August 2021
Carolina Velasquez Calderon > Other Awards
Awarded to a Biden School graduate student for demonstrating consistently superior performance in the field of urban affairs and public policy, particularly in the área of political economy.
Over the years, there has been increased evidence that some communities are exposed to greater risks due to social or economic inequalities. My doctoral research on the water crisis in San Andrés exposed this situation. I began in 2016 with an exploratory study of the crisis; subsequently, in 2018, fieldwork was carried out to identify new insights and delve into injustice issues related to the crisis response and recovery. It employs a constructivist perspective, studying various stakeholders’ understandings of the water crisis, crisis response, and water justice. Findings show that the crisis produced uneven impacts due to pre-existing social inequities in water quantity and distribution. Public officials framed the crisis response as a mainly supply-side issue that became the dominant narrative, in which the crisis could only be resolved by desalination expansion and with no considerations about safety, costs, or socio-economic, political, and environmental problems. This research revealed the critical overlap and convergence among water scarcity, technology, inequality, and climate change (Velásquez, 2015; Velásquez, 2018; Velásquez, 2020). My dissertation research received the Mark Haskell award, an honor given to a graduate student who has demonstrated consistent, superior performance in urban affairs and public policy, particularly in the political economy.
December 2009
Carolina Velasquez Calderon > Other Awards
Throughout my master’s in Caribbean studies at National University of Colombia, I studied vulnerability factors for indigenous family farmers after hurricane Beta, that resulted in a lack of capacity to adapt and resist effectively when a future hurricane strikes. In my master’s thesis, “Risk in agricultural production systems: Effects of Hurricane Beta over the islands of Providencia and Santa Catalina,” I collected 180 surveys and used a global vulnerability framework analysis. Results showed that socioeconomic indicators of a high degree of vulnerability were: lack of community organization, lack of financial incentives, and low incomes. Also, it revealed low levels of hurricane risk perception among farmers related to low priority in daily life and infrequency of occurrence; therefore, low implementation of self-protection measures was applied on farms. Despite the problems of these farmers, research revealed prioritization of tourism over agriculture in disaster response, this made that three years after the hurricane struck, farmers had been unable to recover (Velásquez, 2009; Santos-Martinez & Velásquez, 2010b; Velásquez, 2010; Velásquez, 2011). My research received meritorious recognition.
May 2019
Carolina Velasquez Calderon > Other Awards
University of Delaware, Office of Graduate and Professional Education, Professional Development Award. Grant to support travel to present at the Third Northern European Conference on Emergency and Disaster Studies in Uppsala, Sweden. (Awarded: May 2019)
June 2018
Carolina Velasquez Calderon > Other Awards
University of Delaware, Disaster Research Center. Fellowship to participate, as a presenter, in the ISA World Congress of Sociology- Research Committee on Disasters in Toronto, Canada. (Awarded: 2018)
July 2016
Carolina Velasquez Calderon > Other Awards
University of Colorado Natural Hazards Center Quick Response Grant Program funded by National Science Foundation. Grant number CMMI1030670 (Awarded: July 2016)
Velásquez, C. 2015. Community Perceptions of Water Access and Availability: San Andrés Island, Colombian Caribbean. Natural Hazards Center Quick Response Grant Report Series, 264. Boulder, CO: Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado Boulder. Available at: https://hazards.colorado.edu/quick-response-report/community-perceptions-of-water-access-and-availability-san-andres-island-colombian-caribbean
June 2016
Carolina Velasquez Calderon > Other Awards
University of Delaware, Disaster Research Center. Russel Dynes Fellowship to support travel to present at the 41st Annual Natural Hazard Research and Applications Workshop (Awarded: June 2016)
October 2008
Carolina Velasquez Calderon > Other Awards
Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Caribbean Headquarters, Grant to develop Master’s thesis research (Awarded: 2008)
November 2001
Carolina Velasquez Calderon > Other Awards
Universidad Autonoma de Occidente. Grant to develop bachelor’s thesis research (Awarded: 2001)
August 2015
Carolina Velasquez Calderon > Other Awards
The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation of Colombia (MINCIENCIAS). Ph.D. Scholarship “Doctorados en el Exterior, number 646.” (Awarded: 2015-2019)
Awards
Other Memberships/Affiliations
Sociedad de doctores e investigadores de Colombia SoPhic
Red Mujeres para la Red en LAC
Degrees:
2020
Doctorate
Social and Economic Sciences
2009
Master
Social and Economic Sciences
2003
Undergraduate
Social and Economic Sciences
Publications resulting from Research
Velásquez C. (2022). Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres basado en Ecosistemas. Corporación Ambiental CORALINA- Universidad Nacional de Colombia, sede Caribe. Documento de trabajo. In press.
