather testing.

What did you like about the position?

I liked working with a good team of knowledgeable engineers.

All photos courtesy of Bryan Boyse

Page 6

The Technician

In Pictures

August 18, 2014

The last few weeks have been busy around campus, with the Job Fair, Discover Kettering, and much more (from top, clockwise) • Zach Goodman volunteers at the ifc's Flint Clean-up day as part of Greek Week • Doug Melton with Professor Torfeh and Terri Lynch-Caris after Melton's cetl presentation "Best Teaching Moments: Why Does Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset Matter?"

• The Bulldog mascot poses with some potential future students at Discover Kettering on Saturday, August 16 • Dereck Monroe talks with a potential co-op employer at the Summer Job Fair

Photos are courtesy of Kettering Communications

August 18, 2014

Top, clockwise: • Guests at Discover Kettering listen to the Student Speaks panel in BJ's Lounge • Venetia Petteway, Co-op Program Director, shakes hands with a representative of Valicor at the Summer Job Fair • Rhonda Winter '81 answers questions with Isabella Zapinski, member of the Student Alumni Council, after Rhonda's Bulldog Insights presentation August 14

Photos are courtesy of Kettering Communication

The Technician

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The Technician

Automotive Update

August 18, 2014

Formula SAE While at technical inspection, members of the Kettering University Formula sae team had a hard getting Percy, the template representing a person sitAfter a season full of challenges, members of the ting in a Formula sae vehicle, to fit in the team’s car.

Kettering University Formula sae were able to By the time the team had passed technical inspecraise their heads high. Despite losing several core tion on Friday, the acceleration and skid pad events members due to graduation, the team decided from had come to a close. However, the team’s car zipped the beginning to take a risk and switch to ten inch through the tilt, noise, and brake tests and was able wheels from the old, heavy thirteen inch wheels that to compete in the autocross event held that aftergmi2014’s predecessors wore. And that is where the noon, where the team placed 33rd in. season began.

event. Friday brought the acceleration, skidpad, and autocross events. The team did well enough in autocross to make it the afternoon run for the endurance event that Saturday, when the faster cars competed in the event.

At Lincoln, the Kettering University Formula sae team’s car not only finished the endurance event, but also placed 11th in it. In addition, the team also took first in fuel efficiency for the second year in a row. With doing well in so many events, the Ketter-

Roughly ten months after that critical decision, the team completed gmi2014. With one day until events began at the Formula sae competition at Michigan International Speedway (m.i.s.), the team tested its car for the first time. Arriving at m.i.s. on Thursday morning, members of the Kettering University Formula sae team quickly got ready for the static events while preparing to go through technical inspection. The first event for the team was the cost event. With having the lowest priced car out of all of the competition, the team obviously had to go through the cost audit. There, the judges looked over the team’s car and picked over things that were not in the cost report but would have otherwise went unnoticed. After the audit, the team placed the highest in any event that it would all competition coming in fifth place.

The next event for the team was the design event.

Having an all-new design with very few days of testing meant that the theoretical data was there, but there was barely any test data. The team placed 38th in the event, tying with other teams, despite lacking test data. The last static event for the team was the business presentation. After finishing 52nd in the event last year, the Kettering University Formula sae team business presenters were able to pitch the team to a 12th place overall for the event, an improvement of forty places. Placing quite well in the static events, it seemed that the Kettering University Formula sae team was unable to be stopped. However, problems later tainted the team’s performance at m.i.s.

ing University Formula sae team hoped to place in the top ten overall.

During the awards ceremony, the Kettering University Formula sae team was awarded Nucor Steel’s Pay for Performance award for the second straight year. This year, the award divided the total number of dynamic points each team received by the cost of the team’s car.

As tradition, the top ten teams at Lincoln were called up during the awards ceremony. The Kettering University Formula sae team was one of those teams. Now was the moment of truth for the members of the team. As it turned out, all of the hard work that had been put into the car had paid off as the team placed tenth overall, making that the second year in a row that the Kettering University placed in the top ten at the Formula sae competition in Lincoln.

So the results are in. Having a small team does not mean sacrificing an impressive finish. With enough testing time, even a small team can be a fiercely competitive team. With another season completed, the Kettering University Formula sae team looks forward to another year full of challenges, changes, and exciting competitions.

