B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Joseph Pascavis was always interested in math and science classes, but he wasn’t exactly sure what to major in at college. After a little research and discussions with teachers and coworkers, the Junction City, Wisconsin native decided engineering was a good fit. But it wasn’t until his junior year that he caught the power-engineering bug.
That’s when he took ECE 356: Electric Power Processing for Alternative Energy Systems. Soon after, during a co-op with the Verso Corporation in Wisconsin Rapids, he saw firsthand how integral electric motors and generators are to everyday life and how both traditional power plants and renewable resources rely on these motors to produce electricity. That’s when he decided power engineering was the path for him.
At Verso, a paper mill that produces about 50 megawatts of energy and pulls additional power from the grid, he was able to explore a full electrical system housed in one location. He worked on maintenance and helped with several infrastructure upgrades.
In 2019, he completed an internship with Realtime Utility Engineers in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, working on the substation design team. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in December 2019, Pascavis began a full-time position with Realtime.
When he’s not keeping the lights on, Pascavis enjoys rooting for the Badgers at as many football and hockey games as he can. He’s also restoring a 1973 Dodge Challenger with his dad, and even though he’s primarily focused on electrical systems, he says he “can’t help but enjoy tearing apart the car’s gasoline engine to see what makes it run.”