Alumni Spotlight: Ben Fisher ’11 | The Art of Shipbuilding
Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, the last thing I expected was to become a naval architect. But after seeing a Titanic documentary when I was four, I knew I was going to do something ship related. That initial encounter with Titanic sparked a love for ships (particularly with dramatic stories), as well as an obsession with drawing. So much so that by the time Middle School came to an end I struggled to identify any appealing career options, since as far as I knew “draw boats” wasn’t a real job.
But by Divine Appointment the high school art teacher at my small, rural school in the mountains of Pennsylvania knew Professor Gallagher’s family. So, he introduced me to Webb and the career of Naval Architecture.
A great irony of my time at Webb, though, was the slow decline of the time I spent really drawing boats beyond notebook doodles. That trend continued as I began my career at SAFE Boats International (near Seattle) and as my wife and I began raising our family.
By early 2020, in the midst of COVID, we decided it was time to move back to the east coast in order to be closer to family and away from the dreary Seattle winters. I took a position with Combatant Craft Division, and we began developing our homestead in the country outside of Suffolk, VA with our five children. Through much of that time my drawing paper and pencils languished on the shelf.
It was only in late 2022, when the kids began sleeping better, that the inspiration to start drawing again struck me. I saw an old drawing from high school and wanted to try it again. That experience reignited my love of drawing, and I launched my art studio in June 2023.
As I have started sharing my artwork, one of the surprising results has been the joy I have found in honoring and celebrating the broad maritime history and heritage we love as naval architects, but also the very personal achievements we experience in our careers. The commissions I’ve had the privilege to draw (so far) have celebrated either a career or specific, meaningful project. And it is such an honor to contribute to that celebration through my artwork.
The excitement I’ve found has inspired the idea for a drawing that will celebrate the heritage of American naval architecture broadly. The idea is an image of William Webb’s Young America and William Francis Gibb’s United States crossing paths. The two very patriotically named ships were launched nearly 100 years apart, and both were the product of two incredibly significant naval architects in American maritime history. I am excited about this drawing because of how meaningful I think it will be to people with connections to naval architecture and who take pride in our maritime heritage.
And so, as I am given the privilege of celebrating the achievements of my peers and our shared maritime history and heritage, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to make “draw boats” a real job after all.
If you’d like to follow my art journey, you can find my work in my online gallery at BenFisherArt.com.
I also post regularly on social media- I’m on LinkedIn: BenjaminDFisher, Facebook: BenFisherArt and Instagram: Naval_Art.chitect
A Great School Depends on a Great Faculty
By Matthew R. Werner ’95, PG’97
Dean and ABS Chair of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering
Most of us are aware of the significant effort that Webb expends to select an incoming class of 28 students. Multiple interviews, on-campus assessments, class attendance, and overnight visits build upon the standard college applications, test scores, transcripts, essays, and letters of recommendation. Webb’s substantial investment in time and resources in this endeavor reflects the importance of finding students that can positively contribute to our small, tightknit community, while succeeding academically, and growing personally and professionally.
If one out of 28 and one out of 100 is important to the Webb experience, what can we say of one out of 10? Given the small size of Webb’s faculty, the importance of each individual professor in the pursuit of Webb’s mission is significant, much like it is with the carefully selected Webb students. Faculty members serve as the motivating force behind the development of Webb students, through teaching, advising, mentoring, and modeling. Webb’s demanding, high-contact academic program is a challenge for faculty members and students alike, much is demanded from both sides of the lecture podium and laboratory benches. The job of a faculty member at Webb is very demanding and very rewarding at the same time.
Beyond the course syllabi, Webb faculty members help students secure internships and post-graduation jobs through connecting students with their industry networks. Professors’ personal recommendations help students secure competitive scholarships and spots in prestigious graduate schools. Faculty members serve as a resource as students develop their plans for their future beyond Webb. Many faculty members continue to provide support and mentoring to recent graduates as they start their careers.