Velásquez C. (2022). Social vulnerability analysis in the Archipiélago of San Andres, Providencia y Santa Catalina. Corporación Ambiental CORALINA- Universidad Nacional de Colombia, sede Caribe. Documento de trabajo. In press.
Velasquez C. Santos-Martinez A. y Pratto J. (2022). Protocolo Síntesis de evaluación y restauración de ecosistemas después de eventos climáticos extremos caso huracanes: Archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina - RB Seaflower, Colombia. Corporación Ambiental CORALINA- Universidad Nacional de Colombia, sede Caribe. Documento de trabajo. In press.
Velásquez, C. (2020). The 2016 Water Crisis in San Andres Island: An Opportunity for Change? Ciencia Política, 15(29), 73-109. https://doi.org/10.15446/cp.v15n29.86373
Velásquez, C. (2018). Making Sense of 2016 Water crisis in San Andrés. A Colombian Caribbean island. Anais Bra. De Est. Turisticos /ABET, 8 (3), 59-73. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/ejemplar/512805
Mantilla S., Velásquez, C., Roman R., and James J. (2016). Desarrollo y Turismo Sostenible en el Caribe [Sustainable Development and Tourism in the Caribbean]. Centro de Pensamiento del Caribe. Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Caribe. San Andrés isla, Colombia. https://books.google.com.co/books/about/Desarrollo_y_turismo_sostenible_en_el_Ca.html?id=tzSrDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Santos-Martínez, A. and Velásquez, C. (Eds.). (2008). Gestión del riesgo y Manejo de Crisis frente a Huracanes, Guía de Preparación [Hurricane preparation guide for risk management and crisis management]. Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Sede Caribe. San Andrés isla, Colombia.
Velásquez, C. (2011). La Percepción del riesgo de los agricultores de la isla de Providencia y Santa Catalina [Risk perception of farmers on the islands of Providencia and Santa Catalina facing hurricanes]. In Roman R. (Ed.) Cultura, Sociedad, Desarrollo e Historia en el Caribe colombiano [Culture, Society, Development and History in the Colombian Caribbean]. (pp. 135-167). Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
Velásquez, C. and Santos-Martínez A. (2010). Vulnerabilidad socioeconómica de los agricultores frente a huracanes en las islas de Providencia y Santa Catalina, Caribe colombiano [Socio-economic vulnerability of farmers facing hurricanes on the islands of Providencia and Santa Catalina, Colombian Caribbean]. Gestión y Ambiente, 13 (1), 07-20. https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/gestion/article/view/25376
Catedra Nacional de Pensamiento Crítico caribe
2025
Virtual, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, sede Caribe
Desastres en el Caribe: Vulnerabilidad en el Archipielago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina
Serie de conferencias Centro de Investigaciones Sociales -CIS
2025
Universidad de Puerto Rico
Social construction of water crises
The Fourth Northern European Conference on Emergency and Disaster Studies
2025
Uppsala, Sweden
The 2016 water crisis in San Andres Island: An opportunity for change?
XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology, RC39 Sociology of Disasters, Livelihood Resilience and Vulnerability
2025
Toronto, Canada
Making sense of the 2016 San Andres water crisis, a Colombian Caribbean Island
Fortaleciendo la capacidad de recuperación post desastre de la reserva de biosfera Seaflower/ Learning from Hurricanes: Strengthening the Seaflowers capacity for disaster Recovery
2025
Virtual, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Caribe
La respuesta institucional y comunitaria, ante el paso de huracanes en la reserva de biosfera Seaflower / The institutional and community response to hurricanes in the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve
2025
Virtual, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Caribe
Perspectiva ambiental post desastre: Conocimiento, recuperación y restauración ecológica en Seaflower. Post-disaster environmental perspective: knowledge, recovery, and ecological restoration in Seaflower.
2025
Virtual, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Caribe