False Alarms

As many of you may have noticed, the Academic Building fire alarms went off at about 11:10 this morning. Campus Safety Chief Rolland Benford was able to give me a few details about the incident. The fire alarm at the door nearest the library was intentionally pulled. There was no fire. Those responsible for the incident have been identified.

Things that go bump in the night.

As a Junior at Kettering, I do a lot of joking about Flint, and how unsafe it is. I always thought of it a just a joke. My joking about Flint's safety ended tonight. I was on the receiving end of a mugging. I was walking home from late-night lab work, when I was approached by 3 guys. After attempting to probe me for information as to whether I was carrying a phone, the chased me down and pulled a gun on me. They told me to lay down, and went through my pockets. Fortunately, other than my phone (which they missed), I was carrying nothing of value. They left without taking anything.

Often stories of crime are nameless, and consequently, victim-less. As a result it has no impact on our actions. Hopefully, this blog post will give you a name to put on the crime and encourage you to take precautions against being the victim of a mugging.

Kettering hosts distunguished guests during sixth week

With Kettering's many corporate connections, special visitors to campus are nothing new. This week, however, the university has hosted not only a GM director, Kettering alum Denise Gray, but state governor Jennifer Granholm as well.

Granholm visited Wednesday in recognition of a half-million dollar grant to the school from the Department of Energy to fund battery research. Calling Kettering's success an "Emblem of progress", she urged university students and researches to press forward in the development of new green technologies.

Check out the photos on Facebook.

Denise Gray's visit was an R. G. Bell production. Dr. Bell introduced G.M.'s Director of Energy Storage Devices. After discussing the structure of the battery system for the Chevy Volt, Gray described the safety features of the battery system, including the cooling, power control, and monitoring systems.

Denise Gray's presentation on the Chevy Volt:

Kettering ranked #1 in Industrial Engineering, 19th overall by US News and World Report.

Kettering University has returned to its #1 ranking for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering and continues to be ranked in the Top Twenty in the nation in the 2010 edition of "America's Best Colleges Guide," which is published by "U.S. News & World Report."

For the first time, Kettering’s Mechanical Engineering program is ranked #2 in the country.

"We are extremely pleased to be recognized as one of “America’s Best Colleges” and this time as #1 and #2,” said Kettering University President Stan Liberty. “This is the first time we have achieved #1 and #2 in academic programs on campus. This is remarkable news for Kettering, especially with the ongoing economic challenges in the state and in the manufacturing sector.”

Kettering's category is Undergraduate Engineering schools, whose highest degree is a bachelor's or master's degree.

Kettering’s four national rankings in the 2010 edition of “America’s Best Colleges” are:
# 1 - Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering,
# 2 - Mechanical Engineering,
#19 - Overall ranking for Kettering University, plus
Programs to Look For (Internships/Co-op) – one of only 18 institutions in the country to receive this recognition.

#1 for 10 of 11 years
Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering has returned to its #1 ranking, after being listed #2 last year. Kettering has been “best in the country” in this category for 10 of the past 11 years.

2010 rankings: Industrial/Manufacturing
1. Kettering University (MI)
2. Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo (CA)
3. San Jose State University (CA)

#2 for Mechanical Engineering

ME is #2

Kettering’s Mechanical Engineering department jumped to a #2 national ranking, up from #5 last year.

2010 rankings: Mechanical Engineering
1. Rose-Hulman (IN)
2. Kettering University (MI)
3. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo (CA)
3. Cooper Union (NY)

Overall category – Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (whose highest degree is a bachelor's or master's):
1. Harvey Mudd College (CA)
2. Rose-Hulman (IN)
3. Cooper Union (NY)
19. Kettering University

"I know that Kettering’s unique model of co-op education is a contributing factor to the annual rankings,” Liberty said. “I'd like to congratulate the entire Kettering community for their ongoing contributions that help us build and sustain the excellence of a Kettering University education.”

The 2010 "America's Best Colleges" magazine will be on newsstands Aug. 20. For more, visit www.usnew.com.

Laser Show at Longway Planetarium

On August 28 and 29 (seventh weekend Friday and Saturday), Longway Planetarium is presenting a weekend of laser shows. Tickets are $5 for a show or $8 for a night.

Showtimes:

Friday, August 28:

8:00 PM: Laser Hendrix

9:00 PM: Laser Pink Floyd: The Wall

Saturday, August 29:

8:00 PM: Laser Hendrix

9:00 PM: Laser Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

For more information, visit the Longway Planetarium website.

Going online

Hello and Welcome to the Technician's official blog. Here, members of the staff will share their thoughts, as well as keep you up-to-date on official Kettering news and information.