Horsepower to Hyperloops - Kettering University

Jon Chase VP of Marketing & Shared Services for John Deere's Agriculture & Turf Business in North America. Jon has had a fascinating career moving from engineering to management, and his thoughts on the agricultural sector, career management and leadership represent interesting insights and extraordinary wisdom, particularly for those starting out in their careers.

Tony Bedard is CEO of Frontier Co-op, purveyors of certified organic herbs, spices, seasonings, teas, and essential oils. Frontier is a model of a responsible and enlightened business, not only growing from 10 million to 250 million over 30 years, but doing so by using a three pillared philosophy of doing well by doing good: supporting its supplier communities around the world, supporting its local community and supporting its workers.

Former GM vice president and Kettering grad Dan Hancock discusses the future of mobility and propulsion from the standpoints of performance, efficiency and environmental impact.

A Kettering University professor, a recent grad, and two students discuss Kettering's SAGE, or Student Association for Global Engineering, Club, in which students direct and deliver engineering solutions as humanitarian efforts in Michigan and elsewhere. Spoiler Alert: it's not as simple as it seems!

Mechanical engineering professor Dr. Jennifer Bastiaan, one of Kettering's SAE faculty advisers, and students Braydin Jones and Benjamin Spore, discuss all things SAE

Dan Mantz, CEO of the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation talks about the upcoming 2024 VEX Robotics World Championships, sponsored by REC, the mission of the REC Foundation. their mission to grow STEM and computer science programs around the world and their venture into drones, online virtual reality and other cutting edge technologies.

The Ultimate Mobility Vehicle – a car with legs developed to take anyone safely anywhere – is at the heart of this episode's discussion with the UMV's developer, John Suh, founding director of Hyundai's New Horizon's Studio. We were joined by Kettering President Dr. Robert K. McMahan to address various related topics like asking the right question and changing assumptions, that arise when engineering on the edge.

As a cybersecurity compliance engineer at May Mobility a top autonomous vehicle company in Michigan, Hemanth Tadepalli is at the forefront of two cutting edge technologies. He is also pursuing his masters in cybersecurity at UC Berkeley. He was recently appointed, by the mayor of Troy and the Troy city council, as a board member of Troy's Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, on which he currently serves. He was also previously invited by the Michigan Secretary of State to serve on her task force to ensure the integrity and security of elections across college campuses in Michigan and served on the city's planning commission in 2019 as a student representative. He was the successful campaign manager for Troy's most recently elected mayor. and in his spare time (!) he plays the viola in the Troy Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. Tadepalli is a 2023 graduate of Kettering University, where he won the Sobey Scholar Award and the President's Medal, two of the school's most prestigious honors. In the most recent Horsepower to Hyperloops episode, “Cybersecurity, Autonomous Vehicles, and Fast Tracking Your Career with Hemanth Tadepalli,” we discuss not only the benefits of dramatically jumpstarting one's career through an undergraduate co-op program like Kettering's, but also the critical role of cybersecurity in the coming age of autonomous vehicles.

Jeffrey Thennisch '90 started his career in corporate law, moved to intellectual property, helped the surviving spouse of a musician regain the royalties from her late husband's music, and now finds himself working on the cutting edge of new musical technologies.

Sheri Hickock '20, CEO of Climate Impact Partners (CIP) in London, is heading up CIP's efforts to partner with international corporations, governments, non-profits and local organizations on hundreds of sometimes huge projects around the world. These projects are designed to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere by billions of tonnes.

An inspiring story of self-belief, adaptability, an engineer's ability to solve problems and an unbelievable work ethic spanning two continents reveals a young man's rise from modest circumstances to success in two industries: automotive and wealth management.

The often-overlooked soleus muscle in the calf has been called the “second heart” because it is the muscle that sends blood back up to the heart. System engineer and entrepreneur Dr. Ken McLeod ('77, Electrical Engineering) discusses his invention, the HeartPartner™, which is designed to assist the soleus muscle in its work and hence significantly increase the health of the user.

In 2007, mechanical engineer Matt Sherrow '98 left the corporate world to follow his dream of becoming a winemaker and brewer. He founded and now runs the Fenton Winery & Brewery and the Dream Machine Distillery producing wine, beer, and spirits. He discusses his journey.