By Chaz Manchino Staff Wrtier

Saturday brought the highest-weighted event: endurance. While there were three car fires at this year’s endurance event at m.i.s., the Kettering University Formula sae team’s car came out in full force. However, with having just completed a little over halfway of the team’s swing at endurance, the car ran out of gas. As with the majority of the cars that started the endurance event, the Kettering University Formula sae team’s car had to be pulled off of the track. Since the Kettering University Formula sae team’s car won fuel economy last year during the same event, there must have been something wrong with the car during the endurance event at m.i.s. The team quickly went into action diagnosing where the problem may have been after the car was returned to the team’s paddock.

With not having a stellar performance at m.i.s, like in 2013, it was evident that the Kettering University Formula sae team had some lessons to learn from. With those lessons, the team began preparing for the Formula sae competition in Lincoln, Nebraska.

As all race car teams know, a few weeks of testing not only better prepares the driver, but also the car and other team members as well. As such, the Kettering University Formula sae team members had a better planned and executed competition at Lincoln. The team was able to pass technical inspection between Wednesday and Thursday, allowing the car to run in all of the dynamic events. Thursday also brought the static events, where the Kettering University Formula sae team placed second in the cost

Photo Courtesy of Max More.

August, 18, 2014

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The Technician

News LITE Programs

Many other universities, such as Cornell, mit, and by sharing personal stories or pointing out the girls’ University of Illinois, offer programs specifically for positive traits—such as intelligence, friendliness, young women interested in stem. The abundance or great work ethic—to help them believe they can Have you ever wanted to repay an older mentor of these camps demonstrates the contemporary overcome challenges. who helped you out? Whether it is a teacher, a work colleague, or even an older sibling, almost everyone can name someone who encouraged them at a critical time. The best way to repay them is to find a way to help someone else. Every year Kettering hosts a two week camp for high school girls interested in science, technology, engineering, or math (stem), and a handful of female students at Kettering get the opportunity to “give back” by mentoring the camp participants.

The camp is called lite (Lives Improve Through Engineering) and it spans two weeks between July 20 and August 1. During the camp, the high schoolers attend lectures and participate in labs taught by Kettering faculty on topics such as biomechanics, chemistry, sustainable energy, and the physics of vehicle crashes. The subjects are chosen to illustrate how engineering directly impact people’s lives.

The mentors are a combination of A-section and B-section students. B-section mentors are put in pairs and assigned a team of about eight “mentees.”

A-section mentors typically float between teams lite attendees make duck houses out of recycled Chevy Volt battery covers since they also have to attend classes and take care concern for encouraging talented young women to At the beginning of the camp, many mentors were of school responsibilities at the same time. The men- go into technical fields. Providing mentors that the afraid that they wouldn’t connect with the girls. In tors take the girls back and forth to lectures and or- girls can relate to is a vital part of supporting the reality, this fear was unfounded. lite participants chestrate activities in the evenings. next generation of female engineers and scientists. are ambitious, enthusiastic young women who share Outside of class, lite participants are invited to The job of a mentor at lite is two-fold: to make a lot of common interests with the women who atdinner at the President’s house, take a trip to Michi- sure that each girl has an excellent experience, and tend Kettering. The mentees share the same congan Adventures, and many nights just relax in the to encourage the girls to pursue a career in a stem cerns that all Kettering students faced a few years Thompson Hall playing card games, watching mov- field (preferably at Kettering). Most of the time ago: they worry about finding a co-op without colies, or just talking. Each team gets an allotment of this means hanging out with the girls and creating lege experience, they question if they will be acceptspending money and the mentors treat their team to friendships. It also means ensuring that each girl ed to good colleges, and they stress about affording their favorite places around Flint like the Crepe Fac- feels included in her group and resolving drama. school. It is easy to become friends and offer them tory, Banana Boat and the movie theater for “team When the girls express concerns about their last year advice because everyone at Kettering faced the same time.” of high school or starting college, mentors can help hopes and fears at some point.

By Colette Umbach Guest Contributor

While mentoring is exhausting and stressful at times, it is definitely worth the investment. Many young women are worried that they aren’t smart enough to attend engineering school or won’t succeed in a male-dominated university and industry.

When we were their age, we needed someone who had already faced those challenges to assure us that we could succeed. lite gives us a chance to do that for someone else.

Photos courtesy of Kettering Communications

lite participants pose with their duck houses that will be placed along the banks of the Flint River

Page 10

By Devin Aryan Staff Writer

The Technician

Entertainment

August, 18, 2014

Super Smash Bros. 3DS and Wii U

Of the three major manufacturers of video game consoles, Nintendo has been around the longest, founded in 1889 and incorporated in 1947. Having decades worth of history, Nintendo has many iconic faces from a multitude of different games, and in 1999 Nintendo released Super Smash Bros., a game for the Nintendo 64 console. Super Smash Bros. was a fighting game in which Nintendo brought together 12 characters from various popular game series.

