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2021 MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS

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Quarter 1

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Justin Guan

Federal Aviation Administration

“If history tells us anything, it is that continuing growth in aviation, communications, and other technologies will be needed to create the interconnected world that many anticipate.”

BIOGRAPHY

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Justin Guan is a Community Planner with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He serves as an advisor for airport system planning, master planning, compatible land use planning, and airport development projects for 21 public-use airports in the Southern California region (which spans San Diego, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties). His focus is on the understanding of the integrated, multi-disciplinary relationship between airport operations across multiple airside, terminal, and landside facilities in the United States and internationally. Justin’s  experience in both the public and private sectors has provided him with a unique understanding of the operational and commercial needs of airports, airlines, and their passengers in final design and implementation project stages, as well as the need for flexibility to accommodate changing technological, commercial, and legislative requirements. He has been involved in several small-, medium- and large-hub airport projects at LAX, SFO, SAN, PDX, SEA, YYZ, JFK, LGA, SWZ, MCI, ONT, MYF, SDM, CRQ, SEE, SBA, CMA, OXR, PAE, LVK, CNO, GGT, and TIQ.

 

In recent years, Justin has been involved in several Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) endeavors, including developing the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s UAM Policy Framework, conducting UAM Infrastructure Feasibility Studies for Silicon Valley Campuses, participating in Uber Elevate Summit Design Competitions, and hosting the a workshop at the Transportation Research Board’s 2020 Annual Conference. Such endeavors have led Justin to to engage in strategic partnerships with the industry to support these clients in planning for the potential impacts of innovative and disruptive technologies.

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HOW DID YOU GET INSPIRED TO WORK IN AVIATION?

 

My interest in aviation grew while completing my Master of City & Regional Planning/Master of Engineering - Transportation Planning degree program. I took an airport planning class that included a project requiring students to upgrade a chosen small airport in Central California into the next large-hub airport of California. The premise included large catchments from LAX, SFO, and SAN as well as intermodal connections to the California High-Speed Rail. Within one academic quarter, we forecast passenger volumes; master planned and phased development; and created airside, landside, and terminal layouts. The project reminded me of the similarities that airports have to city planning, and my interest blossomed from there.

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THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY - WHERE DO YOU SEE IT?

 

The future of aviation holds more questions than answers. The next 50 years promise to be exciting and challenging for airports, airport users, and the people who make the aviation industry work. If history tells us anything, it is that continued growth in aviation, communications, and other technologies will be essential to creating the interconnected world that many anticipate. As more futuristic forms of aviation become commonplace such as UAM, UAS, commercial space travel, and hyper- and super-sonic flight, we must consider and understand that: (1) safety must remain the top priority for all stakeholders; (2) all forms of aviation must be integrated into the same airspace and traffic management system; (3) innovation occurs faster than the regulatory environment can keep up; (4) there are numerous barriers to community acceptance that need to be overcome; (5) aviation must continue striving to meet underserved communities, such as low-income households and people with disabilities; (6) future aviation modes must be sustainable; and (7) data collection and sharing must become standardized. While we often get caught in the hype of these futuristic modes of aviation, we need to always consider the hurdles and collaboration needed to implement such endeavors. Aviation would not be where it is today without 100 years of trials and errors on manyfronts: regulatory, safety standards, and social impacts (e.g. environmental, community, economic).

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WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FOR OTHER YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN AVIATION?

 

Put yourself out there as much and as often as you can. The more you attend networking events, webinars, learning events, and conferences, the more familiar you will become with other industry members and their lines of business. There have been many conversations from these events that have spurred into speaking opportunities at other conferences or collaborations on future work and studies. Organizations such as TRB and other aviation-related organizations have provided young members the platform to thrive in the aviation world. Do not let the title of a young member hold you back in making a difference and a name for yourself early on in your career.

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New for Quarter 2, 2021!

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We now feature one of our young members alongside a member of TRB's Aviation committees. 

We look forward to learning about our industry from several perspectives!

Quarter 2, Featuring:

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Shannon Eibert
C&S Engineers, Inc.

Flight was pioneered by individuals who had a forward-thinking idea and the incredible gumption to bring it to fruition. We [Young Professionals] need to embody these same leadership qualities to shape the aviation field into one that reflects the values of our generation.

