Serving as a UIF Since: Spring 2017 School: Kettering University What she does now: Technical Leader, Corteva AgriScience What that means: Focuses on ways to improve and harness classical chemical engineering to support development of new agricultural products from synthetic and biological pathways.
Contact her about: small school difficulties; administration challenges; team dynamics; anything STEM or chemistry related >=< (will always welcome chemistry puns!) Email: swit0249@kettering.edu Phone: (989) 448-9363

Ashley is a University Innovation Fellow from Kettering University in Flint, MI. She graduated in December 2018 with her B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a Course of Study in Innovation to Entrepreneurship. Kettering University operates on a rotating three month basis between co-op and academic terms which allows students to graduate with 2.5 years of work experience. Ashley has worked for a variety of companies with focuses in biologic applications for plastic materials to agricultural product biofermentation.

At Kettering University, Ashley is involved with a variety of clubs on campus including Kettering Entrepreneur Society. Kettering has become a second home for Ashley and it is rare not to catch her at an event on campus. She also spends her free time playing intramural sports and working on miscellaneous projects in the university's t.space. Most recently she has been part of starting up the first professional co-ed fraternity on campus, Alpha Chi Sigma, which is focused on promoting the sciences in academia and industry.

One of her core I&E projects on campus is pushing for an adaptive technical elective system which would allow students to earn credits in various "pop-up" classes. This would allow students to explore topics outside of their primary major without being inhibited by workload or scheduling conflicts. Additionally, she has started discussions with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Kettering about renovating an empty office space into a new makerspace for the campus.

Known for being meticulous and well organized, her calendar is always kept up to date with peak operating hours between 10:00pm and 2:00am. As an unconventional chemical engineering student, she loves to share her story with young women interested in STEM and was one of the panel speakers for Michigan's Tech Savvy event. At work, she is a Science Ambassador for Dow AgroSciences and is an active Women Innovation Network (WIN) collegiate member at Dow Chemical.

As a Fellow, Ashley has been a mentor and integral part of the onboarding process for new change agents. As a FAB at the Spring 2018 SVM, she had the opportunity to present two Ignite Talks and has been an outspoken Fellow on the topic of Silent Changemakers.

In the next few years, she hopes to pursue a PhD in Biochemical Engineering and gain her private pilot's license. Learning opportunities are a key part of Ashley's life and she looks forward to making an impact on Kettering University's campus and the greater UIF Community.

Related Links

University Page: Kettering_University

Priorities Page: Kettering_University_Student_Priorities

UIF Related Videos: Ashley Switalski UIF

Other Kettering UIF Fellows:

UIF Launch Term	Student Name and Bio	Kettering Academic Section
Spring 2018	Rebecca_Abbott-McCune	A-Section
Spring 2018	Julia_Rickabaugh	A-Section
Spring 2018	Cody_brock	B-Section
Spring 2017	Chelsea_Carter	A-Section
Spring 2017	Eric_Rickabaugh	A-Section
Spring 2017	Ashley Switalski	B-Section
Spring 2017	Shane_Thiede	B-Section
Spring 2016	Moe_Ghias	A-Section
Spring 2016	Jace_C._Stokes	A-Section
Spring 2015	Cheyne_Westerman	A-Section
Spring 2015	Alan_Xia	A-Section
Spring 2014	Hunter_Casbeer	A-Section
Spring 2014	Saheb_Kapoor	A-Section