How do you prepare for a disaster? Find a good systems analyst.

As part of an immersive learning experience, techie Shaun Wilson and a handful of fellow Ball State students used sophisticated Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster prediction software and Ball State’s cluster computer system to see how the city of Muncie might fare against disasters such as tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes.

The Business Fellows project teamed the student group with Delaware County Emergency Management officials, who didn’t have the computer power for the job. Using Ball State’s cluster computer system, the students efficiently prepared computer models and detailed predictions on a potential disaster’s effect on everything from property damage to loss of life—600-plus pages of finding. Officials will use these findings to plan and prepare for “what-if” scenarios and to try to gain legislative funding to help protect the citizens of Muncie.

“Knowing I was part of a team of seven or eight people to bring those documents together is a great feeling,” says Wilson, who recently graduated with majors in information systems and legal studies.

He’s also happy to know his hard work will make a community better prepared for the unexpected.