Bruce I. Dvorak, P.E., Ph.D., of Lincoln, Nebraska, is a licensed professional engineer and a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. Dvorak joined the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects (NBEA) as the Board's engineering education member in 2020. He is the first Board member who is licensed as a professional environmental engineer. Dvorak currently serves as the Board's Secretary.
Dvorak received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). He then received his master's degree in environmental engineering and doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Dvorak's research and professional interests include environmental engineering, physical-chemical treatment process, sustainability of water and wastewater systems, industrial sustainability, and life cycle assessment. His research has also focused on the increase in the energy efficiency for small community water systems and a reduction of wastewater produced in the food and water industry.
Dvorak's drinking water treatment and supply research further allow him to assist homeowners and communities to manage drinking water sources and wells. His work, whether it'd be through the US EPA-funded Center Water Innovation Network for Sustainable Small Systems, the Industrial Assessments Center (NIAC) program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, and UNL's grant-funded Partners in Pollution Prevention (P3) program, have developed outreach programs that improve environmental sustainability for both water systems and industrial systems.
Outside of his service to the Board, Dvorak is involved with the American Chemical Society (ACS), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), Water Environment Federation (WEF), and the Nebraska Water Environment Association's Great Plains Conference committee. He is also an active member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), where he's involved in a membership committee for AWWA's Nebraska chapter, AWWA's national committees, and the AWWA Board of Directors.
Dvorak's accomplishments have been recognized by various prestigious international and national awards. He won the Samuel Arnold Greeley Award of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2010. The award recognized research that made a highly valuable contribution to the environmental engineering profession. In the state of Nebraska, Dvorak won the 2009 Lincoln & Lancaster County Environmental Award that recognized individuals who demonstrated environmental stewardship and dedication to sustainable practices that improve air, land, and water quality while protecting public health.
Internationally, Dvorak received the Fulbright Scholar Fellowship to the Czech Republic in 2010. The prestigious program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is a flagship international educational exchange designed to increase mutual understanding between the United States and other countries.
Dvorak shares his passions for the environment, engineering, and education with his students. He frequently assists students, such as those who do have not earned ABET-accredited engineering degrees and many international students at UNL who are interested in graduate studies, to use the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Engineering Educational Standard. He prepares them to become familiarized with the Engineering program accreditation process for licensure eligibility.
Dvorak said he hopes to learn about the oversight of the engineering and architecture professions in the state of Nebraska and shares the knowledge with fellow educators.
"As an Engineering faculty member, I hope to share perspectives from those who help educate our young engineers," Dvorak said. "As the examination procedures for professional licensure evolve, it is important to communicate those changes to our engineering educators."