Lafayette Tech Clinic

Below are additional details on the 2008-9 output of the Lafayette Tech Clinic that focused on flood education, programming, and exhibits.

• The game developed by the Tech Clinic, called Dam Manager, operates similarly to games such as Sim City, in putting the young player in control of the decisionmaking. In this case, the players make decisions about the construction and management of dams, and learn the technical and social consequences of their decisions. The game was developed in cooperation with a Lafayette Computer Science and Electrical Engineering class, to educate a young audience on the importance and relevance of dams and flood control. 

• The video lesson developed by the Tech Clinic is for elementary school children focuses on the water cycle and floods, and features geology professor Dru Germanoski.

• The additional exhibit and outreach ideas developed by the Tech Clinic include a plan for a building entrance with footage of moving water that will “surround” the visitor with a tranquil setting, designed to put visitors in a contemplative frame of mind; a flood wall exhibit that offers a perspective of flooding at well-known landmarks in Easton on a life-size scale; suggestions for incorporating the arts into the Center’s programming; and a marketing plan for the museum.

• The documentary film developed by the Tech Clinic includes interviews of a diverse group of individuals in Easton, who were affected by the 2004, 2005, and 2006 floods.

• The website developed by the clinic collects flood facts, current water levels, and information on the impacts that previous floods have had on the Easton community.