This event will be a comparison of the cultural and ecological consequences of the Aswan and Kinzua dams.

Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) will provide a virtual film screening of two documentaries, one about each dam, on a designated webpage throughout Environmental History Week for viewers to visit at their leisure. These films are Lake of Betrayal, about Kinzua, and the World Saves Abu Simbel, about Aswan.

On Thursday night (April 22nd, 6pm-7pm EST), we will host a virtual roundtable discussion, featuring an interdisciplinary panel of experts, to answer participant questions and make connections between these two infrastructure programs. Key points of departure will include how is culture and community connected to land and water, how is the designation of cultural heritage determined and by whom, and how are the cultural and ecological impacts of such large-scale infrastructure programs intertwined? Discussion will help viewers from the Pittsburgh area learn more about the history of our city and surrounding area while also making broader global connections. Panelists will include an ecologist, an Egyptologist, a representative from the Seneca Nation, and other relevant historical and engineering experts.