Meet our Heritage Society Members


Meet our Heritage Society Members

Jennifer B. Panosky '85

My first job after graduation in 1985 was developing database software for NAVSEA at SofTech; my application was sent to John Knobel '73. (He kindly considered it despite my spelling his name Noble in those pre-internet days without instant alumni list access.) Wanting to get back closer to naval architecture, I moved to a propeller design job at Hydrodynamics Research Associates (HRA), run by Bruce Cox '66) The end of the Cold War led to a move to Atlantic Applied Research Corp. (AARC), working for Dave Greeley '76 and Neal Brown '57.

While working among Webbies at these small companies (HRA had 5-6 employees while AARC had around 25), the benefits of the Webb education weren't as obvious to me as when I came to Electric Boat in 1994. At EB, with an engineering force of 1500 or so, the benefits of the breadth and depth of the Webb curriculum, systems engineering approach, and emphasis on practical experience are far more apparent. New hires from other schools all too often lack work experience and look like the proverbial deer in the headlights for a few months. Too many engineers show no interest in looking beyond their specialty to understand how it fits into the submarine design as a whole. In contrast, Webb graduates are ready to contribute and understand the big picture.

A recent article in the New York Times, "Why Science Majors Change Their Minds - It's Just Too Darn Hard," 4 Nov 11, discussed retention problems with college students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math. The methods now being applied to retain students read like a description of Webb: smaller classes, practical projects early and hands-on experience. Also in the news is the high level of indebtedness of recent grads; it reminds me how grateful I am to have received such a great education for free.

My career has been shaped by the Webbies who hired me and with whom I have worked. Many of my closest friends are from my time at Webb. So it only seems natural to me to give to Webb both now and through my estate, in my case through a Charitable Remainder Trust.

Back to all stories