Admissions

Shifting Gears: From the Ice Rink to the Racetrack

lmadaus — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:27:45 +0000

Shifting Gears: From the Ice Rink to the Racetrack

lmadaus Mon, 12/01/2025 - 09:27

The sound of a race car engine firing up isn’t so different from the roar of a packed arena — at least not to Chris Ordoobadi.

“I’ve always had two passions — hockey and racing,” he says. “In the first half of my career, I gave everything to hockey. Now, I’m back in school so I can pursue my other passion.”

Today, at 30, Ordoobadi is studying mechanical engineering at Kettering, building race engines and designing aerodynamic systems for the Formula SAE team.

“Kettering is absolutely the right fit for me,” Ordoobadi said. “I’m getting hands-on experience working in the motorsports industry at my Co-op while getting all the foundational knowledge with my mechanical engineering degree.”

Ordoobadi grew up in Washington, D.C., balancing academics and athletics at DeMatha Catholic High School. After two years of junior hockey and four years as a power forward at Neumann University, he turned professional, signing with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, a key developmental league for the AHL and NHL. He later helped lead the Florida Everblades to a league championship, hoisting the Kelly Cup, the ECHL’s top prize.

“Playing on a pro hockey team was always my dream,” he said. “Having lived that dream, I realized that I want to be part of a successful team for the rest of my life. I knew I couldn't play hockey at 55, but I could be an engineer at 55.”

Within weeks of arriving at Kettering, Ordoobadi had secured a placement at Ilmor Engineering, a race engine company based in Plymouth, Michigan, that supplies NASCAR and IndyCar teams. Working on engines for the ARCA and NASCAR Truck Series, he got his first taste of turning classroom theory into on-track reality. His next Co-op rotation will see him step into IndyCar’s hybrid era, gaining valuable trackside experience with cutting-edge technology.

"I was very fortunate to get a Co-op in exactly what I want to pursue as a career," Ordoobadi said. "Motorsports can be a really tough industry to break into. But thanks to Kettering, I started working in it from day one."

In the classroom, Ordoobadi tackled new challenges head-on, including learning MATLAB, a programming language essential for numerical computing, modeling, and data analysis.

“I had no experience with coding,” he said. “But through that class, I was able to write code that helped with the design of our new anti-roll bar for the Formula SAE car and analyze our tire data. Being able to learn something in class and then immediately apply it was really gratifying.”

As soon as he was on campus, Ordoobadi dove into Kettering’s Formula SAE team, leading the aerodynamics subsystem, designing wings, diffusers, and bodywork to push the car’s performance to the edge.

“Getting involved in the Formula SAE team has been an awesome experience, taking what I’ve learned from my Co-op and applying it to a project where the stakes feel real,” he said, “We're looking at the broad picture of performance and thinking about the car as a whole. To me, it is really exciting.”

Despite these early successes, Ordoobadi’s transition from professional athlete to full-time student wasn’t seamless.

“Adjusting back to student life was the biggest challenge,” he says. “But Kettering makes that transition as easy as it can be. The way the terms are structured — three months of classes, three months of work — fits my life perfectly. That back-and-forth rhythm feels natural for me, and it’s a lot less daunting than spending six straight months in classes.”

Looking ahead, Ordoobadi has a clear goal.

“After graduating, I hope to be working trackside for a motorsports team,” he said. “Being part of a team was everything to me in hockey, and it’s the same now. Whether it’s in the shop, on the track, or in the classroom, I want to contribute to a team’s success.”

Mechanical Engineering

911�� Awarded Nearly $1M NSF Grant to Help Launch AI Career Pathways

lmadaus — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 17:29:26 +0000

911�� Awarded Nearly $1M NSF Grant to Help Launch AI Career Pathways

Admissions

Artificial Intelligence

lmadaus Wed, 10/22/2025 - 13:29

911�� and t.Lab, a national leader in STEM-based experiential education, have been awarded a nearly $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s ExLENT program to expand educational access to artificial intelligence (AI). The three-year project, Explorations: Bringing High School Students and GED Earners into Artificial Intelligence Career Pathways, focuses on workforce development, preparing learners from non-traditional backgrounds for the AI-driven industries of the future.

