Managing the Heart of a Wastewater System

Yeming Shao (MPM ‘24) is managing the heart of a city’s wastewater system.  

Yeming is a project engineer in the heavy civil division of F.H. Paschen, a general contractor, construction manager, and design-builder that delivers major public and private infrastructure projects. He is overseeing a multiyear, $15 million underground pump station project for the Illinois Department of Transportation that features a two-story underground structure connected to nearly a mile of underground sewer pipes that runs beneath railways, streets, and existing utilities.  

The complexity is what keeps Yeming excited about the job.  

“Projects like this come with a lot of layers. You're dealing with structural work, mechanical and electrical systems, and tying everything into existing infrastructure nearby, all while keeping the schedule, budget, and regulatory requirements aligned,” he said. “It's a job that constantly tests your ability to manage moving pieces, people, timelines, budgets, and unexpected problems.” 

By overseeing those moving parts, Yeming showcases what he learned in Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Project Management (MPM) program.  

Yeming turned to the MPM program because he wanted to pivot his career trajectory. His background was in engineering and materials science, but he wanted to shift his focus to project management. 

He felt the program's curriculum would prepare him to make the professional shift, and he was right. 

The program’s courses were directly aligned with his new career aspirations, and lessons on scheduling, lean construction principles, and communications are now the foundation for his work at F.H. Paschen.  

“The program really emphasized how to navigate conversations across different stakeholders,” he said. “This turns out to be just as important as any technical skill.” 

Yeming is witnessing that with the pump station project. 

“Construction rarely goes exactly as planned, so being able to manage a budget, adjust a schedule, and keep everyone—engineers, contractors, vendors—aligned and informed is what really makes a project succeed,” Yeming said. "A lot of it comes back to skills I sharpened in the MPM program: scheduling, clear communication, and staying calm when plans change.” 

Yeming joined F.H. Paschen in January 2025 after graduating from MPM.  

Prior to the pump station, Yeming oversaw a roadway and bridge replacement project for Cook County in Illinois. That project included coordinating demolition and rebuilding work across a busy roadway corridor. 

“I really enjoy that no two days look the same. One day I might be solving a scheduling conflict, the next I'm helping coordinate an emergency fix on-site,” he said. “I find it really rewarding to watch a project go from paper to something tangible that people will actually use for decades.”