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Arlyn Purcell
Port of Seattle

Chair of AV030

There are many opportunities for people ready to think about what airports need to do to transition to less fossil-intensive energy sources.

INTRODUCTIONS

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Shannon:

Shannon Eibert is a Senior Consultant for the Aviation Planning Department of C&S Engineers, Inc. based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her project experience includes master plans, ALPs, obstruction studies, Environmental Assessments, land use plans, and community outreach. She also has experience in surface transportation and transit planning. In 2019, she participated on a winning team for the TRB ACRP University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs that detailed best practices for TNC management at airports.


Shannon received her M.C.R.P. from Rutgers University and a B.S. in Environmental Science and Ecosystems and a B.A. in Geography and Urban Planning from Binghamton University. She is a Certified Planner through the American Planning Association, an Envision Sustainability Professional through the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, and an avid GIS user.

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Arlyn:

Arlyn is the Director of Aviation Environment & Sustainability at the Port of Seattle, overseeing compliance, noise, and sustainability work at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). She has more than 35 years of experience as an environmental planner, including: developing, implementing, and managing airport noise programs; leading environmental review processes ; and conducting aviation system planning. Arlyn has worked in the private sector in California, for the Port Authority of NY & NJ, and at SEA for the past four years. She has been active in TRB for 10+ years and has chaired AV030, Environmental Issues in Aviation, since April 2020.

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WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WORK IN AVIATION?

 

Shannon:

I was inspired to work in aviation through the gateway of urban planning. Except for the time I wanted to be a flight attendant when I was five (and that may have solely been because I had a flight attendant Barbie with some very pretty outfits), until the end of college I had never considered aviation as a field with career opportunities for me. At that time, I had only ever been on an airplane a handful of times and knew no one in the industry; aviation and airport planning simply weren’t on my radar. In my junior year of college, I took my first urban planning class as an elective for my environmental degree. It was in this class that I began to realize how transportation access and mobility are paramount for the functionality of the global marketplace and serve as the life force behind the empowerment of communities. When considering the puzzle of how we can optimize connectivity between our world’s communities, the aviation field is wholly enticing for its ability to span geospatial and geopolitical boundaries. Many facets of the human experience are impacted in at least some small way by aviation.

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Arlyn:

I started as an urban/transportation planner but was interested in environmental issues, and I found a good fit with airport noise programs. After a few years at that, however, I became discouraged and took a long detour before returning to aviation. Those two decades were important – I learned about environmental review, sustainability, green building, and management – and when the opportunity arose to join the Port Authority in New York, I could appreciate what I had learned through the lens of airports and aviation. Working at SEA has combined my experience and interests. My TRB involvement helped me meet colleagues in the industry and exposed me to great learning opportunities.

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WHAT CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED ALONG THE WAY?

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Shannon:

While urban planning isn’t an uncommon pathway into the aviation industry, beginning a career path in which I had mostly tangential experience was intimidating. I found successes along the way through my involvement with professional organizations, both within and outside my company and even outside the aviation field. This involvement has provided me with countless opportunities to access training resources and to connect with others who have enriched my perspective.

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Arlyn:

As a department head and part of the SEA leadership team, I have focused on helping my employees be successful. And I’m proud of what they have done! Key successes include our switch to the use of renewable natural gas to fuel our central mechanical plant, which allowed us to meet our carbon reduction goal almost a decade early; our support of an airport/community roundtable that has found incremental ways to reduce noise for nearby residents; and our stormwater and wastewater programs, which balance facility needs with habitat protection.

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THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY - WHERE DO YOU SEE IT?

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Shannon:

If there is anything that the past year and a half has taught us, it is that the future can look very different from what we predicted. The COVID-19 pandemic is not the only shockwave that will rock this industry within our lifetimes. In the interim, our industry must prepare for impending hardships on the horizon, such as risks related to climate change. I foresee a future in which our industry uses the tools and new technologies at its disposal (big data analytics, BIM, GIS, etc.) to become as resilient and adaptable as possible in preparation for both the known and unknown hardships ahead.

