Mid Michigan College students create three-dimensional printed model of area waterways to help prevent disaster from striking again

Just over a year after a flood that was widely referred to as a 500-year event due to the intensity of its impact, students of Mid Michigan College have finished a project that they hope will help develop strategies to prevent another disaster of that magnitude. MMC students in the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honor society worked with GoEngineer to build a 3D printed model of the flood zone to analyze whether or not the failure of the Edenville and Sanford dams was caused by poor maintenance alone or if multiple factors combined to lead to their breach. Students also wanted to know how the community and local officials could be better prepared for the next time flooding occurs. The group's work garnered both state and national recognition from PTK.

In May of 2020, rainstorms began sweeping through mid Michigan and lasted for two days. The resulting flood forced the evacuation of around 10,000 residents from the area surrounding the Tittabawassee River. An article published by MLive a few days later states that up to seven inches of rain fell over those two days, leading to the failure of the Edenville Dam and significant damage to the Sanford Dam. The flooding led to a federal emergency declaration, which enabled the area to receive funding to clean up the aftermath.

Some debate ensued within the community and the government about whether or not the failures of the two dams in question were attributable to a lack of maintenance, or if conditions were so extreme that the failure was inevitable. Mid Michigan College students involved in PTK embarked on a project to analyze the flood and the dam failures to determine the cause of the dam breaches and research ways to better prepare the region for the next time flood waters rise. They collaborated with faculty and administration at the college and spoke to local officials to conduct their research, according to a release from GoEngineer, a company that assisted the students in building a 3D topographical map as part of the analysis. 

Director of Student Advancement and Mid's Phi Theta Kappa Chapter Advisor, Tammy Alvaro, explained more about the project in the release from GoEngineer. "This year, our students chose to focus on the extreme flooding our area experienced in early 2020 for their Honors in Action project. Students set goals as a team, researched a topic, collaborated with other students, faculty, staff, and community and business leaders to create an action plan based on what they discovered from their research. These activities gave the students soft skills and tools they will take into their futures to help our communities prepare for future challenges they may face," Alvaro said.

The students were able to tour the flood zone and dam sites after contacting Robert North, Gladwin County's Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director. After the site visits, the students analyzed the data, concluding that no one factor could be said to have caused the dam failure. Instead, they observed that multiple factors, including the immense amount of rainfall and the presence of man-made structures in the floodplain all contributed to the dam failures, resulting in the need to evacuate so many from the area.

After the analysis was completed, the team of Mid Michigan College PTK students decided that creating a 3D topographical map would be beneficial to local officials in educating the community and taking steps to mitigate widespread flood damage in the future. After attempting to create the map using the college's printers but running into technological limitations, the students were connected to GoEngineer through Professor Eric Sander. With the help of the GoEngineer lab in Auburn Hills, Michigan, the 3D model was constructed using Fused Deposition Modeling technology. 

The hard work of the students appears to be paying off, as Mid Michigan College's PTK Honor Society received numerous awards and recognitions at this year's National Virtual Catalyst and Virtual Michigan Regional Conventions, as reported by a release from the college. Student President of the chapter, Lindsey Marlin, said, "I am so proud of all that our team has accomplished this year. In the midst of trials and disappointment we continued to persevere. Our commitment and passion to our College and community is what made this dream a reality. What an honor it is to be nationally recognized! We are so very thankful to all who made this possible. I will forever be grateful for the lifelong friendships and knowledge that I have gained through PTK during this past year, and I can't wait to see what the future holds."