Brent graduated with his BS in Civil Engineering
from Michigan Tech in 2009 and has since been working for the Wisconsin
& Southern Railroad, LLC. (WSOR) in Madison, WI. He has continued to
stay involved with REAC by hosting field visits
on WSOR property. He stays involved with AREMA by attending the annual
conference and serving on the Conference Operating Committee, a
volunteer position at the annual conference that he was introduced to
through REAC as an MTU student in 2008. Brent's current
position at the WSOR is as their Project Engineer, he is responsible
for new construction and continuing maintenance projects concerning
track and drainage. He also assists the WSOR’s marketing department by
providing preliminary track layouts to existing
and potential customers.
Chad Scherwinski
Chad has been a very active participant in both REAC and the Rail
Transportation Program. Chad has been a great advocate in the
development of Michigan Tech students' interest in the railroad industry and has been
actively recruiting students interested in the Class 1 railroads for BNSF
since 2006. He graduated from Michigan Technological University with
his BS Civil Engineering in August 2005 and by September
2005 started working with the BNSF Railway Company in San Bernardino,
CA. In 2006, Chad was relocated to Seattle, WA and finally to
Minneapolis, MN where he currently resides. In his current role as
Manager Engineering, Chad oversees a team of Project Engineers leading
design and construction ranging from the reconstruction of BNSF's
Mississippi River crossing in Burlington, IA to mainline crossovers
and siding construction.
William J. Sproule, P.E.
Bill deserves a lot of credit for the current Rail Transportation Program and REAC at Michigan Tech.
He was the one, who had the first vision about rail activities at Tech, who took its development under
his wings, and who continuously steps up when assistance is needed. Bill has over 35 years experience
in government, consulting, and university teaching and research in Canada and the United States. He
joined the faculty at Michigan tech in 1996 and is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering. In addition to his current research in airport planning and ground access, engineering education,
traffic safety and automated people mover systems, Bill is the master of cartoons and hockey history.
Eric Peterson
Eric has been one of the greatest supporters and advocates of railroad
activities in Michigan Tech, since the
initial start in 2003. Over the years, Eric has given guest
presentations and lectures on campus, worked diligently
in providing the industry perspective for program development and
assisted the program with a personal donation from
himself and his wife Pat. After leaving Michigan Tech in 1971 with both
a BS in Civil Engineering and an MS in Business
Administration, Eric worked for over 36 years in the railroad industry.
He retired from CSX Transportation in 2008 as an
Assistant Chief Engineer. Some of his most memorable events and
accomplishments include involvement with the first computer
terminals in division engineer offices and training as a locomotive
engineer. Eric and his wife Pat live in Jacksonville, Florida
and in addition to spending time with his family, his hobbies consist
of boating and model railroading.
