UGA Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems

Who gets to design for resilience?

These UGA researchers working to address flood risks in San Juan, Puerto Rico say: everyone.

Rather than relying solely on traditional engineering approaches, the team is building a community-centered model that incorporates local knowledge at every phase of planning, design, and implementation.

“We want to learn how we can design flood mitigation solutions–culverts, rain gardens, stormwater systems, seawalls–in a way that includes local knowledge from the very beginning,” said Félix Santiago-Collazo, UGA project lead and University of Georgia College of Engineering assistant professor. “Not just at the end."

From flood mapping meetings with local representatives to sensor building workshops with high school students, the team of engineers and social scientists hopes to provide better early warning systems designed for–and by–the community.

🔗 https://iris.uga.edu/2026/07/09/flood-detection-for-communities-by-communities-in-san-juan-puerto-rico/

When decision-makers consider whether to invest in nature-based infrastructure, they often don’t have the full picture. Researchers at the University of Georgia’s Institute for Resilient Infrastructure have partnered with the Walton Family Foundation to change that.

A major part of choosing what projects to invest in implementing is estimating what benefits they’ll return– and sometimes more importantly, if those benefits measure up to what they’ll cost.

But traditional cost-benefit analyses often take a narrow view of what those benefits are. Widening our definition of “benefits” to include things that aren’t easily measured in currency–protection from floods, water storage during droughts, wildlife habitat, recreational value, and more–can help us make more informed decisions about our infrastructure investments.

Read more about how we took a closer look at the benefits of nature-based engineering: https://iris.uga.edu/2026/06/16/working-with-nature-pays-off-uga-study-finds-natural-infrastructure-delivers-returns-of-up-to-8-to-1/

As soon as the semester ends, we start preparing for the next one. For our ENVE 8330 course, the checklist goes beyond textbooks and laptops: this syllabus recommends, among other field gear, boots you don't mind sinking into muck.

Over a long weekend each semester, students trade lecture rooms for salt marshes, barrier islands and historic sites, in order to immerse themselves in the real-world ways communities on the coast are managing changing shorelines.

“They can see that these are not abstract problems,” said Dan Coleman, one of the course instructors. “These are real places, real systems and real communities.”

Read more: https://iris.uga.edu/2026/05/13/out-of-the-classroom-into-the-wild-students-gain-field-experiences-in-natural-infrastructure/

Don’t mind us, just reminiscing on our time with these amazing students that are taking flight this year 🥹

Congratulations to our spring & summer 2026 grads:

Clare DeBerry, MS Engineering, Environmental Engineering
Nazife Oruc Baci, PhD Engineering, Environment and Water
Orlando Viloria Marimon, PhD Engineering, Environment and Water
Noah Cleveland, Master of Landscape Architecture
Shishir Rao, PhD Integrative Conservation & Sustainability, Ecology
Jackson Robider, MS Engineering, Environmental Engineering
Madison LePain, MS Engineering, Environmental Engineering
Katie Kahn, MS Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering

We could not be more proud of you!

This week, the University of Georgia is celebrating exceptional faculty, staff, alumni and students during Honors Week, a spring tradition to highlight excellence around campus.

The Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems is honored to have been recognized with a Team Impact Award. Established by the UGA Research Foundation, these awards recognize exceptional, sustained research and creativity.

“The Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems (IRIS) is redefining how infrastructure systems are designed to protect communities in a rapidly changing world,” said UGA Today. “IRIS demonstrates how interdisciplinary team science can translate complex research into durable benefits for communities worldwide.”

Thank you to our incredible team of researchers, staff and students who help build the path to a more resilient future! 👏