We often say at Webb that students have nowhere to hide, well the same can be said of faculty members. Webb faculty members’ availability to their students is unprecedented. Posted office hours are not a thing at Webb because if a faculty office is occupied, the door is open to students seeking guidance or support. Daily, I witness students engaging professors beyond the faculty offices, in the lecture rooms after a class ends, in the common spaces of the Couch Academic Center and Stevenson Taylor Hall, and even in the lunch line. Not to mention regularly responding to student emails that arrive in one’s inbox at all manner of times throughout the day and night, weekends and holidays included.
Bruce Rosenblatt, Chair of the Board (left), and Mark Martecchini, President of Webb Institute (right), celebrate Professor Michael Martin as the third Mandell and Lester Rosenblatt Professor of Marine and Electrical Engineering.
In addition to their direct student-facing activities, Webb faculty members manage the operation of the academic enterprise by serving as laboratory and shop directors, and as members of faculty and shared governance committees. Webb’s professors lead Webb’s accreditation activities, conduct research, serve on committees of the board of trustees, and interact with industry while continuing to develop professionally as educators and within their areas of expertise. They create and revise course materials and assignments while continually refining, modifying, and revising courses and the overall curriculum.
Ultimately, a faculty member’s success at Webb comes down to passion. A passion for Webb Institute and its mission. A passion for a culture of high standards and high expectations. A passion for the value of education. A passion for honor, integrity, and personal responsibility. A passion for student development and success. I am thankful everyday that I get to work with a team with the passion and energy that maintains Webb’s place as a model of excellence in engineering education. It is clear to me that a great school depends on a great faculty.
Building the Webb community; Progress and Future
In October 2020, the Webb Board of Trustees resolved that Webb’s commitment to excellence extends to a commitment to a diverse and inclusive campus community, and several Strategic Initiatives were begun to reinforce this vision. Now, over four years later, it is time to reflect on progress made and challenges encountered. We have traveled well down this road, but our journey is not complete.
Progress on Strategic Initiatives:
Recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups at Webb
- The admissions process now takes input from a wider group – students, faculty, and administration – for a holistic view of prospective candidates, with awareness training for potential bias.
- Our generous donors have substantially grown endowments that help alleviate room & board costs for those with financial need. Combined with foundation and government support and minimal student loans, over $300,000 has been made available annually, enabling students with need to attend Webb. This program has benefited up to 25% of our students and is a powerful recruiting tool for prospective students.
- The applicant pool has grown 32% since 2020 and diversity metrics have increased even more, with the number of first-generation-college applicants doubling. Our newly hired Assistant Director of Admissions will build on outreach initiatives trialed under this program to further broaden our applicant pool.
- Webb now has two on-call staff providing 24/7 support to students, helping them cope with academic and life pressures, contributing to improved retention and graduation rates.
A campus and community culture of equity and inclusion
- We have focused on initiatives that support dialog, collaboration, and trust on campus, starting with orientation week sessions, building through community participation events and activities, with support by student leadership who set annual goals on improving problem areas. Outside speakers from industry and academia have shared their views on these topics.
- Regular surveys measure a range of cultural issues, with interventions provided where appropriate. Student clubs – WoW (Women of Webb), CoGas (Coalition of Gays and Such), MEOW (Minority Establishment of Webb) – provide the opportunity for open communication channels for underrepresented communities.
- The ACT (Assistance and Care Team) now takes a more active, real-time role in engaging with community issues as they arise.
- The Webb Alumni Association initiated workshops at SNAME focusing on raising awareness of diversity challenges in the maritime industry. Webb’s 25% female population remains ahead of the industry at large. Change is taking place, but slowly.
The academic program, culture, and faculty/staff diversity
- The Humanities curriculum now includes a wider range of topics: alternative sources, cultural comparisons, viewpoint bias, logical fallacies, and ethics as seen through current events. A new course was introduced to enhance critical thinking and analysis skills.
- The faculty have kicked off a thorough curriculum review to ensure our curriculum provides the knowledge and skills necessary for our graduates to succeed in their careers and become valued members of a diverse society. After further internal development it will be reviewed with industry partners and students before implementation begins.
- Faculty orientation, mentorship, and professional development are part and parcel of delivering the best educational product to our students and in making Webb an inviting workplace. Initiatives in this area are ongoing and fully budgeted. Annual training on Title IX topics reinforces the importance of respect for each person on campus.
