Christopher Baersten
39, vice president and project manager
Kennedy Jenks Consultants Inc.
Seattle
The work of Water-Wastewater as a race was not the first thing that was the mind of Christopher Baersten when he began studying engineering. But as he learned more about the field, he was partially attracted to the need to integrate elements of other disciplines that he was interested in such as biology, physics and chemistry.
“It was not like using -it was all,” he says. “There was this great connection with me to protect public health, protect our communities, as well as protect the ecosystems we try to live with.”
After obtaining a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Seattle, he joined the Kennedy Jenks consultant as an intern and completed a master’s degree in Wastewater and Wastewater Treatment at Washington University in 2010.
He then constantly increased the firm’s ranks, from the staff engineer to the director of customers to his current role as vice president and project manager. His work is mainly focused on the planning, design and management services of the construction for treatment plants, pipes and bomb stations for public agencies.
Baersten disagrees that sticking to water-wastewater has made it a specialist due to the wide variety of systems and exercises that involves the collection, system work planning and labor reliability engineering. In addition, the manipulation of chemical systems and the design of biological processes requires working with a diverse team that includes structural engineers, electrical engineers, control engineers and more.
“I have actually expanded as I continued in my career, seeing those aspects different from how to combine everything,” he says. “I feel that sometimes we like these really specific details, but I also appreciated the connection also with the biggest context.”
As a licensed professional engineer in Washington and Oregon with specialized knowledge of regional environmental issues, Baersten helps to expand the Kennedy Jenks footprint in the north -west of the Pacific. Its portfolio includes the Cascadia wastewater treatment plant and the Ballard transport project. He says that his aptitude for solving problems has been essential to facing the challenges of his career, but empathy has been the key to his success.
“I am trying to put another in other people’s shoes and ask, what do they try to do?” Explain. “What are their concerns? Where do things feel difficult? Do you know, what are their challenges versus what my challenges are and how we develop solutions that can be met both?”
In the face, Baersten is already studying challenges in the industry and how it can play a role in resolution. As the wastewater treatment plants and the water facilities begin to grow old, they will need to restore and replace them. To do it effectively, qualified engineers will need to be found to find the best alternatives to achieve it.
“We are seeing a huge amount of work still in the Water-Wastewater industry and the challenge with this is that we do not see people enter the industry we need to support it,” he says. “A huge part of what I do right now is just tutoring.”
