#021 - Flocode Podcast | 004 - Scott Reese

This Podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Welcome back to another edition of Flocode Engineering Insights.

This week, I’m excited to bring you a podcast episode featuring Scott Reese, a civil engineer from Williams Lake, BC, Canada.

Scott isn't just a close friend of mine; he's an extraordinarily fascinating individual, and it’s a privilege to be able to share some of his genuinely unique insights.

Despite battling retinitis pigmentosa, a condition resulting in the complete loss of his vision, Scott has achieved remarkable feats in both his professional career as an engineer and as an athlete. Our conversation dives into the breadth of these achievements, shedding light on how he navigates the complexities of engineering projects around the globe and how he conquered a 30 km open water swim in the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean last summer.

We cover a lot of ground, including his engineering philosophies, approaches to problem solving, how he uses Python, and some of the fascinating insights and adaptations he’s made to progress his career as an engineer.

I think this episode will surprise many listeners in terms of how he approaches his work. I am constantly amazed at the different ways he has adapted his workflow.

Guest Profile - Scott Reese, P.Eng - Civil Engineer

• Engineering: Scott is a seasoned civil engineer with 17 years behind him. His expertise spans mining, energy, and water resources engineering. With a global footprint, Scott has contributed to major projects in North and South America, Europe, and Africa. His involvement covers the entire spectrum of project development, from the initial identification and concept stages through site investigation and detailed design to construction and project management. He is an incredible technical writer with a deep knowledge of Project control systems and finances. His design experience is broad and predominantly related to water conveyance, management and hydraulics.

• Adaptability and Innovation: Despite the challenges posed by visual impairment, Scott's achievements as an engineer are nothing short of extraordinary. An avid Python enthusiast, Scott has skillfully leveraged programming to navigate and solve complex engineering design problems. His work particularly shines in energy and financial modelling alongside various data processing and engineering tasks. What makes Scott's use of Python stand out is his ability to adapt its functionalities to overcome the limitations he faces with more conventional software and design tools. He does everything through narration software and screen reader tools; it’s incredible. His approach to problem-solving and engineering in general underscores his technical acumen, resilience and creativity in the face of what most of us would perceive as serious limitations.

• Raising the Bar: Beyond his professional achievements, Scott's personal journey is equally inspiring. Scott is a dedicated athlete and a father to two young kids. He commutes to work on the bus daily with his guide dog, Caleb. He memorizes where everything is and counts his steps in every direction as part of some sort of personally developed geolocation system; I don’t know how he does it. His memory and ability to recall information is remarkable. I’ve even convinced him to join me on the BJJ mats, where we rolled around, and I showed him some basic armlocks from full guard. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is such a great sport for him since it's so heavily based on feeling your opponent’s pressure, grips and momentum. In addition to actively running, skiing, waterskiing and kayaking, Scott attends our company golf events to drive golf balls in whatever direction people advise. He is a liability in most circumstances and a better golfer than me.

• The Swim: In a feat of incredible personal endurance and stubbornness, Scott successfully swam more than 30 kilometers across the Strait of Georgia, an open channel in the Pacific Northwest separating mainland BC from Vancouver Island. This feat is a testament to his incredible perseverance and physical endurance, but it also underlines his commitment to giving back to the community that afforded him his amazingly dignified and majestic dog, Caleb. Scott raised over $164,000 for the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind.

  • Some news articles covering Scott’s swim:

    • Blind man swims across B.C.'s Georgia Strait in 11 hours to raise money for guide dogs

    • Blind man completes swim across B.C.'s Georgia Strait for a good cause

    

    Scott’s swim route, through orca territory

I appreciate Scott sharing his candid opinions and engineering insights. I’m sure everyone can take something away from this discussion.

If you’re interested in the simplified AI chatbot that I built for Scott, you can learn more here. Feel free to clone or fork this repository as you wish.

Scott's book recommendation: Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

This book covers the harrowing tale of Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic expedition, where his ship, Endurance, was trapped and crushed by ice, leading to a remarkable story of survival and leadership against extraordinary odds.

You can just read the book. You don’t need to swim 30 km.

If you are interested in recommending a guest or would like to participate in the Flocode Project, please reach out - I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me at [email protected] or through LinkedIn.

The Flocode community is growing. We now have members in 81 countries. I can’t believe it. Thank you all.

More news is coming soon. A lot of things are happening.

See you in the next one.

James 🌊