BY HUDO GERBICH PAIS '25

When a dam fails, most would turn to scientists and engineers. But what happens when the problem isn’t concrete and steel? The interdisciplinary work conducted by Sarah Davidson, a Rice senior majoring in history, illustrates that humanists play a vital role in understanding how economic development and the built environment can impact society. In other words, in examining how dams fail their communities.

The Ituango hydroelectric dam — the largest dam in Colombia — was not on Davidson’s radar when she came to Rice or when she was selected as an Elizabeth Lee Moody Research Fellow in the Humanities and Arts. It was Rice assistant professor of history Laura Correa Ochoa, whom Davidson had cold-emailed in March 2023, who suggested that she should consider researching the project.

“I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, except that I wanted it to be a history project, and [Correa Ochoa] suggested I look into this dam,” Davidson said. “I was very interested because I had been doing projects on environmental justice and infrastructure and how it affects people in the surrounding communities.”

Her project, titled “The War for Hidroituango: The history of violence, power, and hydroelectric energy in Antioquia, Colombia,” combines archival materials, government documents, newspaper articles and photographs. It traces the dam’s history and impact from its original conception in 1950 to its eventual opening in 2022 — a period that was marred by paramilitary activity, displacement, massacres, engineering failings, corruption and flooding.

Davidson said she wanted her project to be digital and public-facing. She settled on using ArcGIS StoryMaps, a software she discovered at Rice that allows its users to create interactive multimedia digital exhibits.

“A lot of the [impact of the dam] is hidden in these lengthy government documents and reports, and [ArcGIS] allowed my findings to be more accessible to the public,” said Davidson.
The complexity of Colombia did not stop Davidson’s research. “[Studying] Colombia can be so tricky, and she seems so unfazed by it all. She was just like, ‘Yeah, I’ll go to the archive and figure it out,’” said Correa Ochoa.

The Moody fellowship allowed Davidson to spend a summer researching the dam, which included a visit to Medellin, Colombia.

“Being there helped me to get a broader cultural perspective,” said Davidson. “Just talking to people there about what had been going on for the last 60 years and the conflict that had happened within the city and the surrounding area helped.”