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.
ASNE named Webb Senior as their Member of the Month for October 2016!
The American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) has named Nicholas Ratinaud ’17 their Member of the Month for October 2016!
See below for Nicholas’ interesting Q&A session with Michelle Redmon, Membership Manager at ASNE.
Michelle: What got you into Naval Engineering?
Nicholas: My interest Naval Engineering was a gradual development. As a teen in Michigan I was involved with the Sea Cadets, a program which included training cruises aboard an old Navy YP vessel. This experience influenced my decision to attend Webb and pursue studies in naval architecture. During my time at Webb, the incredible exhibits I have seen at NSWC Carderock and ASNE Day have strengthened my interest in this field.
Michelle: What is a fun fact most people don’t know about you?
Nicholas: I went to circus camp for a few summers as a child. My skills may be a bit rusty today, but I learned how to juggle, spit fire, walk on a globe, trapeze, etc.
Michelle: What is one engineer/scientist/ or mathematician dead or alive would you like to meet?
Nicholas: I think that it would be fascinating to go back in time and meet William Webb. I would enjoy hearing firsthand about his innovative era, and I would like to inform him of the great impact that his legacy continues to have on the maritime industry today.
Michelle: If you could engineer your perfect concession stand/food truck, what would it be?
Nicholas: The NYC food cart/truck market could certainly benefit from a bit of diversification. I envision a mobile distributor of made-to-order empanadas with a diverse array of fillings, savory and sweet. These would be a competitive offering for pedestrians because they are less messy than sandwiches while still being delicious and healthier than a hot dog or snack food.
Alumni Senior Thesis Project Design Becoming a Reality
An Eco-friendly boat designed by Webb Alumni as part of their senior thesis project is finally becoming a reality!
In 2011, the Carmans River Maritime Center solicited schools of naval architecture in hopes that students could assist them in designing a wooden, solar-electric launch. Due to the positive response from faculty at Webb Institute, three members of the junior class at the time, Hampton Dixon ‘11, Andrew Lachtman ‘11, and Lidia Mouravieff Needham ‘11, rose to the challenge.
Hampton, Lachtman, and Mouravieff, under the advisement of Dean Werner, worked closely with the CRMC Trustees as their ‘clients’ to design and engineer a boat that would meet the CRMC’s specific needs. The CRMC’s goal was to use the wooden, solar-electric launch for “Eco-tours” on the Carmans River.
The students design package included a lines plan, system schematics, construction drawings, and bill of materials for the 24-ft, six-passenger launch powered by a 4.0-kW electric outboard motor with a design speed of 5 knots.
Although construction of the Eco-Tour 24 Solar-Electric Launch began in 2012, there is still much to be done. To finish the vessel, the CRMC is providing a boat building course that will allow people to assist in completing the project. Coursework will involve turning the hull over to construct the interior, installation of systems, finishing and launching, and sea trials.
More information on this project
Webb Institute Featured in The Princeton Review Book, “The Best 381 Colleges: 2017 Edition”
Webb Institute is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company features the school in the new 2017 edition of its flagship college guide, “The Best 381 Colleges” (Penguin Random House / Princeton Review, $23.99, August 30, 2016).
Only about 15% of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges are profiled in the book, which is one of The Princeton Review’s most popular guides. Published annually since 1992, it includes detailed profiles of the colleges with rating scores for all schools in eight categories, plus ranking lists of top 20 schools in the book in 62 categories based on The Princeton Review’s surveys of students attending the colleges.
“Webb Institute’s outstanding academics are the chief reason we chose it for this book and we strongly recommend it to applicants,” says Robert Franek, Princeton Review’s Senior VP-Publisher and author of “The Best 381 Colleges”. “We make our selections primarily based on data we collect through our annual surveys of administrators at several hundred four-year colleges. Additionally, we give considerable weight to observations from our school visits, opinions of our staff and our 24-member National College Counselor Advisory Board, and an unparalleled amount of feedback we get from our surveys of students attending these schools. We also keep a wide representation of colleges in the book by region, size, selectivity and character.”
President R. Keith Michel comments, “We are pleased that the Princeton Review has again acknowledged Webb’s commitment to excellence in education, by selecting Webb as one of its 381 Best Colleges.”
In its profile on Webb Institute, The Princeton Review praises it for its “admissions committee, who are dedicated to finding students who will excel in the school’s rigorous program” and quotes extensively from Webb Institute students the company surveyed for the book. Among their comments: “the winter work terms give each student a feel for industry sectors and allow them to make improved career decisions when selecting and first job”, “You’ll learn something in the classroom and then see it in action”, and that students “become best friends very quickly, giving everyone great support systems both academically and socially.”
The Princeton Review does not rank the colleges from 1 to 381 in any category. Instead it uses students’ ratings of their schools to compile 62 ranking lists of top 20 colleges in the book in various categories. The lists in this edition are entirely based on The Princeton Review’s survey of 143,000 students (about 375 per campus on average) attending the colleges. The 80-question survey asks students to rate their schools on several topics and report on their campus experiences at them. Topics range from their assessments of their professors as teachers to opinions about their school’s library, career services, and student body’s political leanings. The Princeton Review explains the basis for each ranking list at http://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/ranking-methodology.
The schools in “The Best 381 Colleges” also have rating scores in eight categories that The Princeton Review tallies based on institutional data it collected during the 2015-16 academic year and/or its student survey for the book. The ratings are scores on a scale of 60 to 99 and they appear in each school profile. Rating categories include: Academics (98), Admissions Selectivity (97), and Fire Safety (98), a measure of school’s commitment to the sustainability and the environment in its policies, practices and education programs. The Princeton Review explains the basis for each rating score in the book and at http://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/college-ratings
Webb Institute is on the following ranking lists in “The Best 381 Colleges”:
#7 Best-Run Colleges
#12 Students Study the Most
In a “Survey Says” sidebar in the book’s profile on Webb Institute, The Princeton Review lists topics that Webb Institute students surveyed for the book were in most agreement about in their answers to survey questions. The list includes: “students are happy”, “classroom facilities are great,” and “internships are widely available.”