For Immediate Release
April 11, 2011

Researching Water and How it Affects the Development of Governments

Cañada Student Tristan Sheldon Will Present His Research at Stanford University.

Business major Tristan Sheldon is fascinated with the role water played in the governance of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. He will be presenting research on the subject at the annual Bay Area Honors Research Symposium at Stanford University on May 7. He will also present at Cañada's Research Symposium on April 25.

“I participated in the study abroad trip to Egypt and saw the Aswan Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa,” Sheldon said. “As we traveled around Egypt, I began to understand how influential water was in the development of the society.”

Sheldon said the governance of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia can be analyzed through their use of water. “This poses the question: How could something as simple and as necessary as water affect the development of these societies’ governments?”

Sheldon said his research will look at how controlling the local waterways resulted in population growth and the cultivation of a trade network which influenced government decisions. “The construction of dams, canals, and irrigation systems provided the basis for the growth in this region,” Sheldon said. “The benefits that each river system delivered seemed endless but the drawbacks, if left unchecked, were very severe. Through government control, the river systems were able to be utilized for maximum profitability.”

Sheldon has been studying at Cañada since 2009 and hopes to transfer to UCLA or UC Berkeley in the fall. He plans to study business and economics.

For more information, contact Robert Hood, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, at hoodr@smccd.edu or 306-3340