- Marketing of faculty and staff positions now reaches a wider audience, but we have a challenge with faculty recruiting. It has been difficult to attract a wide group of qualified candidates to teach in our predominant specialty-knowledge areas.
Communications and the Board
- The Board continually seeks to develop Trustee candidates who represent a diversity of views and backgrounds to further its important work of supporting Webb’s mission. The Board is significantly more diverse today; for example, women now constitute 25% of the Board.
- A designated committee, with student representation, reports on diversity and cultural awareness topics at every Board meeting. The full Board participated in a workshop on these topics most recently in May 2024.
Looking Forward: Webb Values
Our progress on these initiatives has laid the foundation for building on our achievements and addressing new challenges. The Board now broadens its objectives to integrate all values of the Webb community, including those highlighted in earlier initiatives, in an updated resolution.
Webb provides more than an engineering education. The Webb experience seeks to instill the all-important values of Excellence, Community, and Opportunity – values that will guide our students and graduates throughout their career and enable them to contribute to a better society. Working together, the Board, administration, faculty, and students identified how these values translate to behaviors and actions in our community. We invite the wider Webb community to comment on the results of our collaboration.
With best regards,
Mark Martecchini ’79, P’09, President
Thesis Spotlight | Harnessing Nature’s Dance: Vortex-Induced Vibrations and the Marine Energy Collegiate Competition
By William Calli ’24
In the relentless pursuit of sustainable energy sources, scientists and engineers have often turned their gaze toward the ocean for inspiration. One such naturally occurring process that has captured the imagination of researchers is vortex-induced vibration (VIV), a mesmerizing dance of fluid dynamics that occurs when a fluid flows past a cylindrical or streamlined structure, generating alternating vortices and causing the structure to oscillate.
In recent years, a series of Webb theses have explored utilizing this captivating natural occurrence for a noble cause: energy generation. The concept is elegantly simple yet profoundly effective. By placing structures engineered to exploit VIV in bodies of moving water, such as oceans or rivers, we can convert the kinetic energy of flowing water into electrical power.
Turning Flow into Power: Harnessing VortexInduced Vibrations with a Flutter-Foil.
The essence of VIV energy generation lies in its ability to capitalize on the Von Karman Vortex Street, a naturally occurring fluid-structure interaction. As water flows past a strategically positioned array of cylinders or flexible structures, the alternating vortices induce oscillations, which can be converted into electrical energy using various mechanisms such as piezoelectric materials, electromagnetic generators, scotch yokes, or in the case of this year’s thesis being carried out by Calli and Sanchez ’24, a rack and pinion.
The beauty of VIV-based systems lies not only in their potential to generate clean energy but also in their adaptability to diverse marine environments. Whether deployed deep below the tumultuous waves of the open ocean or immersed in the steady currents of a river, these systems can gracefully dance to the rhythm of nature, tirelessly generating power without emitting harmful greenhouse gases or depleting finite resources.
Enter the Marine Energy Collegiate Competition, a competition hosted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. For the third year in a row, this prestigious competition has invited Webb to compete among teams of students from around the country to design, build, test, and create a business case for their own marine energy devices. Webb’s entry into this competition is sure to stand out with an excellent technical design for a full-scale device, a business case centered around lowering the cost of energy for rural Alaskans, and model testing conducted as part of Calli and Sanchez’s thesis in Webb’s circulating water channel.
In the grand tapestry of our quest for sustainability, Webb thesis work on VIV-based energy generation stands as a testament to the ingenuity of Webb students and the powerful lessons to be learned from nature.
A Century of Wisdom: 100-Year-Old Webbie, Niel Spillane on a Life Well Lived
By Kaye Lin
Director of Communications and Marketing
A Surprising Start
It was a warm Wednesday afternoon when I found myself on the doorstep of a beautiful house in Mystic, Connecticut. The house belonged to Niel Spillane, a 100-year-old alumnus of Webb Institute, and I was there to interview him about his long and fascinating life. I was all set to meet him the day before, on Tuesday, but an unfortunate encounter with store-bought sushi left me very sick and forced me to cancel.
With four generations of the Spillane gentlemen. Niel Spillane (far left) with his grandson, J.B.
