2021 ORCA: Nicholas Stergiou

When Nicholas Stergiou began teaching at UNO in 1996, “biomechanics” wasn’t part of the university’s lexicon. He has since secured two of the largest research grants in UNO history – National Institutes of Health grants worth more than $10 million each – and a private gift to build the 23,000 square-foot Biomechanics Research Building that opened in 2013. The building, home to the first center in the world dedicated exclusively to research in human movement variability, later underwent a 30,000 square-foot expansion, made possible with another private gift, after Stergiou’s programs outgrew the original space. His research has impacted the training techniques of surgeons, as well as the treatment of pathologies like peripheral arterial disease.