Aviation civil engineer contributes to projects at airports across the country

From an early age, Shannon Gunn set her eyes on the sky.

Gunn (BSCE 2017) grew up in New Orleans and San Antonio. Both places, she said, allowed her to explore different cultures and ways of life. Her love of airports came at a young age through family travel — and her passion for civil engineering stemmed from a fifth-grade class project.

“Growing up in New Orleans, hurricanes and hazardous storms were not all that uncommon,” Gunn said. “For one project, my teacher had us design and lay out a neighborhood that would be resilient against such disasters. From then on, I only grew more and more interested in issues like these and how to solve them.”

In addition to problem-solving, Gunn said what made her ultimately decide to pursue a civil engineering degree at Purdue University was the room for creativity.

“I love that you can be so creative in civil engineering,” Gunn said. “The projects that we have, and the way that you have to problem solve and work with various stakeholders, it really allows you to approach issues from different angles.” With Purdue offering a variety of concentrations within civil engineering, Gunn was able to pursue her passion in transportation.

While at Purdue, Gunn was heavily involved on campus and often took leadership roles within the Lyles School of Civil Engineering. She was the secretary of the Purdue chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, secretary of Chi Epsilon, member of the Civil Engineering Student Advisory Council and vice president of finance for Sigma Kappa sorority.

Neil Kippenbrock (BSCE ’17) and Shannon Gunn (BSCE ’17) with their son, Leo.

Gunn was first exposed to aviation as a civil engineering career path during a college internship. After earning her degree, Gunn moved back to Texas and started work at CH2M (now Jacobs) as an aviation civil engineer-in-training. One of her more notable projects from Jacobs included working on the Runway 17C-35C Rehabilitation at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

“I’ve always wanted to do something that positively impacted communities, and it was through aviation engineering that I found my passion,” Gunn said. “Being able to have a lasting positive impact on our infrastructure — and working on projects that are used widely — I find to be really fulfilling.”

In 2019, Gunn started working for Kimley-Horn in Indianapolis as an aviation engineer. At Kimley-Horn, Gunn has designed runways and taxiways, inspected airfield pavement and contributed to projects at airports around the country.

One of her most notable projects is her current work on Runway 5R-23L and Taxiway D at the Indianapolis International Airport (IND).

“Runway 5R-23L is one of IND’s two primary, parallel runways, and it’s the runway that serves most of FedEx’s traffic,” Gunn said. “Indianapolis is FedEx’s second largest hub in the world after Memphis, so the runway is a critical piece of infrastructure.”

The project has been ongoing for nearly five years and is approaching its third and final year of construction. Runway 5R-23L is the first runway in the United States implementing carbon capture technology into the concrete mix for the aircraft-loaded pavement.

Gunn on site at Runway 5R-23L project site at Indianapolis International Airport.

Looking back on her journey from Purdue to Kimley-Horn, Gunn said the late Professor Jon Fricker as well as her past and current colleagues, Johnny Jackson and Jenni Warnimont (BSCE 2011), were instrumental in shaping both her academic and professional careers.

“Learning from them how to not only be a good engineer, but how to carry yourself in public settings, industry settings and in the workplace has been so incredibly helpful to me,” Gunn said. “The lessons and advice I’ve received from them I put into practice almost every single day.”

Now, as she starts to become a person new engineers look to for guidance, Gunn said her advice to civil engineering students is: “Take initiative to investigate what you’re interested in before interviewing with a company. It’s impressive when students understand their own capabilities and how they can leverage those in an industry setting.”

In her free time, Gunn said she spends time with her husband and fellow Purdue civil engineering alumnus and Kimley-Horn engineer Neil Kippenbrock (BSCE 2017). Together, they have a one-year-old son, Leo.