In 1919, as a rapidly growing automotive industry created new demands for engineering talent, Kettering University began educating engineers around a defining idea: academic learning and professional practice should be integrated into a single education.
More than a century later, automotive is transforming again. Electrification, software, intelligent controls, advanced propulsion, energy storage and automation are redefining vehicles and the work required to develop them.
Why it matters: As technology changes, young engineers need more than technical knowledge. They need experience applying it.
Kettering University President Dr. Robert K. McMahan puts it this way: "Half of what you need to learn to become a fully educated, fully capable professional, you could not actually learn in the university setting."
Ian Gibson '26 has spent his time at Kettering putting that idea into practice.
Nine rotations inside GM
Gibson has completed nine Co-op rotations with General Motors' Global Product Development division, working across advanced propulsion, intelligent vehicle systems, electrification and performance engineering.
His assignments have included programs involving the Cadillac CELESTIQ, Corvette E-Ray, ZR1X and next-generation commercial delivery platforms.
His final rotation took him to a frozen test track in Michigan's Upper Peninsula in January 2026, where he worked alongside GM engineers calibrating a Corvette Grand Sport X and evaluating systems designed to help drivers maintain control when winter roads become unpredictable.
The bigger picture: Modern vehicles integrate mechanical systems, batteries, electronics, software and intelligent controls. Emerging engineers must learn how those systems interact and how engineering decisions are made when they do.
Gibson saw that firsthand with Chevrolet's Performance Vehicle team while helping prepare a pre-production Corvette for a 24-hour endurance test. He helped coordinate the installation of racing seats, harnesses, a roll cage and fire suppression equipment as engineers and technicians prepared and validated the vehicle.
"Academics are important, but the Kettering experience is more about getting your hands dirty and learning how to work and communicate with others in the industry," Gibson said.
Bringing the experience back to Kettering
At Kettering, Co-op is not an optional experience; it's a key part of every student's education. They repeatedly alternate academic terms with full-time, paid professional work, bringing lessons from each environment into the other.
For Gibson, that connection is visible in Kettering's EV Kartz team, where he serves as driver and lead electrical engineer.
For his undergraduate thesis, Gibson led the development of a custom 48-volt, 4.2-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. The battery made its competitive debut at Purdue University's evGrandPrix, where collegiate teams design, build and race electric go-karts.
During testing, it delivered the competition's maximum allowable power for longer than the full 50-lap race distance.
"The performance of the pack was even better than we imagined," Gibson said. "It proved it could discharge at the competition power limit for more than the race distance."
The connection: Gibson's professional experience informs what he builds at Kettering, while his academic work prepares him for increasingly sophisticated responsibilities at GM.
What comes next
Gibson is already looking ahead. Inspired in part by GM's early Impact and EV1 programs, he is interested in improving vehicle lifecycles through manufacturing processes, energy use and material selection.
"My goal is to eliminate waste in manufacturing and use green energy and sustainable materials wherever possible," he said.
The bottom line: Preparing engineers for an evolving industry is not simply about teaching today's technologies. It is about developing adaptable problem-solvers who can apply what they know, learn what they don't know and contribute as the industry continues to evolve.
More than a century after Kettering began educating engineers alongside a rapidly changing automotive industry, the idea remains the same: Engineers learn by building what comes next.
