Dr. Walter Silva-Araya visits IRIS faculty and students


On Friday, March 15, the University of Georgia welcomed Dr. Walter Silva-Araya, Director of the Puerto Rico Water Resources and Environmental Research Institute (PRWRERI). This facility is dedicated to the investigation and development of water resources in Puerto Rico.

Dr. Silva-Araya is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez. He received his PhD in Civil Engineering from Washington State University and has worked in water resources for 30 years. He was also a PhD advisor for IRIS’s own Félix Santiago-Collazo, who organized the visit.

Throughout the day, Silva-Araya toured UGA facilities, met with UGA faculty and watched presentations from IRIS students. He gave a seminar in the Driftmier Engineering Center titled The impact of the Puerto Rico Water Resources Research Institute in Education, Science and Engineering Research in the Caribbean. This presentation explored a number of flood modeling and risk management projects from throughout Silva-Araya’s career.