Michigan Arts & Culture

In a world of Skype and FaceTime, a Kettering student is bringing back ham radio club

Michigan Public | By Stateside Staff

Published May 2, 2018 at 4:46 PM EDT

Stateside's conversation with Ruth Willet, a Kettering University sophomore and amateur radio operator.

She may be busy with her double major in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Physics, but Kettering University student Ruth Willet always finds time for her passion: amateur radio – also known as "ham radio." And even in this era of FaceTime and Skype, the Kettering sophomore is doing her best to fire up enthusiasm on campus for amateur radio.

Willet joined Stateside to talk about the radio club at school and what she gets out of it. Listen above to hear what she's doing to reestablish the university's amateur radio club, why she believes amateur radio is still relevant and useful today, and how being a part of the ham radio community has affected her view of the world.

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Amateur radio isn't just for casual communication; it has also been used in natural disasters and emergencies like Hurricane Irma in Puerto Rico. "When all else fails, there's amateur radio," Willet said.