By Jessica Wu ’14

A Dam Good Visit

On our first visit to POLI-USP, Professor Monica Porto led us on a tour of the hydrological labs in her department and showed us their latest projects.  We were soon led into a massive tarp covered structure with a metal roof; I thought I was being transported back in time. 

The humid air, the beating sun, the tarp, and the metal clad roof were all familiar to me; I have been here before.  This is my first adventure in South America, my first visit to Sao Paulo, Brazil, but this is my second year participating in the POLI-USP & SEAS collaborative J-term course.  

Last year’s course brought us to the Mississippi River delta, to Vicksburg, Louisiana for several hearty meals of catfish and visits to the United States Corps of Engineers Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC).  Ducking under the low hanging side panels at USP, I simultaneously experienced both déjà vu and nostalgia.  In front of us was a hydrological model of the dam that’s currently under construction at Jirau, which, at first glance, looked like a direct replica of the model of a segment of the Mississippi where a bridge traverses the river that resides at ERDC.

After some examination, it seems that the expansive models in both locations were constructed, first, by drawing a 100:1 topographic map.  Then, thin sheets of steel are vertically planted into the concrete foundation to form contour lines.  Lastly, each elevation is filled with concrete and leveled.  I stood with John – who is a fellow returning participant – to discuss whether the model had a fish ladder [pictured].  {Unofficial} Answer: negative.  Oh, the poor Brazilian catfish…

As we stood under the boiling tent, I remembered the event that the Brazilian students anticipated most last year: cold snow and lots of it; but last year was an abnormally calm winter in the northeast – a sign of global warming?  There was not a single dusting of snow for the first 3 weeks of the course.  Then, miraculously, snow began falling on the last night of the course, as we approached midnight and our last day together.  Everyone was excited and bundled up to go outside to experience their first taste of snowfall. 

I am certain my nostalgia will fade as we make new visits and continue on our journey as a unit.  My time in Brazil has already proven to be amazing due to the special site visits and, especially, the people.  We are en route to Paraty and I’m already looking forward to jumping into the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, and adding more ‘memories to last a lifetime.

Jessica is an undergraduate at Harvard in the S.B. in Mechanical and Materials Engineering program.