These original 12 characters, now affectionately referred to as the Original 12, consisted of Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Link, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Samus, Kirby, Fox, Captain Falcon, and Ness, and they represented a total of 10 different game series.

Since 1999, two other games within the now titled Smash Bros. Series have been released, with the North American 2002 release of Super Smash Bros.

Melee and the 2008 release of Super Smash Bros.

Brawl. The series is now one of the most well-known series worldwide and involves characters from 19 different game series (Brawl). It is no surprise, then, that when the Wii U console was announced and consequently released, the hype for a new entry in the series began to grow. At E3 2011, the hype skyrocketed when it was announced that there would indeed be another entry in the series, and this time it would appear not only on the Wii U home console, but also on the 3DS portable console.

News for these two new games, currently titled Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U on the official website, comes daily now, with series creator Masahiro Sakurai releasing one new picture per day with a caption. The most exciting news, however, of new playable characters and new stages or arenas to play on, comes every so often, and leaves fans salivating.

For those who do not know, the two versions of the game will be similar, but not identical. It has been announced that the character rosters will be identical, but the stages will not be. The 3DS version of the game will feature stages from game series that are on Nintendo’s portable consoles; the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS. The Wii U version, likewise, will feature stages from series that were on Nintendo’s list of home consoles; the nes, snes, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, and Wii U. It has also been announced that various versions of the competitive Final Destination stage will appear, one based on each of the other stages.

As far as the roster goes, Sakurai has only given out a sliver of the information people want to know. Of the announced characters, it is most notable that Mario and Sonic will be returning, and Pac-Man and Mega Man will be joining the fray. This means that all four major video game icons from the 80’s and early 90’s will be appearing in the new games. Other notable announcements include Lucina and Robin from the Fire Emblem series, Little Mac from the game Punch Out!, Palutena from the Kid Icarus series, Greninja from the Pokémon series, Rosalina from the Super Mario Bros. series, the Wii Fit Trainer, and various versions of Miis. It has been announced that there are new definitions for what makes a character. This new definition is that if two characters have different moves or if the calculations involved for the characters differ in any way, such as fall speed, then the two characters are different characters. As such, Zelda and Sheik, two characters from the Legend of Zelda series that have

Super Smash Bros Nintendo 3DS cover art, courtesy of Vooks

Wii U cover art, courtesy of Amazon

been linked in previous Smash Bros. installments, are now separate characters. In addition, there are many characters not announced yet. Of those expected to be in the final product, but not yet announced, are two of the Original 12, Jigglypuff and Ness, Ganondorf, Falco, Mr. Game&Watch, and Meta Knight. Only time will tell who makes the cut, though.

Various other announcements include the GameCube Controller Adapter for Wii U, a peripheral that will plug into two usb slots on the Wii U and will provide four slots for the plug in of GameCube controllers, popularized for the series back with Super Smash Bros. Melee, as well as the concept of every character having three different move options for each move slot. This means that for the move Side Smash B (→B) there are three options that the player gets to choose from for each character, for all the different move inputs.

The clock to the release of these two games is ticking down fast, with a set release date of October 3rd, 2014 for the 3DS version, and a date of Holiday 2014 for the Wii U version. Game retailers are receiving reservations for the games, and more news is available on the official website, www.smashbros.com.

August 18, 2014

The Technician

Entertainment 42 Movie Review

even go as far as stepping up for him amongst severe degradation. Once of the most heartwarming scenes is surprisingly when Jackie is on first base in front of The recent movie “42: The Jackie Robinson Story” a large crowd that is booing at him. The short stop, illustrates the true story of how Jackie Robinson, an despite extreme criticism and greater booing, puts African American baseball player, surprises the nahis arm around Jackie to show his team’s support. tion by getting signed on to a previously all-white sports league. As he joins the Brooklyn Dodgers, he experiences discrimination left and right due to the color of his skin. The movie portrays how this discrimination was still prominent in the 1940’s, over 80 years after the end of the Civil War. Jackie Robinson, however, ignored the infamous color line found in Major League Baseball, forever changing America and the game of baseball.

Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) is the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and he immediately faces criticism as he decides to sign this black man into Major League Baseball. But he nonetheless decides that he signs players onto the team based on skill, not skin color. Although the pressure ultimately fell on Jackie, the Rickey supports him wholeheartedly and refuses to listen to the critics who claimed that baseball is no place for a black man. The bravery he was shown to have in the movie is second only to that of Jackie himself. His support for Jackie eventually lead his team to some amazing victories in Major League Baseball.

