McBroom Professorship Supports UNL Nanomechanics Specialist

Robert McBroom of Franklin, Wis., realized long ago the opportunities that his instructors and an engineering degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln afforded him. In turn, the 1948 graduate supported the College of Engineering and Technology for more than 50 years, most recently through a named professorship.

"The endowment for the professorship was made possible by generous support from Robert McBroom to the University of Nebraska Foundation," said David Allen, dean of the UNL College of Engineering and Technology. "We are very appreciative of his thoughtful gift."

McBroom named the professorship in memory of his father, R. Vernon McBroom, a resident of Superior and manager of the Superior Chamber of Commerce. He was a "consummate promoter," McBroom said. "He boosted the schools, baseball, football, civic affairs, the Cornhuskers, the University of Nebraska, the state and his nation. He was a citizen of Nebraska well worth remembering."

The college recently awarded the first R. Vernon McBroom College of Engineering and Technology Professorship to Engineering Mechanics Professor Yuris A. Dzenis, who joined UNL in 1994. Income from the permanent endowment will provide him an annual research and salary stipend of approximately $20,000 for five years with the possibility for renewal. "I am grateful to Mr. McBroom for his generosity," Dzenis said. "His gift will allow me to further influence my students in a vital way, just as his professors influenced him."

Dzenis is involved in the development and manufacturing of several functional nanofibers (fibers measured in billionths of meters). He has held several committee appointments and is a keynote and plenary speaker at national and international conferences. He received a doctorate in aerospace and mechanical engineering from the University of Texas-Arlington, a doctorate in materials science and engineering from Latvian Academy of Sciences and a master's in physics from Latvian University.

Expressing the college's confidence in Dzenis' instruction and research abilities, Allen said, "Dr. Dzenis is a world renowned engineering mechanist in the field of nanomechanics. Recently, he received several prestigious recognitions for his groundbreaking research on nanofiber fabrication."

McBroom established the professorship because of the support and guidance he remembers receiving from professors at the university. "My Nebraska degree ... was the key to an exciting and satisfying life," said the electrical engineer whose career spanned 37 years with General Electric. "The R. Vernon McBroom Fund could offer that little boost. A truly inspiring professor might lead a struggling student up the small step to success. Such is my hope."

The University of Nebraska Foundation is a nonprofit corporation supplementing support for students, faculty, facilities and programs at the University of Nebraska's four campuses through gifts from alumni, friends, corporations and other foundations.

CONTACTS: Robb Crouch, University of Nebraska Foundation, (402) 472-2151; or
Joanna Gerken, University of Nebraska Foundation, (402) 472-2151