“This initiative goes beyond teaching students about AI; it’s about preparing them to lead in the global innovation economy,” said Dr. Clarence Nixon, Founder and CEO of t.Lab. “By equipping students with technical, academic and leadership skills, we are creating opportunities that will transform communities and industries for generations.”

Funded through NSF’s Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) program, part of the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP), the initiative supports the national goal of preparing a diverse and resilient workforce for rapidly evolving technology fields.

“Artificial intelligence is going to affect nearly every part of our lives, from manufacturing to mobility to HVAC, literally the air we breathe,” said Diane Peters, Ph.D., professor of mechanical engineering at Kettering and principal investigator. “But right now, not everyone has equal access to learning about AI or exploring careers in it. This project is about opening doors for students who might never otherwise picture themselves in this space.”

The initiative combines academic preparation, hands-on projects and short industry-based internships to give high school students and GED earners both foundational knowledge and real-world experience. Unlike traditional college pipeline programs, this project is designed as a workforce development initiative led by Kettering faculty. Its focus is on preparing participants for a range of futures, whether that means pursuing a college degree, entering a technical or trade program, or gaining industry certifications that open doors to AI-related careers.

"This project really grew out of early conversations with t.Lab, who has been an integral partner from the very beginning,” Peters said. “At the same time, it built on discussions at a principal investigator meeting where we were challenged to think about how universities could align with industry needs. At Kettering, we already have deep strengths in areas like AI and computer science and this gave us the opportunity to connect that expertise with a clear, national priority."

The project will be evaluated through surveys and interviews, with results documented to create a replicable model for other institutions nationwide.

Peters emphasized the role of community partners in expanding the project’s reach. “From day one, Clarence Nixon and the team at t.Lab have been essential to shaping this vision. Their passion for preparing students for future careers and their deep experience working with high school learners bring tremendous value to the project.”

She also highlighted that the grant is the result of a true team effort. “I’m fortunate to be working alongside remarkable colleagues like Lisa Gandy and Jim Huggins. Each brings a unique area of expertise, and that diversity of strengths is what makes this project possible. A project of this size can’t succeed with clones. You need a team where everyone contributes something different, and that’s exactly what we have.”

Together, 911�� and t.Lab are breaking barriers to AI education, creating pathways that turn potential into possibility for students across every community.

About t.Lab

t.Lab is a high-performance learning laboratory and nonprofit organization, located in Garden City, Michigan, dedicated to transforming lives through educational excellence. Its mission is to equip students with the skills, knowledge and experiences required to thrive in a global economy. To learn more, visit www.tlab-global.org.

Computer Science

Discover Kettering

eoboyle — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:40:45 +0000

Discover Kettering

Admissions

Campus

eoboyle Tue, 10/14/2025 - 12:40

2025-11-15T10:00:00-0500 _2025-11-15T15:00:00-0500

911��, 1700 University Ave., Flint, MI 48504

Made for high school students, transfer students, and their families, this program gives you a taste of a rigorous education that catapults your career. Listen to dynamic presentations from faculty. Tour cutting-edge labs. Hear from students about how they solve real industry problems in our one-of-a-kind Co-op program.

Discover Kettering

eoboyle — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 20:45:47 +0000

Discover Kettering

Admissions

Campus

eoboyle Mon, 09/15/2025 - 16:45

2025-10-18T10:00:00-0400 _2025-10-18T15:00:00-0400

911��, 1700 University Ave., Flint, MI 48504

Admissions

Shifting Gears: From the Ice Rink to the Racetrack

911������ Awarded Nearly $1M NSF Grant to Help Launch AI Career Pathways

Discover Kettering

Discover Kettering

911�� Awarded Nearly $1M NSF Grant to Help Launch AI Career Pathways