Victor Miguel Ponce

Victor Miguel Ponce, professor of civil and environmental engineering, has enjoyed an international academic career spanning almost 30 years, beginning in 1976, when he traveled to Pakistan to carry out field studies for his Ph.D. dissertation. Subsequently, and since joining SDSU in 1980, he has been involved in teaching and research activities in many countries, particularly in Latin America and Asia.

He has been directly involved in research and teaching in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru. In Asia, his research has taken him to India and Pakistan. He has also taught at universities in Spain and Portugal. In 1989, he published a textbook, "Engineering Hydrology, Principles and Practices" (Prentice Hall), which continues to be used at universities around the world.

In 1993, Ponce spent a sabbatical leave at the Universidade Federal de Ceara, Brazil, studying the drought polygon of Brazil's Nordeste region. This experience was instrumental in the development of a conceptual model of drought characterization several years later. In 1995, he played a key role in the environmental impact study for the proposed Parana-Paraguay Waterway. This work led to restrictions imposed on planned development in order to protect threatened ecosystems in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Since 1998, Ponce has been involved in U.S.-Mexico border research through activities funded by the Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP). Under his leadership as principal investigator, the Ojos Negros Binational Research Group completed studies on groundwater depletion (2000-01) and environmental sustainability (2001-02) in the Ojos Negros Valley of Baja California.

In 2003-04, Ponce led another binational team of researchers designing Arroyo Alamar in Tijuana to reduce the impact of seasonal flooding in the area. His interdisciplinary approach considered hydrological, ecological, social and economic factors involved in multipurpose use of the river. Currently, his research team is working on a similar project in the Tecate Creek Watershed, part of the Tijuana River Basin. He is also working with the city of Tlaxiaco and the Instituto Tecnologico de Tlaxiaco in the High Mixtec region of Oaxaca, Mexico, to design a specially constructed ecological wetland that would clean up the Tlaxiaco River, polluted by sewage discharges. This wetland simulates natural processes in the cleaning of wastewater, removing more than 95 percent of contaminants.

Ponce interacts continuously with colleagues, correspondents and counterparts in various universities overseas. Since 1997, he has taught 10 short courses in Latin American universities. His Web site is one of the most extensive of its kind in the United States, and he is recognized as an international expert is his field. Ponce was quoted in the Feb. 22, 2005 issue of National Geographic concerning his work on the Brazilian tidal wave or “pororoca.”