Laurel Schaich, PE

Laurel Schaich is an envi­ron­men­tal engineer and project technical leader with experience working on some of the industry’s most innovative biosolids and bioenergy projects.

Laurel has played a key role in numerous municipal and industrial waste-to-energy projects across the country. Her experience includes designing a biogas to RNG (renewable natural gas) injection facility and developing bioenergy models with lifecycle cost evaluations for biogas utilization alter­na­tives. She loves the problem-solving aspect of her job, saying “Outside of work, I enjoy puzzles—word puzzles, logic problems, and riddles. At work, I work on puzzles every day in design consid­er­a­tions, energy utilization, and data analysis.”

One of Laurel’s proudest profes­sional accom­plish­ments was her involvement in the Des Moines Wastewater Reclamation Authority Biogas Condi­tion­ing and Injection Project. "As project engineer, I integrated a biogas-to-renewable natural gas facility at the wastewater facility,” she says. “The produced renewable energy is equivalent to 10,000 average homes!”

“Every day I get to work with people ranging from new hires to subject matter experts,” Laurel says. “One of my favorite things about CDM Smith is how the firm invests in mentorship—I've been grateful to have wonderful mentors here and am actively working to pass on this knowledge to young engineers.”