Prof. Ismael Pagán-Trinidad

Project Description:

Additional partners: Puerto Rico Coastal Management Program, Department of Natural and Environmental Resources; President, PR Climate Change Council, Environmental Protection Agency; Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, US Army Corp of Engineers; Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency; Federal Emergency Management Agency; Association of Professional Engineers of Puerto Rico; Community Resilient Building; RE-IMAGINE Puerto Rico; RISE Network

This project has the main goal of institutionalizing a Certificate in Multi-hazard Capacity Building to Mitigate Risks in Vulnerable Communities in Puerto Rico – Resilient Reconstruction Phase After Hurricane María and the January 2020 Earthquake Sequences to support the development of the multi-hazard resilience workforce education program and updating it to assist in the long term reconstruction of Puerto Rico. The certificate program will be institutionalized and hosted at the existing Civil Infrastructure Research Center (CIRC) at the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying at UPRM. The certificate program will strengthen the Center’s activities and leadership statewide under its focal thrust areas: Natural Disasters, Accidents and Civil Infrastructure in the areas of Structures, Transportation, Environmental and Water Resources, Geotechnical Engineering, Geospatial Analyses, and Construction.  Multi-hazard Certificates based on contact-hours achieved are envisioned to recognize participants’ achievements. The certificate program expects to engage and develop 1) faculty as leaders, trainers and train-the-trainers, 2) students as trainees through both an updated core course curriculum, and alternative learning opportunities for their broad formation in civil engineering and related disciplines, 3) professionals as trainees and continuing education development, and 4) community leaders as trainees to provide the knowledge necessary to form community leaders and achieve educated involvement in the reconstruction process of Puerto Rico. This project is envisioned to institutionalize the long-term permanence of operational activities and leadership on capacity building at UPRM which will act as a partner supporting many other initiatives within and outside the university. It is envisioned that UPRM will be a leader in multi-hazard education and preparedness to face expected future catastrophic events in Puerto Rico and elsewhere.

Project Abstract

Project Fact Sheet