Rafael L. Bras
Encyclopedia
Dr. Rafael L. Bras is an American Civil Engineer
and currently serves as Provost
to the Georgia Institute of Technology
.
, Puerto Rico
. He studied at MIT, where he received a B.S. in 1972, an M.S., 1974, and an Sc.D., 1975. On completion of his doctorate, he worked for a time as an assistant professor at the University of Puerto Rico
school of engineering, and performed some consulting work on the island.
He returned to MIT where he has held multiple positions. His last position there was an endowed professorship in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is a former department head, and also holds a joint appointment in the Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. He has served as Associate Director, Center for Global Change Science.
, and has also served as a professional consultant in multiple projects around the world.
He is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers
, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, the American Geophysical Union
and the Boston Society of Civil Engineers, and a member of the International Association for Hydraulic Research and the American Meteorological Society. He is also a registered professional engineer
in several states. He is listed as a Highly Cited Researcher by ISI
.
On April 24, 2008, Bras was appointed as dean of The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine
, effective September 1, 2008 http://www.ocbj.com/industry_article.asp?aID=91046717.2784953.1617889.5794734.3966928.222&aID2=124444.
On July 15, 2010, Bras was named provost
of the Georgia Institute of Technology
.
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
and currently serves as Provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
to the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
.
Academic
Bras was born in San JuanSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. He studied at MIT, where he received a B.S. in 1972, an M.S., 1974, and an Sc.D., 1975. On completion of his doctorate, he worked for a time as an assistant professor at the University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
school of engineering, and performed some consulting work on the island.
He returned to MIT where he has held multiple positions. His last position there was an endowed professorship in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is a former department head, and also holds a joint appointment in the Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. He has served as Associate Director, Center for Global Change Science.
Professional
As an engineering hydrologist, his major areas of interest include land-atmosphere interactions and geomorphology. He is considered one of the world's leading experts in global warmingGlobal warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, and has also served as a professional consultant in multiple projects around the world.
He is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Civil Engineers
The American Society of Civil Engineers is a professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. It is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. ASCE's vision is to have engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward...
, the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, the American Geophysical Union
American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union is a nonprofit organization of geophysicists, consisting of over 50,000 members from over 135 countries. AGU's activities are focused on the organization and dissemination of scientific information in the interdisciplinary and international field of geophysics...
and the Boston Society of Civil Engineers, and a member of the International Association for Hydraulic Research and the American Meteorological Society. He is also a registered professional engineer
Professional Engineer
Regulation of the engineering profession is established by various jurisdictions of the world to protect the safety, well-being and other interests of the general public, and to define the licensure process through which an engineer becomes authorized to provide professional services to the...
in several states. He is listed as a Highly Cited Researcher by ISI
Institute for Scientific Information
The Institute for Scientific Information was founded by Eugene Garfield in 1960. It was acquired by Thomson Scientific & Healthcare in 1992, became known as Thomson ISI and now is part of the Healthcare & Science business of the multi-billion dollar Thomson Reuters Corporation.ISI offered...
.
On April 24, 2008, Bras was appointed as dean of The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
, effective September 1, 2008 http://www.ocbj.com/industry_article.asp?aID=91046717.2784953.1617889.5794734.3966928.222&aID2=124444.
On July 15, 2010, Bras was named provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
of the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
.
Honors and Awards
- Membership in the National Academy of EngineeringNational Academy of EngineeringThe National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
- Giants in Science Award of the Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Mathematics, Science and Engineering Network
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award, MIT
- William Mong Distinguished Lecture, University of Hong Kong
- Albert Baez, Jr. Award and the Outstanding Hispanic Educator Award, Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Award Conference
- Horton Lecturer, American Meteorological Society
- Clarke Prize Laureate
- Walter Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize, ASCE
- Honorary doctorate (Laurea) from the University of PerugiaUniversity of PerugiaUniversity of Perugia is a public-owned university based in Perugia, Italy. It was founded in 1308, as attested by the Bull issued by Pope Clement V certifying the birth of the Studium Generale....
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... - James B. Macelwane MedalJames B. Macelwane MedalA medal awarded annually by the American Geophysical Union "to be awarded annually for significant contributions by outstanding young scientists." It is named after James B. Macelwane, a Jesuit priest and one of the pioneers of seismology...
of the American Geophysical Union - John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship
- Killian Award lecture, MIT
- Robert E. Horton MedalRobert E. Horton MedalThe Robert E. Horton Medal is given out by the American Geophysical Union to recognize "outstanding contributions to the geophysical aspects of hydrology". The award was created in 1974 and named after Robert E. Horton to honor his contributions to the study of the hydrologic cycle. The Horton...
of the American Geophysical Union - Anthony J. Drexel Exceptional Achievement Award
See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican scientists and inventors