Spillane, great grandson, Reid, his son Jamie, and grandson Colin (far right) celebrating their
family legacy.
Embarrassed that I—a woman in my 30s—was sick while this 100-year-old man was full of life, I made a note to ask him about his secret to health.
Niel’s house was a large, three-story home with a neatly kept yard and a wide-open garage door. I parked my car and walked up to the front door, expecting to see Niel waiting for me. But to my surprise, the house was empty, and the garage fully open—with no car. I called his phone, but got no answer. Had something happened to him? A few hours later, as I was contemplating the next steps at the local ice cream shop, my phone rang—it was Niel.
He explained that he had been busy at his veteran’s meetup, then at his doctor’s appointment, and running errands. You know, a typical day in the life of a 100-year old man. When I met him in person, I was struck by the warmth and energy that radiated from him.
Despite his age, he had the vitality and enthusiasm of a much younger man. As we sat down to begin the interview, I felt like I was talking to a friend.
From Webb to War and Back
Niel was around 18 years old when he first went to Webb Institute. Back then, Webb was located in the Bronx. He then served in Europe for approximately three and a half years during World War II, and witnessed the horrors of war firsthand.
After serving in World War II, now 22 years old, he returned to Webb and transitioned seamlessly back into college life, now at Webb’s new campus in Long Island, NY. “Webb has impacted my life in so many ways. It got me the job at Electric Boat. I led the repair of 16 ships on time and under budget. One of them was so under budget that my ship manager wrote a letter to my admiral for exceptional work and cost savings.”
Niel’s naval career was remarkable, earning him three Navy commendations within 18 months. He had repaired 16 ships, each on time and under budget. His achievements led to an unprecedented promotion, skipping three ranks to replace a lieutenant commander while still an ensign.
From childhood dreams to wartime bravery and family legacy, our centenarian, Niel Spillane embodies a century of resilience, dedication, and love.
A Life Beyond Accomplishments
But Niel wasn’t just defined by his accomplishments; he spoke warmly of his late wife, a social worker who believed in the power of human connection. He had even carved and painted a decorative statue to honor her. His grandchildren were thriving, one of them a proud Webb graduate, Colin Spillane ’13, who was following in his grandfather’s footsteps.
His voice grew animated as he talked about helping to establish the Honor Code that made Webb a safe and respectful space. Webb Institute’s Honor Council is a student-led organization responsible for upholding the school’s Honor Code. Students pledge to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity and personal conduct.
The Spillane family, came from all around the country to celebrate Niel’s 100th birthday at his house
in Mystic, Connecticut. It was a reunion to remember, filled with love, laughter, and cherished
memories.
Life Lessons from Webb
“Webb was unlike any other school. People are not competing – they’re actually helping one another graduate,” he said. I learned from speaking with him that there is no zero-sum game in the reality of life. Webb is a microcosm of life in general – the more you help others, the more you will get back. Niel talked about how everyone studied late nights at the library and explained concepts to classmates who were struggling so they didn’t have to stress alone.
I smiled as he told me about his memories and how Webb changed how he viewed the world as I’ve always believed that kindness and generosity tend to be reciprocated. And, here he is telling me about the valuable life lessons he learned in college. “Life isn’t about tearing others down to build yourself up. It’s about lifting each other up, knowing that by doing so, we all rise together. By collaborating and supporting one another, students are developing valuable life skills that will serve them well beyond graduation.”
The Secret to Longevity
As we wrapped up the interview, I didn’t forget my initial question on what his secret was to staying healthy and living up to 100, as I still wasn’t feeling 100 percent from the sushi two nights before. He left me with advice that was simple yet profound: “Don’t eat until you’re full—stop at 80%, and prioritize joy. Also, avoid nasty people. I don’t know if that’s a secret, but it seems to contribute to a fulfilling and healthy life.”
Despite the obstacles and challenges he’d faced for a century, Niel brimmed with joy. Articulate and sharp, he proved that age was just a number. At 100, he had just renewed his driver’s license for another eight years.
(In the collage below, explore Niel’s journey through time – capturing moments from his youth to celebrating his centennial year.)
