Webb Takes Second Place in WFSA 2017 Ferry Design Competition
A team of Webbies have taken second place in the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) 2017 Ferry Design Competition. The student team, advised by Dean Matthew Werner, consisted of Captain Andrew Vogeler ’18, Brandon Louis ’18, and Nicholas De Sherbinin ’18.
Students from nine institutions, including Webb, submitted designs for a 200 passenger ferry for 30 kilometers of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok Thailand, with the mandate of providing plans for a vessel that is safe, affordable to construct and operate and is appropriate for its intended geographic place. The University of Liege took first place, Webb second, and the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur third.
The team will give a presentation on their vessel at the Ferry Safety and Technology Conference on Thursday, May 11, 2017, in New York City where they will also be receiving their award.
About Webb’s Ferry Design:
The team paid particular attention to ensuring passenger safety and operational efficiency in their design. This was shown through the incorporation of redundancy as a core characteristic in various mechanical systems on board the vessel.
This redundancy is achieved by designing the mechanical systems to be operated by one of two machinery spaces in the ship’s demi-hulls. These systems include the fuel oil system, the carbon dioxide fire suppression system, the fire main system, electrical power system and the steering gear control.
The team also designed easy open/removable windows to provide an easy escape from the vessel in the event of a major emergency.
In order to keep the vessel affordable, the hull is comprised of uniplanar curves aimed at reducing manufacturing costs, while still maintaining efficiency and pleasing aesthetics. The team also planned to reduce the overall maintenance cost of vessel through the use of local shipyards and mechanics, as well as through the use of Cummins engines and generators. The ferry also makes use of a simple interior design, which allows for reduced manufacturing costs when compared to other catamaran ferries.
The team also considered ease of operation by designing a midship loading station which would allow the vessel to be docked at the existing piers. The transverse offset of the propellers relative to centerline increases maneuverability of vessel at low speed operation, while a raised pilothouse and strategic bench placement increases overall pilot visibility. The use of a CCTV system was considered to provide the pilothouse with exterior views of vessel during operation.
Alumni Spotlight: Wombi Rose ’09
Naval Architect — Turned Paper Engineer
After graduating
from Webb in 2009, I pursued a master’s degree at MIT in Computation for Design and Optimization, hoping to learn how to harness the power of technology to create better ship designs without having to build them one at a time. I learned a great deal about Greek symbols, linear algebra, and most importantly, how difficult it is to sum up real-world problems as a system of equations. While at MIT I worked with ABS and the folks at SeaRiver Maritime (ExxonMobil) on building a logistics system for offshore vessels and employing it to attempt to predict future trends in offshore support vessel design. As a lucky coincidence, I met a professional management consultant and fell in love with his job of helping managers identify their biggest challenges and influencing others in their organization to make positive changes. I was incredibly surprised to learn that there is an entire profession dedicated to this and that I could get a job doing that.
Read more…
Webb Institute Ranked #3 Best College in New York
Best Colleges has ranked Webb Institute as the third Best College in New York in their 2017 assessment! Best Colleges, which ranked a total of 25 colleges in its assessment, gave Webb an overall score of 88.52, beating out Cornell University.
Vassar College came in second and Columbia University took first place.
Best Colleges Profile of Webb Institute:
Originally a shipbuilding academy, Webb Institute was established as a private engineering college in 1889 and has remained largely unchanged to this day. With a current enrollment of only 94 students, Webb is the smallest entry on our list of the best New York colleges. The institute’s 26-acre Long Island campus features only four classrooms; each room is divided to accommodate both formal lectures and hands-on project work.
All students who successfully complete the school’s rigorous undergraduate program are granted a dual Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in naval architecture and marine engineering. The 146-credit curriculum includes foundational coursework in fields like mathematics, lab science, materials science and thermodynamics. Third and fourth semester students learn complex methods and theories related to ship design and dynamics, electrical engineering and marine transportation, as well as laws and ethics that guide modern ship construction. Every year, students must supplement their coursework with an eight-week internship period. Most students complete their bachelor’s degree program after four years of full-time study.
Best Colleges in New York Article
Annual Webb Europe Alumni Meeting Held in Rotterdam
Webb Europe meeting in The Netherlands
By Barr Turner ’17
Even thousands of miles from the familiar iron gates and brick edifices of Webb Institute, the sense of community among Webb students and alumni remains strong. Webb graduates and students experienced this at the annual Webb Europe Alumni meeting, graciously hosted this past February by Mark Martecchini (’79) and his wife Laurie at their home in Rotterdam. The event, organized by Leah Sosa (’08), brings together members of the Webb community currently living in Europe. This year, that group included students on winter work assignments, recent graduates completing master’s degrees, and alumni with established careers in various European countries.
Europe’s vibrant maritime industry and wealth of higher education institutions make it an attractive place for Webbies to settle after graduation. This year’s meeting was attended by Webb graduates currently living and working in the Netherlands, Denmark, the UK, and Italy. Additionally, two recent grads are currently completing graduate degrees at European institutions: Delft University in the Netherlands and ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
Three current Webb students were also able to attend the meeting, as they were fortunate enough to complete internships this winter in Europe. This year, students held internships at STX Shipyard in St. Nazaire, France; Lloyd’s Register in Trieste, Italy; and the ship management company Hammonia Reederei in Hamburg, Germany. In recent years, Webb students have held winter work positions at Maran Gas Maritime Inc. in Athens, Greece; Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) in Paris, France; ZF Marine Krimpen in Zaag, Netherlands; and Stolt Tankers in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Over drinks and dinner, the meeting’s attendees shared their experiences in Europe and reflected on the opportunities that Webb has made possible for them. A common theme was the unique and rewarding nature of living and working abroad. Cody Owen (’15) shared his experiences as a student in the Offshore Engineering track of the European Wind Energy Master program, which is comprised of a consortium of universities in northern Europe. As part of this program, Cody has studied at DTU (Denmark), TU Delft (Netherlands), NTNU (Norway), and is currently completing his master’s thesis at TU Delft. Gilberto Besena, who spent a semester at Webb in 2015 as part of an exchange program with the University of Southampton, remarked that he was impressed with the great sense of community and group culture among Webb graduates. Gilberto currently works in the sailing yacht industry in Genoa, Italy.
Overall, this event was a great opportunity for Webbies in Europe to reminisce on fond memories of Webb and discuss the rewards and challenges of working, living, and interning abroad. A wonderful time was had by all. In typical Webb fashion, the evening wrapped up with a few pints at a local bar.
Academic Building
After considering input from the many stakeholders that comprise the Webb community, the Board of Trustees selected the Bentel & Bentel design for our new Academic Center. Located on the second terrace in close proximity to Stevenson Taylor Hall and the Livingston Library, the Academic Center will be readily accessible by students and faculty. The Center will house classrooms and lecture halls, student team rooms and conference rooms, faculty offices, and the Couch Lab (our computer technology center). It will be a modern teaching facility which stylistically complements the Georgian architecture of Stevenson Taylor Hall. We are nearing the final stages of Schematic Design, roughly equivalent to the preliminary design phase in shipbuilding. Please check back here for updates!
At Homecoming, we look forward to updating alumni on the design status. We anticipate start of construction in early 2018 and opening of the Academic Center for the 2019 fall semester.
-President R. Keith Michel ’73