Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com May 23, 2016 • Worcester Business Journal 29 National Grid must remember its $55M lesson E D I T O R I A L The Worcester Business Journal welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Please send submissions to Brad Kane, editor, at bkane@wbjournal.com. H ere's the good news: By the year 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor predicts there will be 1.4 million computer specialist job openings. Here's the bad news: U.S. universities can fill 29 percent of those with qualified graduates. Given there are also some 40,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs within the federal government – a gap that may increase our risk for domestic and international hacking, identity theft and bank fraud – it is clear we need to expand our talent pool quickly. One obvious approach is to grow the number of women in computing. While women comprise 57 percent of bachelor's degree holders in the U.S., they represent 12 percent of those earning college degrees in computer science. Data show the situation has worsened. In 1984, women represented 37 percent of computer science graduates (bachelor's, master's and PhD's); but today they represent just 18 percent. We need to take bold action to reverse these trends, if we are serious about meeting the national need for computing expertise. Universities cannot passively wait for computer science applicants to appear. Girls represent 55 percent of the advanced-placement-test-taking population, and yet only 22 percent of AP computer science test takers are female The middle school years are a critical time to encourage involvement in STEM. That's why WPI has invested heavily in outreach to girls from sixth grade onward. From Camp Reach, our award-winning summer program for seventh-grade grade girls, to Frontiers, an intensive two-week science and engineering program for high school juniors and seniors, our goal is to give girls of all ages the confidence to consider careers in these important fields. It's working. In 2011, President Obama named WPI's Camp Reach as a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. In one study, 47 percent of Camp Reach participants later chose to major in a STEM discipline, compared to 29 percent in the control group. As a critical next step in filling the tech workforce pipeline, WPI is now partnering with Girls Who Code, a national nonprofit dedicated to closing the gender gap in technology – a first college partnership for that organization. In just four years, Girls Who Code has given 40,000 girls nationwide the opportunity to learn computer coding and has more than 400 alumnae majoring in computer science in college. WPI has pledged $100,000 in scholarship funds annually to help Girls Who Code alumnae pursue undergraduate studies in computer science and engineering at WPI. It's an exciting new collaboration aimed at drawing girls and women into the high-tech fields. Alliances like the WPI/Girls Who Code partnership are critical to meet the need for technology expertise. As a country, we face significant challenges, and we cannot afford to let a single brilliant mind walk away. Through early outreach to young people of all backgrounds, we can develop the broad talent base we need to address the challenges ahead. Achieving parity and diversity in computing will make for a stronger workforce and a stronger nation. n Kristin Tichenor is the Senior Vice President at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Computer science needs women BY KRISTIN TICHENOR Special to the Worcester Business Journal V I E W P O I N T Kristin Tichenor M odernization of our electrical grid is not only overdue, but inevitable. The advent of today's superior technologies, including smart meters, make upgrading the infrastructure a common sense objective. Over the long run, it should yield significant efficiencies as well as monetary and environmental gains. Before going forward with that plan, however, the devil remains in the details of that implementation, and the return on investment must be closely examined. To date, National Grid has already spent $55 million against its $45.5 million budget for a smart meter pilot program targeted at 15,000 businesses and residential users in the city of Worcester, and we're about halfway through the initiative's initial roll out timeline. Moving forward, it will be critical for the utility, regulators, public officials and the general public to make sure the costs are kept in check when phase two rolls out – a much larger grid modernization, with an anticipated investment of up to $830 million. Part of the nature of pilot programs is to figure out what works and what doesn't, where the hidden costs are, and how to be more efficient if and when a much larger upgrade program should be implemented. Energy projects are more complex than most and the public is generally skeptical of infrastructure buildouts. In addition, updating old technology can create unexpected expenses, caused by the highly specialized nature of the work and the inefficiencies that come from trying to modernize a system built by a hodgepodge of projects over many decades. Massachusetts' three major utilities – National Grid, Eversource Energy and Unitil Energy Systems – now have all completed their smart grid pilot programs and have asked the state Department of Public Utilities to approve their plans for a much larger grid modernization, which is required by the commonwealth's Green Communities Act. National Grid's budget estimate of $830 million on this project seems particularly high compared to Eversource Energy's $120-million proposal, especially because Eversource has more customers in the state – 1.4 million vs. 1.3 million. Just looking at these numbers, an $830-million project will have long- lasting ramifications on customer bills, so now is the time to determine whether the project is really delivering a sound return on investment. For a variety of reasons, New England has the highest electricity prices of any region in the continental U.S., and high energy costs are one of the reasons businesses – particularly major users of energy like manufacturers – can be lured to relocate to other areas of the country. That structural disadvantage will not be erased in the short term by an upgrade to the electrical grid, as ratepayers will ultimately foot the bill for that transformation. However, our high-cost environment does mean that there is – and will continue to be – significant pressure on National Grid and other utilities tasked with managing these system improvements to do so in a cost-effective manner. Clearly cost overruns on the $45.5-million smart grid pilot program can't be allowed to carry over to the larger phase two of that effort, and every effort needs to be made to see that ratepayers get a positive return on that investment. n Welcome to Worcester, Mr. Zubretsky R eplacing a legacy CEO is a tough assignment. Frederick H. Eppinger's 13-year run as the head of Hanover Insurance Co. not only included the turnaround of the organization, but a doubling in the size of the company and its transformation into a global player in the property and casualty insurance industry. In addition, Eppinger's hand has been all over the ongoing transformation of Worcester's city center. His replacement, Joseph M. Zubretsky, will transition permanently into the president and CEO's role on June 20. While Zubretsky should lead with his own strengths and not get caught up in trying to duplicate Eppinger's style or accomplishments, he should strive to uphold the same values that Eppinger emphasised in making Hanover a much more influential and successful industry player and a vital corporate partner in the Worcester community. As a native of nearly Spencer and a graduate of Holy Cross, Eppinger understood a vibrant Worcester laid a strong foundation for Hanover Insurance. That vision led to the company becoming a huge supporter and catalyst for the restored Hanover Theater, the upgraded minor league ballpark at Holy Cross that also carries the company's name, the large investment in downtown real estate by Hanover's real estate arm and a number of other community initiatives. Eppinger and his wife, too, gave their time talents and personal support to the community. As Zubretsky leads Hanover into the next phase of its growth, the signs are strong that Hanover will maintain its current course. Company Chairman Mike Angelini said as much when he said, "Our board is confident that he is uniquely qualified to work with our exceptional leadership team to continue our company's success and expand our business." We join the chorus in calling for the new CEO and his team to stay the course and keep up the same values and support for the company's hometown. The impact an effective leader and solid corporate citizen can have on the company, Worcester and the Central Massachusetts economy is significant. n

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