Meet the Guy who Makes the Parts that Make Research Work at ODU's Batten College of Engineering and Technology

He's an indispensable part of the team at the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology.

But were it not for a freak accident suffered by a co-worker, Kevin Colvin wouldn't be working at Old Dominion University at all.

Colvin has worked in the machine shop in Kaufman Hall since June 1999.

"I walked in the first day, put my big toolbox down, and it hasn't moved," he says.

A few times, it came down to the last few weeks before the money was found to keep his position open. Once, the president of a company he was working for - on an ODU-led project - wrote a letter to the university, urging that Colvin be kept on. This went on for two years.

Finally, Colvin was down to his last opportunity. His job was to be eliminated in just a few weeks. But a friend and colleague at the university got his lab coat caught in the lathe, breaking his arm in two places.

Following surgery, the colleague wasn't able to lift his arm high enough to do the work required on a machine shop mill, so ODU found another job for him on campus, and Colvin moved into the machine shop full time.

"My position ended up being eliminated. I'm so happy that he recovered, but if it hadn't been for that accident, I would have been long gone, somewhere else."

Bernie Bohm, assistant dean of the Batten College, is one among many in the engineering college who are impressed by Colvin's abilities.

"Kevin Colvin is one of the best-kept secrets of the Batten College of Engineering and Technology," says Assistant Dean Bernie Bohm. "Engineers do things, make things and extend knowledge. Kevin takes the ideas of engineers and actually makes the objects, fulfils the ideas and creates the objects. There is no one better that can do that for our faculty and staff."