About me
Dr. Walter F Silva Araya is the Director of the Puerto Rico Water Resources and the Environment of Puerto Rico (PRWRERI). He has over thirty years of experience teaching, research, and consulting practice in hydraulic and hydrological engineering. In the academy, he has held administrative positions, including Director of the Research and Development Center of the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez, Director of the Department of Engineering Science and Materials (previously known as the Department of General Engineering), and Associate Director of the Center for Hemispheric Cooperation. Dr. Silva Araya was Director of the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory of the University of Puerto Rico and Associate Director of the PRWRERI from 1995 to 2021. He is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Surveying of the UPR-Mayaguez. Dr. Silva-Araya's research areas include hydraulic transients, hydraulic modeling of piping systems, one- and two-dimensional river and channel models, stormwater systems, erosion studies, and sediment transport.
Besides supporting masters and doctoral students, he offers practical training to engineers and other professionals, creating advanced courses in the aforementioned subjects and offering seminars in Puerto Rico and abroad. He regularly offers seminars for the Transportation Technology Transfer Center of Puerto Rico (http://prltap.org/esp/) on the design of storm sewer systems, hydrological/hydraulic studies, erosion control in projects, and bridge scour.
Dr. Silva-Araya does reviews for the Journal of Hydraulic Engineering and coauthored manuals and guides for the academy and the agencies of the Government of Puerto Rico. He is a member of the College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico (CIAPR), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and the International Association of Hydraulic Research (IAHR).
All the best!
Research
Director of the Puerto Rico water resources and environmental research institute.
