C. Puerto, H. Cavallín, J. Perdomo, J. Muñoz, M. Suárez, D. Vázquez
The damage caused to Puerto Rico's infrastructure by Hurricane María in 2017 and the seismic sequence in 2020 provided evidence that, after a natural disaster, the collaboration of different disciplines is necessary to rebuild the damaged infrastructure using new paradigms. To develop a new generation of engineering and architecture professionals who work in an integrated way to face the challenges caused by natural events, the Resilient Infrastructure and Sustainability Education - Undergraduate Program (RISE-UP) was created. The program is structured using a collaborative platform between three campuses of the University of Puerto Rico system and is based on an interdisciplinary approach using Project-Based Learning (PBL). RISE-UP consists of four courses that are part of a minor degree that is complemented by internship and undergraduate research opportunities. The courses are taken sequentially in a process that starts with the presentation of basic content and techniques, to the application of that knowledge in an integrated design project. To date, a total of 64 students have entered the program, divided into two cohorts according to their admission into the program. Students in both cohorts reflect the diversity that the project seeks in terms of specialty area, campus, and gender. The results of the student evaluations indicate that 100% of the students find the PBL methodology "valuable" or "very valuable" to understand the importance of a sustainable and resilient infrastructure, putting into practice the concepts learned. This program serves as an example of the benefits of information technology integrations to allow students from different campuses to work together toward a common goal.
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Published on 19/02/21Accepted on 19/02/21Submitted on 19/02/21
Volume 19-20, 2021Licence: CC BY-NC-SA license
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