AIA Nebraska Announces 2020 Honors & Awards

AIAS Student Award
This award recognizes two members of the American Institute of Architects Students (AIAS), one undergraduate and graduate, who have shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to their academic community at the University of Nebraska College of Architecture.



AIAS Student Graduate Award
Quinn McFadden, AIAS

Quinn McFadden, AIAS, from Omaha, Nebraska, is a fifth year graduate student at the University of Nebraska College of Architecture. He is currently President of the Nebraska Chapter of the AIAS. Quinn has established the N’ Studio Podcast, as a virtual stage for students, professors and professionals to showcase work and provide advice on studies and careers. He also serves as the Advisory Committee Chair and served on the National Task Force of the AIAS Freedom By Design, a community service program, utilizing the talents of architecture students to radically impact the lives of people in their community through modest design and construction solutions to improve the safety, comfort, and dignity of those around us.



AIAS Student Undergraduate Award Geneva Sinkula, AIAS

Geneva Sinkula, AIAS, from Kansas City, Missouri, is a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska College of Architecture. She is currently external vice president of the Nebraska Chapter of AIAS.  Since freshman year Geneva has served in many leadership positions within the University of Nebraska College of Architecture, including the Student Advisory Board, Professional Program Committee, and Student Affairs Committee as the undergraduate representative.  She is currently serving as a student mentor and ambassador for incoming freshman and first year design students. Additionally, she will work for UCARE research this school year, studying the architectural and structural capabilities of the missile silos in Nebraska.

Associates Award
Recognizes an Associate AIA Nebraska, unlicensed member who has shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession in the areas of design, education, and /or service in an early stage of their architectural career.

Ross Miller, Associate AIA

Ross Miller, Associate AIA, of Omaha, Nebraska, attended the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and received a Bachelor of Science in Design – Architectural Studies in 2008 and a dual Master of Architecture and Master of Business Administration in 2010. Ross is a Principal of FormGrey Studio, a multi-city (Reno, NV + Omaha, NE) collaborative design and fabrication firm focused on elevating all aspects of the built environment. Currently, he is the Associate Director of AIA Omaha, an At-Large Representative on the AIA Strategic Council, a member of AIA National’s Finance and Audit Committee, a member of AIA Nebraska’s Committee on Design, and a member of the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, College of Architecture’s Professional Advisory Committee. In 2018, Ross served as the Associate Director on the AIA National Board of Directors, which included appointments to AIA National’s Public Outreach Committee and the Secretary’s Advisory Committee. Additionally, Ross is a Co-Founder and the President of Maple St. Construct, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is a creative-run collaborative organization and workspace that functions as an art gallery/residency in Omaha, NE and the Project Manager of large-scale projects for Mike Nesbit Studio, an artist’s studio established in Los Angeles, CA.

Architectural | Design Education Award
Recognizes a living person of esteemed character who has rendered distinguished service to the profession of architecture design or to the arts science in a Nebraska institution of higher learning.  The award recognized an individual whose activities have consistently influenced students and provided the ability to make connections between the educator’s particular areas of expertise and other areas as appropriate.



Jeffrey L. Day, FAIA

Jeffrey L. Day, FAIA, inventively integrates teaching, practice, and design-research to develop young architects committed to design excellence and collaborative process. He began his teaching career at the University of Nebraska in 2000. After holding the prestigious Hyde Chair of Excellence visiting-professorship for a year, he began a tenure-track appointment and is now a Full Professor, teaching Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Design students. Jeff has taught throughout the Architecture curriculum and from his early innovations in beginning design (featured in conferences and published in the Journal of Architectural Education) to design studios, lecture courses and seminars, and the celebrated FACT design-build program, he empowers students to develop their own creative approaches to architectural challenges of the day. By maximizing the potential of FACT and his professional office Actual Architecture Company, Jeff integrates design-research, speculative design, pro-bono investments in the community, and a commitment to building highly refined yet flexible architecture with diverse clients.

2020 Harry F. Cunningham Gold Medal Recipient
Architectural Excellence in the State of Nebraska



Lowell Berg, AIA

Lowell Berg, AIA, of The Clark Enersen Partners, Lincoln, is the recipient of the 2020 Harry F. Cunningham Gold Medal for Architectural Excellence in the State of Nebraska. The Gold Medal is the highest honor the Nebraska Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) can bestow and is awarded in recognition of the most distinguished achievement in architecture or service to the profession of architecture in the State of Nebraska.
Lowell Berg, AIA, has conducted his entire professional career as a leader with a broad vision of sharing his professional knowledge and expertise with others because he believes in the value of architecture in society, communities, and individual lives.
Berg began his professional career in 1975 at Clark & Enersen, Hamersky, Schalebitz, Burroughs and Thomsen. His talent and leadership abilities allowed him to rise to senior principal, board member and eventually president of The Clark Enersen Partners from 1989 to 2008. He transformed the firm and positioned it for unprecedented growth and excellence in design, while primarily focusing on libraries, corporate office buildings, and government buildings.
Nominator Greg Newport, AIA, said, “Over the past four decades, I have known Lowell to be a consummate professional dedicated to building a better world. Whereas Lowell has been a guiding influence in my own professional growth as an architect, I have also witnessed his influence on generations of other architects as they grew from student interns into highly talented professionals.”
His many years of service on AIA’s Governmental Affairs Committee provided strong leadership instrumental to the profession and public safety. In addition, Berg has dedicated his personal time to public, private, and philanthropic organizations within Nebraska and the nation. By pairing his philosophy of design with his organizational prowess, Lowell has been an effective leader for Rotary Club #14, Rotary International; Lincoln Libraries Board of Trustees; First Plymouth Church, and the University of Nebraska College of Architecture.
The Gold Medal commemorates the achievements of Harry Francis Cunningham who came to Nebraska as lead architect for Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue’s office during completion of the tower phase of construction for the State Capitol following Goodhue’s death in 1924. It was Goodhue’s revolutionary building design which won the nationwide competition in 1920 for the creation of the state house in Lincoln. Cunningham subsequently established the first school of architecture at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln.