Dr. Dawn Digrius Researches Water Resources Management in Coastal Lowland Ecuador

Hoboken, NJ, May 14, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Dams, great engineering feats to aid in food production, hygiene, electricity, and myriad other modes, inevitably affect realms of politics, the environment, health, and ethics. A multidisciplinary student team from Stevens Institute of Technology is exploring this complex of issues from all angles, in order to better understand the interplay of engineered dams and the history of a people in coastal lowland Ecuador. The project is led by Dr. Dawn Digrius, Assistant Professor of History in the College of Arts and Letters at Stevens.

The three-year research project, titled “Sin agua no hay vida: Dams, Development and Agrarian Reform in Coastal Lowland Ecuador, a Socio-historical Approach,” investigates the intersection of technology, policy and ethics as it relates to water management and agriculture along the Santa Elena Peninsula in coastal lowland Ecuador. “Sin agua” examines the role of the state in water management projects; U.S.- Latin American relations and their influence on water management policies; the effects of the Alliance for Progress on local communities, environmental sustainability and water management; and also the ethics of water resources management. The multi-disciplinary project includes graduate and undergraduate students from History, Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Coastal Engineering, many of whom will travel this summer to Ecuador to conduct research. Though they come from many different fields, the students are united by the common thread of water: the project title translates to “without water, there is no life.”

“The project gives students a better understanding of not only how people in developing countries think about water, but also the effect of policy decisions on people far removed from the political and engineering processes,” says Dr. Lisa M. Dolling, Dean of the College of Arts and Letters. “We are very proud to have Dawn conducting this research, and very excited to learn what the team finds.”

Water management through damming streams is one of the most important issues facing a world that relies on water for everything from basic survival and food production to massive hydroelectric power creation. On earth, only 2.5 percent of water is fresh, a third of which is fluid. Only 1.7 percent of this runs in streams. “When you talk about water, you talk about people,” notes Nadira Najib, who is pursuing a Master’s of Engineering degree in Environmental Engineering. “There is a lot of social consciousness among environmental engineers, and this research project demonstrates how engineering activities affect people.”

Civil Engineering undergraduate Jonathan Rivas, who was born in Ecuador, has witnessed the destructive force of flooding in his home country, as well as inequity in access to water. “This project is very important, because some Ecuadorians pay very much of money for water and others don’t even have access to it,” he says. “Water is essential to everyone’s lives. It shouldn’t be limited.” Through the project, Jonathan hopes to better understand the political and social implications of damming rivers, in addition to the engineering considerations that went into the original damming projects.

Students working with Dr. Digrius will design and implement their own research agendas in their respective areas, as part of her research team. Goals for the project are to provide off-campus/international research opportunities for Stevens students, encourage collaborative works with researchers in developing countries, and foster a more global view of the world. In addition, as part of the College of Arts and Letters new Master’s Program in “Technology, Policy, and Ethics,” graduate students in CAL will now have a vehicle by which to translate what they learn in the classroom into a real-world setting. “The project crosses a lot of boundaries, and there is a lot involved with it, which is why it is so interesting,” Dr. Digrius says. “I can take students from all different areas working under this one aspect of water we can find a way to work on something that is interesting, important, and that gives them a sense that they can do research in their field.”

Laura Josephson, an Environmental Engineering major, hopes to apply her own learning in Environmental Engineering to conduct and in-depth study of water as a vital resource in Guayaquil. “I want to look into the resources of the village and water management, which is controlled by the state. Water used to be free, and now people have to pay for it.” Her technical knowledge of engineering will be supplemented by an understanding of the political and ethical situations that the building of the dam created. Though the dam was originally built as a way to provide water to poorer people, these people are now required to pay for their water, she explains. “Water is such a powerful resource, and everybody needs it to live.”

For more information on this project please contact Dr. Digrius at Dawn.Digrius@stevens.edu.

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