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Kettering To Give Ovshinsky Honorary Degree

Kettering University will celebrate the accomplishments of 285 graduates at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, during Commencement services in Flint.

Kettering President Stan Liberty will preside over the formal ceremonies for 211 undergraduates and 74 master's candidates. Karen Palmer, Faculty Senate Moderator, will serve as grand marshal. About 1,400 visitors are expected to attend.

The commencement speaker will be Neil De Koker, founding president and CEO of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association and a 1967 graduate of Kettering. An automotive industry expert, he has served in leadership roles in countless organizations and received some of the most coveted awards presented in business and industry today. He is a member of the Kettering University Board of Trustees and a former board member of Kettering's Alumni Association. 

Stanford R. Ovshinsky, a noted American inventor and researcher, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree. His long and distinguished career includes significant contributions to the field of Engineering that includes more than 400 U.S. patents and 300 scientific papers. He has dedicated his life to creating an entirely new area of physics and materials science, providing innovation in atomic engineering of amorphous and disordered semiconductors. 

Matthew Gaidica, an electrical engineering major from Northville, will offer the undergraduate student address. Gaidica co-founded his own business, Prime Studios in Northville, while still a university student. He also co-created Kettering Mobile (m.kettering.edu), a mobile Web site for use on smartphones or the iPad. 

The Outstanding Thesis Award goes to Sarah Selby of Flint for her thesis, "Measurement Systems Analysis for Orthopedic Implants." A Mechanical Engineering major, she served as president of the Pre-Med Club.

President's Medalists exemplify Kettering's highest ideals of scholarship, leadership and citizenship. They will go to Krunal Desai of Grand Blanc, Gaidica, Jenae Moore of Grand Blanc and Adil Siddiqui of Commerce Township.

Sobey Scholars exemplify outstanding scholarship and leadership. These awards will go to Desai, Valentin Hernandez Lopez of Morristown, Tenn. and
Andrew Serrian of Dearborn Heights.

Leaders Fellows demonstrate significant leadership potential and personal integrity and are committed to the development of future leaders at Kettering. These awards will go to Jacob Rambeau of Clarkston, Natalie Reeder of St. Clair Shores and Siddiqui.

For photos and to read more about December Commencement, visit: www.kettering.edu/visitors/storydetail.jsp?storynum=3061.

(c) 2010, WWJ Newsradio 950. All rights reserved.

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