Scott Brusaw: Solar Roadways

Two researchers that made a recent impact in the electrical engineering world are Julie and Scott Brusaw. This couple are the co-inventors and co-founders of the Solar Roadways Company that I am writing my blog about. Scott is the electrical engineer whereas his wife has a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology (2014). Together, this couple that has known each other since they were toddlers, helped innovate one of the greatest technologies that I have seen in the 21^st century.

Let us focus more on Scott. He has over twenty years of electrical engineering experience. He served as the Director of Research and Development, he is a voting member of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, and is currently developing control systems from the very beginning. Before that, Scott joined the Marines in the mid-seventies (2014). After he served his four years in the armed forces, Scott began to work in the oil industry. He joined a team that was in the exploration of oil for the United States. He drilled for oil in Nevada, Louisiana, Texas and Illinois. In the mid-eighties, Scott decided that he would take the college route. He was tired of laying shoving pipes through the earth and didn’t want to go back into the military. He started off and got his Associate of Science degree in general studies at Sinclair Community College. He then transferred to the University of Dayton and pursued his degree in electrical engineering. Six days before Scott graduated he had his first electrical engineering job.

Despite what his professors and counselors had said, Scott went and worked at a local manufacturing company. He ended up being the first engineer that the company had hired, which meant that there was nothing that he could learn from (2014). This lead Scott to learn everything he needed to on his own. He had to learn all of the software, the machines, and the programming all on his own. He even got to converse with Bill Gates when the company was swapping their DOS systems to Windows 3.1 (2014). Windows 3.1 seems like it would be ancient and the slowest operating system known to man compared to what we are used to in this day and age (2014). From being the only electrical engineer, Scott acquired valuable knowledge for his field of study. He served on the Board of Directors, from which he made decisions to help bring in new technology like microprocessors, digital systems, analog systems, solar energy, wireless communication… the list goes on and on. In 1994 Scott finally got his Master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Dayton.

After his years in the manufacturing business, Scott decided he wanted to teach. He began teaching electronics and microprocessors at a technical college. From there he then got a job working on automated water meters. This then lead to him creating his own workshop at his home. This is where all of the magic happened (2014). With his wife, Scott would brainstorm ideas of how to create or innovate a new idea that everyone can use to “make the world a better place.” From there sprung the idea of the solar panel roadways. These solar panels have been in pretty much every tech magazine in the United States. This idea could revolutionize how we use the sun in our everyday lives. Until the technology reaches the right investor, it will only remain a great idea.

Resources:

Brusaw, S. (2014, January 1). Solar Roadways - A Real Solution. Retrieved November 20, 2014, from http://www.solarroadways.com/main.html