Bruce S. Rosenblatt Named New Chairman of the Board
On Tuesday, October 18, 2016, Webb’s Board of Trustees appointed Bruce S. Rosenblatt as their new Chairman of the Board.
Rosenblatt, President of Bruce S. Rosenblatt & Associates, LLC, is a third-generation naval architect and marine engineer who has always shown a great love and support for Webb Institute and the role it plays in producing exceptional marine industry professionals, many of which he has hired.
“My grandfather started his marine industry career 109 years ago and there is nothing that brings me more pleasure than to continue that tradition by helping to assist the future of the marine industry. I can think of no finer place to do this than at Webb Institute.”
Dr. George Campbell Jr., who faithfully served as Chairman since 2012, will remain an active member of the Board.
“I am indebted to Dr. George Campbell for the outstanding mentorship and support he provided to me during my first three years serving as Webb’s president,” said President Keith Michel. “Bruce Rosenblatt brings a strong understanding and commitment to the maritime industries and the education of marine professionals. I have full confidence he will serve Webb with distinction and look forward to working with both Bruce and George in the coming years.”
Other Board appointments include Jon LaBerge ‘76 as Vice Chair of the Board, Greggory Mendenhall as Treasurer, and John Costello ’89 as Secretary. In addition, the Board welcomed a couple of new members: Peter K. Wallace ’93 as President of the Webb Alumni Association, and Eugene R. Miller ’96 of Bath Iron Works.
Webb Alumna Named 2017 Coast Guard Engineer of the Year
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Vessel Thomas Jefferson
Webb Alumna, Sarah Wickenheiser ’08, has been named the 2017 Coast Guard Engineer of the Year! Her selection was based on her exemplary educational, professional, and personal achievements.
Wickenheiser, who serves as a staff engineer in the Hull Engineering Branch, provides technical engineering solutions to Yard projects. During the modification to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Vessel Thomas Jefferson, she identified design deficiencies in the ship’s structure that could have resulted in catastrophic hull failure. Wickenheiser’s structural vulnerability analysis was used in the construction and addition of the new liquid storage tanks, allowing for a 50% improvement in vessel operating efficiency. Additionally, to avoid hull damage to the CGC EAGLE while drydocked for sequential shell plating renewal, she developed an innovative protocol using finite element analysis to validate segmented sections of EAGLE’s hull.
In addition to being a graduate of Webb, Wickenheiser is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Maryland and has served the Membership of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME).
Webb congratulates Wickenheiser on this grand achievement and wishes her continued success!
Portion of text courtesy of SNAME
Class of 2017 Thesis Projects
Seaworthiness of an Autonomous Vessel: An Investigation of Viscous Effects on a SWATH in Roll-Inducing Waves
Andrew Arnold & Ian Cho
A SWATH geometry has been designed to serve as the hull of an autonomous vessel. It must have an appropriately limited roll response for the wave profile it will encounter in order to satisfy its mission. Our thesis tests this hull design in its must unfavorable roll condition, with beam seas exciting a response over a range of encounter frequencies. The vessel is tested at zero forward speed in both Webb’s Robinson Model Basin and the CFD program STAR-CCM+. In our experimentation, the vessel is free to move within six degrees of freedom so that measured responses are coupled and more accurately represent reality. The response equation is determined through these two methods and the results are compared and interpreted.
Testing of a Ducted Propeller with Varied Nozzle Geometry
Alexander Bashkoff & Tim Siepmann
This thesis consists of building a structural modification for the existing Webb Propeller Boat to allow for a nozzle to be supported around a propeller. We will verify our model by using a duct and propeller that MARIN previously tested, and then we will vary the size of the nozzle keeping the same Kaplan propeller to test for thrust efficiency. The structure is primarily aluminum, and the nozzles and propeller will be 3D-printed.
Modeling a Hydrogen-based, Renewable Energy Storage System in MATLAB and Simulink
Spenser Boyd
Renewable energy is becoming more common, but challenges exist in enabling renewables to become widespread and cost effective. Effective grid energy storage can relieve some of the challenges facing variable renewables and strengthen the grid as a whole. This thesis will design a hybrid hydrogen storage system and attempt to prove its feasibility through computer simulation and analysis in MATLAB/Simulink. The system will be modeled with realistic parameters, simulated under realistic operating conditions, and its performance evaluated. Additionally, a brief economic analysis will be performed to evaluate the feasibility of system implementation relative to other grid energy storage solutions. Read more…
Alumni Spotlight: Doug Slocum ’10
Upon graduating from Webb Institute in 2010, I took a path lesser-travelled by Webbies, into the world of sailmaking. Sailing and yacht design were ultimately the drivers for me to attend Webb, and during my time there, I focused on small craft design as much as the curriculum would allow. I would be remiss at this point to not acknowledge Professor Gallagher, Professor Royce, and Dean Compton as mentors that I could approach anytime with discussions on yacht design! Thank you for your support and guidance.
Mixing Engineering with Art Form
In August 2010, I started working full-time with North Sails as a designer. This would not have been possible were it not for Webb’s Winter Work terms, as I spent my senior winter term at North’s facility in Minden, NV, researching and designing ways to improve their sail lamination process.
Webb Ranked Among the Best Schools Nationally for Student Debt
The Student Loan Report has reported that Webb Institute has been ranked as one of the best schools in the Nation for minimizing student loan debt!
According to SLR’s recent report, Webb was ranked as the #5 Best College for Minimizing Student Debt in New York, #5 for all Private Schools, and #11 Overall.
Student Loan Report, which used Peterson’s most recent financial aid data set, ranked and analyzed over 1,200 schools in the United States by student loan debt per graduate.
This is not the first-time Webb has been recognized for its affordability. This year, AffordableColleges.com ranked Webb #11 on their 50 Most Affordable Small Private Collages in the United States list, and LendEDU ranked Webb #10 out of 1,300 colleges for the Lowest Student Debt Per Borrower.