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March  2010
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Alumni Spotlight: Jennifer Kehl Waters
Trailblazer at the USNA
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Webb Institute has always been a place for exceptional engineering students - it's also the starting point for some of the most exceptional engineering teachers in the nation. Take Jennifer Kehl Waters, whose promotion (effective this summer) to Chair of the Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering Department at the United States Naval Academy (USNA) will make her a true trailblazer as the first and only female engineering department chair ever (to date) at USNA.

Jennifer graduated from Webb in 1991; always fascinated with the ocean, she continued her education at Stevens Institute of Technology graduating in 1993 with a M.Eng. in Ocean Engineering and again in 1995 with a Ph.D.

Interspersed with her academic pursuits, Jennifer gained a variety of design, experimental and field experience during winter and summer work assignments in the U.S. and Australia and while serving as a research assistant at both Webb and Stevens. While still working on her Ph.D. dissertation at Stevens, Jennifer joined the USNA faculty in 1994 as a research instructor; she achieved the tenure track position of Assistant Professor in 1995. more
An Officer and a Gentleman
Rob Carelli '09

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In my Junior year at Webb, I signed up for the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate Program, or NUPOC, to become a submarine officer. The training pipeline leading to a submarine billet is almost a year and a half. But before that could begin, I had to overcome the first challenge of getting through Officer Candidate School and becoming an officer. As my report day approached, every time I mentioned OCS to a friend, the first thing that came up was Richard Gere and Officer and a Gentleman. Unfortunately, Naval Station Newport was no Hollywood set.

The transformation began the moment I passed through the gates of NAVSTA. After about 30 minutes of paperwork, the arriving candidates are shuttled over to the barracks where we were greeted by the ranking Candidate Officer. As he stood looking over us he began to address us in a low raspy voice. more
Webb Sailing Coach Gene D'Allesandro
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The Webb Sailing Team is navigating its way towards more victories now that Coach Gene D'Allesandro is aboard. Gene has been teaching, coaching and running sailing programs all over Long Island Sound for the past 13 years. He is a Level 2 US sailing coach and teaches Level 1 instructor-trainer courses for US Sailing. He has taught at J-World Performance Sailing School in Key West and has extensive keel boat experience. An elementary school teacher on Long Island, Gene is doing a great job as Head Coach here at Webb.

Gene has provided the team with the confidence and skills they've been looking for. Under his guidance, the team has been steadily improving as a whole. Last year, Webb won both its fall and spring home regattas. These two victories show that the team is growing and will continue to grow with the help of their new coach. more
The Humanities Program at Webb
By Dr. Richard C. Harris, Asst. Dean, Professor & Coordinator of Humanities
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Webb Institute has long sought to graduate excellent engineers who are at the same time what Samuel Florman has called "civilized" engineers. The Humanities program at Webb is an integral part of the "civilizing" process. The current Humanities curriculum, which was adopted in 2006 in conjunction with discussions of a new strategic plan and greater emphasis on the "whole person" and lifelong learning, not only encourages students to develop the practical communication skills they will need to succeed in their chosen careers but also provides Webb students with a well-rounded background in areas such as philosophy and ethics, economics, literature, and the visual arts.

The Technical Communication course, offered in the fall of the freshman year, introduces students to various kinds of technical writing; helps to develop writing, research, and critical thinking skills; and introduces basic principles of oral presentations. The Professional Presentations course in the spring of the senior year helps students to develop their speaking skills in preparation for their presentations on thesis work and in anticipation of their careers after Webb. more
Webb Alumni Fund 'Honor Roll'
Now Posted on Website
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A Webb Alumni Fund (WAF) "Honor Roll," identifying the alums who have already contributed or pledged to the current 2009-10 WAF annual campaign, is now posted to the Webb Institute website at http://alumni.webb-institute.edu. The Honor Roll is presented as an Alphabetical List and as a Class Listing. Take a look to make sure YOU are on the Honor Roll, and to see your class' participation as of February 28. The Honor Roll will be updated monthly, and password access is required.

Alumni Fund Chairman John Malone '71 explains, "We hope that publishing the Honor Roll on the website will encourage more alums to contribute or pledge sooner rather than later. In the final weeks of the Annual Campaign, which ends on June 30, the Class Agents and I try feverishly to contact and remind those who have not made their annual contribution - but we are never able to reach everyone, and it adversely affects our participation for the year when some of our loyal Webb supporters lose their 'WebbEY' (i.e., Webb Every Year) status through an unfortunate oversight. more