ACEC Nebraska Names Dr. Clarence Waters 2024 Nebraska Engineering Champion Award Winner

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University of Nebraska College of Engineering professor Dr. Clarence Waters has been awarded the 2024 Nebraska Champion for Engineering Award by the American Council of Engineering Companies Nebraska (ACEC NE) for his collaboration and dedication to the association and engineering industry.

Dr. Waters is the Aaron Douglas Professor of the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction. Waters joined the UNL engineering faculty in 2000 when the architectural engineering program was introduced. He rose from associate professor to director of the AE program in 2005. In 2010, he relinquished the director’s job and became a full professor with an emphasis on work as a liaison to link industry to UNL students in the program.

Jeanne McClure, ACEC NE Executive Director, sees Dr. Waters as a key partner. “He is a perfect example of the link needed between education and industry. Not only does he stay connected with engineering leaders and opportunities, he also stays connected with his students, as a mentor and champion, long after they’ve graduated.”

Steph Guy, a former student of Dr. Waters and now a principal with Alvine Engineering in Omaha, believes he is one of the greatest assets to engineering in Nebraska. “Clarence has been a champion for Nebraska Architectural Engineering since he stepped foot on Nebraska soil roughly 25 years ago. He has been instrumental in the success of not only our Architectural Engineering (AE) program but more importantly of our students. He is relentless in his pursuits of what makes our students betters – this could be anything from pursuing amazing industry mentors for a team design course, to chaperoning students at a conference, advocating for our students to have a leadership advisory committee (AESLAC), providing a solid technical lecture, or raising money so that graduate students in the AE program have a scholarship opportunity.”

Michelle L. Eble-Hankins, part-time faculty member in the College of Engineering and associate principal with Alvine Engineering, has known Dr. Waters for more than 30 years, first as a student and now as a colleague and friend.

“More than anyone else outside of my family, Clarence Waters has changed my life. He is a man of big ideas, and because the industry has so much respect for him, they support him to bring his ideas to fruition. He has done so much to make Architectural Engineering at the Durham School a better program. I am forever grateful to him for believing in me, going to bat for me, encouraging me, and becoming not only my mentor but my friend as well.”

McClure adds, “We are thrilled to honor Dr. Waters who has been a champion of ACEC NE for years. We are grateful for his partnership and thankful for his support of future engineers in Nebraska.”

Dr. Waters has a Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering (AE) from Pennsylvania State University. His B. S. and M.S. degrees are in AE from Kansas State University. Dr. Waters served on the faculty of Kansas State University in AE from 1986 to 2000, and was the head of the Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science at KSU for four years. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Waters served for over seven years as an electrical project engineer for Professional Engineering Consultants in Wichita, Kansas.

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Aaron Buettner

State Director

Aaron Buettner, PE, CVS leads Benesch’s Nebraska structural group, bringing more than 27 years of experience in structural engineering, project management and value engineering to every project he touches. His work spans highway, railroad and pedestrian bridges, and he has delivered public and private projects across the country involving a wide variety of materials and structure types.

Aaron’s technical depth covers the full project lifecycle, from structural design and in-service inspection to forensic evaluation and construction administration. He is proficient in multiple structural design and analysis software platforms and has a keen understanding of load paths and constructability. As a Certified Value Specialist (CVS), Aaron’s Value Engineering work has generated tens of millions of dollars in potential construction cost avoidance for clients ranging from state DOTs to transit agencies.

Notable projects include the Lincoln South Beltway, where his team designed 10 of 21 bridges on the freeway corridor; the N-12 Emergency Bridge Repairs in northeast Nebraska, where biddable plans for three flood-damaged structures were delivered in just three weeks; and the Penny Bridges Replacement in Lincoln, where value planning produced a context-sensitive solution that earned broad community support.

Aaron also serves as a Structures Specialist on Nebraska Task Force 1 (NE-TF1), which is one of 28 FEMA Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) teams located throughout the United States. In this role, he supports the search and rescue mission by assessing damaged structures, recommending structural hazard mitigation within those structures, and monitoring the structure for condition changes during rescue and victim recovery operations. During his tenure with NE-TF1, he has deployed ​on numerous missions within the state of Nebraska and around the nation to assist communities that have been impacted by emergencies or disasters.

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