Rate My Professor Sharon Kuska

Sharon Kuska is a Professor in the Architecture Program and Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Programs in the College of Architecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She earned her B.S. in Architectural Studies in 1982, M.S. in Civil Engineering in 1984, and Ph.D. in Engineering in 1993, all from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with her doctoral dissertation on the seismic behavior of square high-strength concrete columns. A registered Professional Civil Engineer in Nebraska since 1992 and LEED Accredited Professional since 2003, Kuska joined the UNL faculty in fall 1986 after serving as an engineer-in-training and graduate architect at Bahr Vermeer & Haecker Architects (now BVH Architecture). She progressed from Assistant Professor to tenured Associate Professor in 1995 and full Professor in 2000. Kuska has held key leadership roles, including Interim Dean of the College of Architecture from January 2022 to January 2023, Interim Director of the Architecture Program from 2017 to 2018, Associate Dean from 1999 to 2002, Acting President of the Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities in 2021-2022, H. Robert Douglass Distinguished Professorship (2004-2006), and W. Cecil Steward Distinguished Professorship (2006-2008, 2010-2012). She served as past-president of the Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers, contributed 11 years to the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards Exam Committee, and was a visiting professor at the Dublin Institute of Technology.

Kuska teaches courses in structures in architecture, architectural design, computer applications in architecture, women in design, sustainability and the built environment, and black architects in the U.S. Her research interests encompass intersections of architecture and engineering, rural and vernacular architecture, bridge origins and design, sustainable deconstruction, design, and development, seismic design, covered bridges, four-square housing, and high-strength concrete column design. Key publications include co-authoring the 13th edition of Simplified Engineering for Architects and Builders (2023) with Patrick Tripeny, Sustainometrics: Measuring Sustainability (2011) with W. Cecil Steward, and papers such as 'Developing and Sustaining Creative Cities' (2008), 'Structuring Research for Design for Deconstruction' (2004), and 'Deconstruction Versus Demolition' (2005). Awards and honors include the College of Architecture Distinguished Teaching Award (2021), Design Intelligence 25 Most Admired Educators (2016), Hawthorne Faculty Award (2010, 2019), Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers Outstanding Service Award (2000-2001), and multiple faculty fellowships. Kuska supports UNL's Sustainability Initiative, advises student organizations like NOMAS and USGBC, chairs graduate committees, and serves on the Nebraska Capitol Commission and university curriculum committees, shaping sustainable architectural education and practice.