Blog

As part of the 2021 RISE-UP summer undergraduate research experience course,students Carlos Casillas, Carolyn Romero, Gina Rodríguez, and Gilberto Camacholearned about rehabilitation techniques for stilt houses on slopes in Puerto Rico. Theteam studied the effects of short-column defects on sloped stilt houses using Pushoverand Time History Analyses and implemented techniques for the seismic rehabilitation ofa […]

Hello! I am Rocío Sotomayor, a 5th year civil engineering student at the University ofPuerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRM) and part of the second cohort of RISE-UP.Last summer, I had the opportunity to participate in a Research Experience forUndergraduates (REU) with the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). TheDisaster Relief and Resilience (DRR) program was created […]

As part of the 2020 RISE-UP summer undergraduate research experience course,students Elmer Irizarry, Jorge Reyes and Thaliannie Pimentel, with the mentorship of Dr.Aidcer Vidot, analyzed the damage caused by the 2020 seismic sequence, whichpeaked with a 6.4Mw, to the Mayagüez Viaduct. The team developed a computer modelto study the emergency efforts that were performed to […]

Natural disasters such as 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the 2020 P.R. earthquakessequence and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, affect the lives of many students inaspects such as economic, socio-emotional, and academic performance progress. As aresult of these events, four projects for STEM students were developed with thefinancial support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to […]

To preserve resilience stories and document the infrastructure damage caused byHurricanes Irma and Maria and the 2020 earthquakes in Puerto Rico, the timelycollection of evidence is essential. A two-pronged approach strategy was developed,the first being the collection of data using tools such as case studies and the second arepository of information intended to keep records, […]

Two graduates of the first cohort of RISE-UP start graduate school and work asteaching assistants in RISE-UP. Henry M. López De León is pursuing a Master ofArchitecture program at UPRRP. Henry stated: “I believe in the opportunities they offerthe students and I also hope that the bond they created with the three campuses willinspire others […]

RISE-UP faculty co-author a paper that highlights the “Resilient Infrastructure andSustainability Education – Undergraduate Program” (RISE-UP) and was published in theInternational Journal of Natural Disasters, Accidents and CivilInfrastructure (RIDNAIC). RISE-UP seeks to develop a new generation ofengineering and architecture professionals who work in an integrated manner toaddress challenges caused by natural events, based on an […]