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Arlyn:

Aviation faces huge challenges and opportunities related to climate change. Airlines and fuel producers are taking significant steps toward the commercial use of sustainable aviation fuels, and airports have ambitious and far-reaching programs to reduce the carbon they control. But we are running out of time to help prevent the climate change impacts predicted by our leading scientists. There are many opportunities for people ready to think about what airports need to do to transition to less fossil-intensive energy sources.

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WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN AVIATION?

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Shannon:

Flight was pioneered by individuals who had both a remarkable, forward-thinking idea and the incredible gumption to bring it to fruition. My biggest hope for other YPs is that we remember and embody these same leadership qualities to shape the aviation field into one that best reflects the values of our generation. I want this field to be more accessible to others than it was to me when I first discovered it; this requires us to shatter the status quo related to diversity, equity, and inclusion for everyone that aviation touches.

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Arlyn:

We need your insights and energy! I’m continually impressed by the contribution of young professionals. Please stay involved and ask questions.

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Quarter 3

Rohan Sheth
Kimley-Horn
 

"Airports are fascinating, complex systems that serve as the first and last milestones of passenger air travel, and they should adapt to accommodate innovations such as electric aircraft, urban air mobility, and sustainable fuels"

Rohan is an aviation planning analyst with the aviation system planning team at Kimley-Horn, a nationwide planning, design, and engineering consulting firm. Rohan supports state aviation system plans, which are comprehensive planning efforts conducted by state Departments of Transportation to optimize the use of public funding for airports in a given state. evaluate airport facilities across various safety, security, capacity, and planning metrics to make the best use of public funds. Rohan has helped develop airport layout plans (ALPs), environmental assessments, and various other technical reports for airports. He has also used geographical information systems (GIS) and extensive data analysis to create interactive dashboards and website applications to conduct airport performance evaluations and present airport data such as, airspace surfaces, NAVAIDs, and aviation economic impact.

 

Before joining Kimley-Horn, Rohan was a co-op and intern with the Columbus Regional Airport Authority and Southwest Airlines. Rohan holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) in Logistics and Aviation Management from The Ohio State University.   

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YOUR STORY – HOW DID YOU GET INSPIRED TO WORK IN AVIATION?

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“My love of aviation started early. Growing up near a municipal airport in New Hampshire, I was fascinated watching the single-engine general aviation (GA) planes on short final approach above our house. From that point, I knew that aviation was going to be my life-long passion. My family moved to Ohio – the birthplace of aviation – which only fueled my passion further. I found out very quickly that there are a TON of career pathways I could take in aviation. So, I sought several job-shadowing experiences, co-ops, and internships through high school and college to find the best path for me. My planning and noise co-op experience at the Columbus Regional Airport Authority in college confirmed for me that I wanted to work with airports.

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“I love the complexity of airports, with airport operations handling the airport’s day-to-day activities, airport planning and development looking ahead to the future of the airport, and the airport administration bringing operations and planning together. I love working with a range of types and sizes of airport facilities supporting different aviation activities: grass strips, GA municipal airports, seaplane bases, heliports, and commercial service airports.”

 

FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY – WHERE DO YOU SEE IT?

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“We’re seeing the emergence of technologies such as electric aircraft, urban air mobility (UAM), and sustainable aviation fuels, all of which will shape the future of aviation. These technologies are critical for airports and stakeholders to plan for. With the limited range and capacity that electric aircraft will have initially, these vehicles could be a great fit for connecting underserved cities and towns to larger metropolitan areas. There are many challenges to making this possible, but I believe that there is a great regional economic benefit that can be tapped into by establishing smaller commuter and regional routes. Airlines may also realize this benefit; in fact, United Airlines recently shared its plans to integrate small regional electric aircraft into their fleet within the next decade.”

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WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FOR OTHER YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN AVIATION?

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“Explore as many different career pathways available in aviation as you can – there are more than most people think! Aviation-related careers can be found in airports, airlines, consulting, air traffic control, business aviation, and start-ups. Internships, co-ops, and job-shadowing are great ways to get a sense of the work atmosphere and culture. By participating in several such opportunities, I found that airports and consulting best suited my interests and career goals after graduating from school. Furthermore, by leveraging the connections I’ve made at career fairs and guest speaker events, and even by cold calling/messaging people on LinkedIn and otherwise, I was able to work with aviation research, airports, and an airline before graduating from Ohio State. This experience was invaluable in helping me choose the full-time career that I have now.”

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