The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/114745
π W Commander William Bullard III '90 steered the U.S.S. Constitution from 2007 to 2009 shipshape Knee Re-Placement Relic from "Old Ironsides" seeks a new home on the WPI campus LAST YEAR MARKED the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812—the war that earned the USS Constitution the nickname "Old Ironsides." WPI owns a piece of the famous frigate—a beautifully polished ship's knee of white oak. The 6-ft. brace was originally displayed in Boynton Hall and later hung in Alumni Gymnasium. Now that renovations are under way in the old gym, the knee needs a new resting place. The unwieldy artifact is in storage in the Gordon Library archives, along with the bronze plaque that tells its story. The plaque reads, in part: "Knee of original live oak from frigate Constitution presented to Worcester Polytechnic Institute June 1930 by Sixteen of her Students, eleven of whom were members of the naval unit of Reserve Officers Training Corps. In Honor of Dr. Ira N. Hollis, President 1913–1925. It was a fitting tribute to Hollis, author of a 1900 book about the Constitution. Today, "Old Ironsides" remains a popular tourist attraction, tended by a crew of active duty Navy sailors. It still sails out of Boston Harbor on occasion. From 2007 to 2009, a WPI graduate was at the helm: Commander William Bullard III '90, now serves in the Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate of the Joint Staff in Washington, but recalls his days as skipper of the Constitution with pride. Bullard finds it fitting that the ship's knee has found its way to his alma mater. "WPI is a unique school that has always promoted innovation in science and engineering. The knee itself is an example of innovation in shipbuilding; it's part of a system of integrated and truly innovative structural components that made the Constitution and its sister ships the most advanced frigates of their day." public vs. private Who Owns Our Drinking Water? BUYING UP WATER WORKS might be smart strategy in Monopoly, but in real life, is private ownership good for communities? Assistant teaching professor Corey Denenberg Dehner studied Massachusetts communities to assess the impact of public or private ownership and management of municipal drinking water systems. Citing the century-old debate over control of this vital natural resource, she asks, "Is water simply another commodity to be traded on 16 Winter 2013 the open market? Or is access to clean water a basic human right that should be affordable to all, and thus not subject to market whims?" Dehner's Ƃndings dispute the perception that private sector participation increases efƂciency and reduces the cost to consumers. In fact, her quantitative study found that publicly owned and -run utilities were the most affordable, and that private systems operated at the highest cost to consumers. Her research also refutes the notion that paying a higher cost insures a safer and healthier supply of drinking water, showing that regulatory compliance was not signiƂcantly better with privately owned or -managed systems. Her study, published in the Journal of the New England Water Works Association, won the organization's 2012 Journal Award of Special Recognition. Dehner—a fan of naturalists from Henry David Thoreau to Barbara Kingsolver— joined the faculty this fall as co-director of WPI's Worcester Community Project Center. "I was attracted to WPI's commitment to students and social justice," she says. I want to get students integrated into the local community so they can experience Worcester beyond Highland Street." In the fall of 2013, when she assumes the post of full-time director, Dehner says she intends to "continue former director Rob Krueger's tradition of fostering community-based research that matters.