Gerald Johnson '85, Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing and Sustainability at General Motors, discusses the primary initiatives at GM that will help define the future for all of us, including the push to build more efficient combustion engines over the next 10 years in the transition to electric vehicles; GM's commitment to an electric future; the impact autonomous vehicles will have on our day to day lives; and how sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion will be critical strategies in reaching all those goals.

Recently retired Honda Executive Vice President Rick Schostek ('80, Industrial Administration) talks about the increasing need for partnerships—among other innovations—in the brave new world of the automotive/mobility industry. We also learn about his family's lifetime journey in caring for the man he calls his own personal hero: his son Greg, 35, who has autism.

John Krzminski '03 discusses his efforts to create clean, carbon-neutral emissions for the off-road sector. This includes hundreds of millions of engines, from lawnmowers and ATVs to boats, drones and non-jet aircraft, for which electrification may not be possible or advisable.

Michael Cox '15 is the performance engineer on the No. 29 IndyCar for Andretti Autosport. In this episode, Michael gives us a rare inside view, from both the shop and the track, of the excitement and race day pressure of both IndyCar and NASCAR.

Denise Gray '86, Head of LG Energy Solutions North America External Affairs and Government Relations, discusses the future of electrified vehicles and the production of lithium-ion batteries.

IN THE MIX: Caesar's Entertainment Regional President Sean McBurney ('03, ME) discusses maintaining customer service with tens of thousands of employees; how the gaming and entertainment industry survived the pandemic; and a few things you might not know about Vegas.

IN THE MIX: Kettering University Vice President for Kettering Global Campus Dr. Christine Wallace and Dr. Janie Jacobs, Kettering Global's Higher Education and Corporate Training Professional, discuss the vast array of programs, degrees, certificates and courses available to anyone, anywhere through Kettering Global. The Kettering Global Campus (KGC) brings the Kettering brand to the world with online courses and trainings that employ interactive and immersive technology in the classroom. KGC serves the educational needs of students seeking degrees in business, science, technology, engineering and math who choose not to seek a residential campus experience but demand the high-quality education Kettering University offers its students.

IN THE MIX: Discussion with John Smith about his new book "Fin Tales," which recounts how he and his team rescued the sinking Cadillac brand in the late 1990s.

48504: In Part Two, Venetia Petteway, Kettering's Director of Corporate and Community Engagement, and Jack Stock, Kettering's Director of External Relations, discuss how Kettering is engaged with Flint and Genesee County, with a particular focus on community engagement and the extraordinary partnership spearheaded by the University known as the University Avenue Corridor Coalition.

48504: In part one of a two-part series, Venetia Petteway, Kettering's Director of Corporate and Community Engagement, and Jack Stock, Kettering's Director of External Relations, discuss how Kettering is engaged with Flint and Genesee County, including the support of local STEM education, precollege programs, scholarships and relationships with local businesses and organizations. Part Two will address the extraordinary partnership spearheaded by the University known as the University Avenue Corridor Coalition.

IN THE MIX: Mike Colville ('00, EE), one of GM's leading performance engineers more commonly known as the “features dude,” discusses the development of one of the most audacious road vehicles ever developed, GM's 2022 Electric Hummer. Colville also addresses the extreme off-road career where he gained his skills.

IN THE MIX: Jamie Zinser ('99, ME), Vice President of Global Automotive Sales and Marketing at Novelis, discusses sustainability and the infinite recyclability of aluminum.

48054: Dr. Babak Elahi, head of Kettering University's Liberal Studies Department, discusses the role liberal studies plays in STEM education and the path all Kettering students take through his department.

48504: How the new BorgWarner Scholars Program at Kettering could not only broaden minority access to STEM education, but supercharge Kettering's entire cooperative model with coverage of all student needs for five years and a dynamic mentoring process.

IN THE MIX: Kettering alumna Ashley Swartz has dedicated her career to helping people walk. She is the team leader at Roam Robotics, where they developed a wearable robotic knee brace that is helping people walk — and even ski — without pain.

THE 48504: Travis Sage, lead designer for Kettering's innovative new Learning Commons, describes the building and shares why it represents an entirely new paradigm in higher education architecture.

Steve Schwartz and Genomenon, the company he co-founded, are saving lives with technology that allows diagnosticians to quickly review millions of scientific articles to make accurate diagnoses and find appropriate treatments for rare genetic diseases.