The movie gives a very emotional portrayal of the We clearly see from the beginning of the movie trials Jackie Robinson had to face, both on and off the field. From demeaning criticism all the way to that Jackie is a fighter. When he faces hardships simsevere death threats, it was clear that very few whites ply based on the color of his skin, he stands up for were in support of Jackie. And the few whites that himself and demands that he be treated as an equal. did support him had to have a great amount of This presents an entirely new challenge for him as courage to do so. Although his own team is at first Branch Rickey makes him promise to keep himself against Jackie being on their team, they eventually calm and composed in the face of opposition. Howcome to appreciate what he brings to the team and ever, Rickey does this not to suppress Jackie, but the

By Jacob Fairbairn Guest Contributor

By Adam Lecznar Staff Writer

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very opposite in fact. If Jackie were to stand up to his opponents, critics would use it as an excuse to kick him out of Major League Baseball, saying that blacks just can’t control themselves and therefore do not deserve to pay among esteemed whites. Ignoring such criticism was simply not in Jackie’s nature.

The amount of courage it took for him to stand up to his opponents by simply turning the other cheek is extremely heartwarming, and it creates an air of emotion that makes you want to reach out to Jackie in his greatest times of need.

Today, Jackie Robinson is a legend both in the civil rights movement and in Major League Baseball. Not only did he make the hall of fame for baseball, but his number “42” has been retired. No baseball player will ever wear the number “42” again, showing the Jackie Robinson is a legend and that the number will forever represent his name in the game of baseball.

On top of this, Jackie Robinson helped to tear down the infamous color line both in baseball and in America as a whole, standing next to other famous African Americans who stood against discrimination such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. The movie’s depiction of segregation and discrimination against blacks in the 1940’s is very real, and it’s sometimes hard to believe how far our nation has come in the last 60 years. Whether you love baseball or have never picked up a mitt in your life, “42” is a must-see for everyone. It is the most inspiring and uplifting movie of the decade. You will be moved by the trials Jackie endured, and it will certainly make you believe in heroes again.

Photos courtesy of IMBD.

Freshman Perspective

Though thousands of college freshmen across the nation have yet to officially begin their college career, A-Section students at Kettering University are finding that their first terms are quickly passing by.

Week Zero, otherwise known as Orientation Week, seems like a distant memory to many Kettering students, who are now preparing for midterm tests. Since that first weekend, they have had to adapt to the environment at Kettering, which means everything from finding their classrooms to learning the names of staff and fellow students.

“After about three weeks you get to know the layout of the campus and buildings,” claims Freshman Nick Peters. “Learning people’s names takes a bit longer, though.”

Students also had to quickly adapt to Kettering’s academic load, which is very rigorous and requires large amounts of time and effort, and how to take advantage of all the programs Kettering has in place to assist students.

"I never used to study, I used to play video games.

Now I study all the time,” Peters added.

“Things haven’t changed much for me, but I studied a lot in high school because I went to a private school,” responded Peters’ classmate Kevin Katz.

On top of all that, Freshman Kettering students are exposed to many different organizations and clubs, ranging from Greek Life to the Green Engineering Organization. These groups allow them to connect even more with their classmates and, perhaps more importantly, upperclassmen who could help guide them and give them advice for surviving Kettering.

“Getting involved was the best thing I could have done. I love getting to meet all new people,” commented Freshman Becky Wolanin. “The upperclassmen I’ve met have been really helpful and friendly.”

The term may only be half-over, but in no time at all these same students who moved into Thompson Hall six weeks ago will have to move out again. To some, Kettering may just begin to feel like a home away from home when they are forced to start from scratch as their work term starts and wait ten weeks to return. But students remain optimistic.

“I love Kettering so far,” summed up Freshman Grant Koster. “As Professor Bell says, ‘If Kettering is right for you, you can’t afford to go anywhere else’.”

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August 18, 2014

The Technician

"Capitals" Crossword

By Colleen Chavis

Across 2. Cairo 4. Are capitalized (2 words) 5. California 9. Phoenix 10. Maryland 12. Capital punishment (2 words) 13. Alaska 14. Maine 15. Baton Rouge 16. Tallahassee 17. Honolulu Down 1. Financial resources available for use 3. Bismarck (2 words) 5. Stockholm 6. Greece 7. Capital! Awesome! Fantastic!

8. The Emerald City 10. Buenos Aires 11. Montgomery 15. Michigan 17. Port-au-Prince Puzzle solutions are available at http://bulldogs.kettering.edu/technician/

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