Bruce I. Dvorak, P.E., Ph.D., of Lincoln, Nebraska, is a licensed professional engineer and the Ray Fauss Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). 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 received his Bachelor's degree in civil engineering from UNL. He then received his Master's 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 processes, sustainability of water and wastewater systems, industrial sustainability, and life cycle assessment. His research has also focused on increasing the energy efficiency of small community water systems and improving the efficiency of water and energy use in the food and water industry.
Dvorak's research on drinking water treatment and supply further enables him to assist homeowners and communities in managing drinking water sources and wells. His work, whether it'd be through the National Science Foundation-funded project that is turning agricultural waste into clean water and energy, 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, has developed outreach programs that improve environmental sustainability for both water systems and industrial systems.
Outside his service to the Board, Dvorak is involved with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP), the 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 has served on their national Board of Directors. He serves as an ABET Program Evaluator to review and accredit university engineering programs. He has served on the NCEES Education Committee.
Dvorak's accomplishments have been recognized by various prestigious international and national awards. He is a Fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and won the ASCE Samuel Arnold Greeley Award. The award recognized research that made a highly valuable contribution to the environmental engineering profession.
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, including those who have not earned ABET-accredited engineering degrees, and many international students at UNL interested in graduate studies, in using the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Engineering Educational Standard. He prepares them to become familiar with the Engineering program accreditation process for licensure eligibility.