Automotive cybersecurity engineer Kristie Pfosi talks about cyber threats to your car you never even imagined--and what she and her colleagues are doing to prevent it.

The crisis in the 1940s that forced GMI to award degrees.

THE PRESIDENT'S SKETCHPAD: The third installment in a three-part series with Kettering University Dr. President Robert K. McMahan addressing a pivotal moment of institutional assessment and change, in the form of the President's Task Force of Program Realignment and Reinvention, which is restructuring the University for a changing future.

THE PRESIDENT'S SKETCHPAD: The second of a three-part series with Kettering University Dr. President Robert K. McMahan addressing a pivotal moment of institutional assessment and change, in the form of the President's Task Force of Program Realignment and Reinvention, which is restructuring the University for a changing future.

THE PRESIDENT'S SKETCHPAD: A three-part series with Kettering University President Dr. Robert K. McMahan addressing a pivotal moment of institutional assessment and change, in the form of the President's Task Force of Program Realignment and Reinvention, which is restructuring the university for a changing future.

IN THE MIX: Kettering grad Shawn Lange ('01, ME and EE) and his company, Lab2Fab are hastening the future of the food service industry with robotics, automation and artificial intelligence.

IN THE MIX: Cory Steuben ('10) went from co-op student at Munro and Associates to company president in 10 years. When others were circling their corporate wagons during the pandemic, he expanded the company, dramatically increased revenues, and founded a viral YouTube video channel, MunroLive.

Neil Berish ('23, ME) has taken what he's learned at Kettering and turned his hobby into a profitable business and Co-op opportunity. Within nine months of creating a website, he and his friend have purchased machinery and expanded from Neil's garage into a small warehouse space. Now he's back in school, his business is his Co-op and he is working to manage both his studies and a growing company.

Software engineer Wes Faler ('92) describes how he quit his own company in software engineering to return to a college project, building a plasma thruster, used to build a satellite that won NASA's Deep Space Derby. But it doesn't end there. Next up, is a ride on NASA's Artemis One rocket in late 2021 and a mission in deep space.

BULLDOG DIARIES: GMI's first women students did not arrive in the 1960s as commonly thought. Instead, they arrived years before, when GMI students were predominantly female for a short time.

GMI grad Lori Flees, SVP and COO of Walmart Health and Wellness, discusses Walmart's efforts to extend affordable primary health care to underserved populations, the changing face of health care delivery, and her extraordinary career.

IN THE MIX: Automotive software executive Qasar Younis discusses the future of autonomous vehicles…and how soon our cars will be chauffeering us around!.

BULLDOG DIARIES: A short story about how GMI President Dusty Rodes procured the land and expanded GMI with the Campus Center, parking deck and dorm during the 1960s

BULLDOG DIARIES: During the famous UAW strike of 1936-37, two GMI students snuck into the plant the strikers had occupied and got themselves in a world of trouble. In this episode, we reveal the students and the story behind their incursion into one of the most important strikes in U.S. labor history.

IN THE MIX: Sam Wells, senior global director sales at Inteva Products, has devoted his life to helping hundreds of young men achieve their potential in life, starting with academics and continuing into their careers. Making a difference is a story of the effect one person can have on his other people and his community.

IN THE MIX: Robotics Outreach Manager Kim Shumaker discusses the University's extensive program, how it uniquely prepares high schoolers for college and Co-ops, and her quest to bring the nation's top students to Kettering.

Dr. Ken McLeod of Binghamton University shares a plan for energy efficient, high speed, ground transportation techncology called Terraplane

BULLDOG DIARIES: Historian and author Tim Troupe Noonan relates the little-known story of the vital role Major Al Sobey's wife, Bess Penoyar Sobey, who was also an educator, played in shaping the early General Motors Institute.

IN THE MIX: Entrepreneur Brian Falther ('10) details his adventure into vertical, high production farming, which yields as much 100 times more crops per acre than traditional farming.

IN THE MIX: John Groetelaars '90, CEO of leading medical equipment provider Hillrom, discusses how his firm and the industry learned about and responded to the pandemic.

PRESIDENT'S SKETCHPAD: Kettering University President Dr. Robert K. McMahan and H2H Producer Tim Troupe Noonan welcome listeners to Kettering's new podcast, From Horsepower to Hyperloops.