Fire Protection Program faculty
James W. Bartels, P.E., Instructor
Bartels is a senior design engineer for the Metropolitan Utilities District. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree, in Civil Engine-ering, from UNL in 1992 and is a registered Civil Engineer in Nebraska. Bartels has over a decade of experience specific to the design and operation of public water supply systems and is a member of the Nebraska Section, American Water Works Association.
Joyce M. Black, MSN, Ph.D., Assistant professor
Black has undergraduate degrees in nursing from Rochester Community College and Winona State University in Minnesota, an MSN in Medical Surgical CNS and a doctorate in nursing from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Black has studied the effect of stress on the body and the mind. She is also a Mayo Clinic trained burn nurse. Black has been teaching at UNMC since 1982.
William Bowes, Fire Chief — Papillion Fire Department
Bowes holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with emphasis in mathematics and physical education from Asbury College in Kentucky. He also holds an associate’s degree in fire protection technology from the University of Nebraska. Prior to becoming fire chief in Papillion, Nebraska, Bowes serve the Omaha Fire Department from 1984 to 2006.
Lissa Clark,MSN, RN, Instructor
Clark earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences/ Physiology from Oklahoma State University, a bachelor's degree in nursing and master's degree in health systems from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She is an instructor in UNMC's Adult Health and Illness Department.
David W. DeBoer, P.E., C.E.M., Instructor
DeBoer is a senior utilization engineer for the Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD). He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from UNL in 1983 and has over 20 years of experience in power generation and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
Tim McCaw, Omaha Fire Department
McCaw is fire apparatus engineer and firefighter with the Omaha Fire Department. Prior to joining the fire department Tim was a professional educator with the Omaha Public Schools. He holds a master of arts in Educational Administration from UNO as well as a mater of science in Computer Technology from Lesley University.
John McCormick, Omaha Fire Department
McCormick is a captain on the Omaha Fire Department and is currently assigned to the Bureau of Fire Investigation. He is a 1987 grad- uate of UNL with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. McCormick is also a certified Nebraska law enforcement officer and a graduate of the Omaha Police Academy and the National Fire Academy Fire Investigation Course.
David P. Rohan, P.E., Instructor
Rohan is a project manager and senior mechanical engineer with HDR Engineering. He is also in the facilities section of the Environmental and Resource Management group, currently working in the natural gas, ethanol and power industries. Rohan holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering (1994) and a Master of Science Degree in Industrial and Management Systems Engineering (1999)—both from UNL. He is also a member of the National Fire Protection Association.
Denver Schmadeke, Program Coordinator, Senior Lecturer
Schmadeke is a retired assistant fire chief from the Omaha Fire Department. He served the department for more than 31 years. He is the administrative coordinator of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Fire Protection program and is a Senior Lecturer in the UNL Construction Systems Department. He graduated from the University of Nebraska with an associate’s degree in fire protection and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. He has experience in numerous areas of the fire service, including fire prevention, investigation, suppression and management, holds numerous certificates from the National Fire Academy and is a graduate of the Omaha Police Academy. He is also a member of the National Fire Protection Association.
Charles Wright, Union Pacific Railroad
Wright has managed hazardous materials training at Union Pacific since 1979. Before joining UP, he was an assistant professor and coordinator of the fire technology program at Western Kentucky University. He holds a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in education for industry with a minor in fire protection engineering, both from the University of Maryland.
| Construction Systems Technology Department faculty |
Bernstein earned his Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Syracuse University and his Master of Science in Architecture from Virginia Tech. He has extensive background working as a tradesman, a designer and a project manager in the residential, commercial and industrial fields.
John M. Bonsell, Associate Professor
Bonsell has been teaching at the University of Nebraska since 1982. He has been a certified manufacturing engineer since 1980 with a background in industrial safety, welding, manufacturing processes and rapid prototyping. He received both his master’s (1981) and bachelor’s (1979) in industrial education from Chadron State College. Yong Cho, Assistant Professor
Cho holds degrees in Civil Engineering, including: bachelor’s in Korea (1966), master’s from Georgia Tech (1997) and a doctorate of philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin (2000). Before joining UNL in 2005, Cho taught the following construction classes at the University of Wisconsin at Platteville: Construction Materials, Computer-Aid Design, Scheduling and Commercial Building. He has also conducted research in construction automation, visualization and information technology.
Terence Foster, Professor
Foster earned his engineering doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley after receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MIT. He was a Fulbright-Hays visiting postdoctoral professor in the Earthquake Engineering Institute of Skopje, Macedonia (formerly in Yugoslavia). He is a registered professional engineer in 10 states. His research covers structural mechanics and information systems in construction, aerospace and bio systems.
James D. Goedert, Associate Professor
Goedert earned his bachelor’s degree in construction engineering technology and his doctorate in business administration from the University of Nebraska. His MBA is from Indiana University. He is a registered professional engineer in Indiana and Nebraska. He has an extensive background in construction management in residential, commercial and industrial projects.
Ronald Haggin, Associate Professor
Haggin has been a consulting architectural engineer with emphasis on mechanical and electrical systems for buildings on a part-time basis while instructing courses at UNO since 1979. He earned a bachelor’s degree in construction management, a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in architecture, all from Texas A&M University.
William Holmes, Associate Professor
Holmes has served on the UNO faculty since 1976. He is a registered professional architect with experience in architectural design and production, management, energy research and development, and education. His focus is on microcomputer applications in building design and construction, architectural design, illustration and technical writing.
George Morcous, Assistant Professor
Morcous earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in construction engineering and management from Cairo University in Egypt. Morcous also earned a doctorate degree in Infrastructure Management from Concordia University-Canada. He is a registered professional engineer in Nova Scotia, with research interests in the development of infrastructure management systems, modeling infrastructure deterioration, maintenance optimization and the applications of information technology in construction engineering.
Avery Schwer, Associate Professor
Schwer earned his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska after receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin. Before joining UNL, he was an engineering manager with General Electric Corporate Engineering. In this capacity, he was responsible for the construction engineering and management of new manufacturing facilities. His areas of professional interest and research include facility planning, project management, ethics, environmental engineering and sustainable construction.
Thomas H. Sires, Professor
Sires earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Civil Engineering and Business Administration and a master’s degree in mathematics and physics from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He has been with the University of Nebraska since 1963 and has been the director of the Nebraska MESA program since 1987. His areas of professional interest include statics, dynamics, strength of materials, hydraulics, soils technology, asphalt paving and engineering numerical methods.
Keith Pedersen, Assistant Professor
Pedersen has been teaching at UNO since 1976. A registered professional architect since 1975, he has experience in education, architectural design and production, solar energy design and calculations, and computer-aided design. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from the University of Nebraska in 1972 and 1981, respectively.
