Lori Walters Archives | University of Central Florida News Central Florida Research, Arts, Technology, Student Life and College News, Stories and More Mon, 17 Oct 2022 14:11:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/blogs.dir/20/files/2019/05/cropped-logo-150x150.png Lori Walters Archives | University of Central Florida News 32 32 The Way We Remember /news/the-way-we-remember/ Mon, 17 Oct 2022 13:36:17 +0000 /news/?p=131750 Researchers at UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 School of Modeling, Simulation and Training are merging history and computer science to bring the past back to life.

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Lori Walters and Joseph Kider make an interesting research team at UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 School of Modeling, Simulation and Training (SMST). Walters grew up under the blue skies of South Florida. Kider grew up in inner-city Philadelphia. Walters would watch I Dream of Jeannie after school. Kider played baseball with the guys. Walters teaches courses for UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 history department and has an admiration for technology. Kider 麻豆精品 S檚 a computer science expert and a SMST associate professor who appreciates history.

麻豆精品 S淚 just finished a book about the history of the pixel, 麻豆精品 S Kider says proudly, before admitting, 麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 not at Lori 麻豆精品 S檚 level. 麻豆精品 S

They even speak different languages.

麻豆精品 S淲hen I work with people like Joe, 麻豆精品 S Walters says, 麻豆精品 S淚 have to say, 麻豆精品 S極K, talk to me without the deep computer terminology. I 麻豆精品 S檓 an historian here. 麻豆精品 S 麻豆精品 S

They exemplify the interdisciplinary spirit of SMST by using what Kider calls 麻豆精品 S渁 shared mental model. 麻豆精品 S Walters might describe an object as shiny while Kider will talk about its specular bidirectional reflectance distribution factor.

麻豆精品 S淭he blend of disciplines is why we 麻豆精品 S檙e productive, 麻豆精品 S Kider says. 麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檙e artists, philosophers, architects, engineers, historians and computer scientists, all working on big societal applications. 麻豆精品 S

Walters says it like this: 麻豆精品 S淚 can go to smart people like Joe with a cool idea and ask if we can bring it to life. 麻豆精品 S

Their latest project coming to life is called MemoryScan. Once fully developed, the MemoryScan system will allow end-users to go back in time, through virtual or augmented reality, and experience locations the way they once were. It could be Sunset Strip from 50 years ago or a neighborhood from when your parents were growing up. The pilot project, which could be launched in early 2023, will be a virtual drive through Cocoa Beach, Florida, during the Space Program 麻豆精品 S檚 heyday from the 1950s into the mid 1970s.

麻豆精品 S淢emoryScan is as the name suggests, 麻豆精品 S says Walters. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 using the memories that people have of a location and preserving them as a virtual experience for future generations. 麻豆精品 S

The project has attracted internal grants from UCF and partnerships with companies like Langan Engineering. Most recently, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded a grant that will allow MemoryScan to incorporate technology to make it a more vivid experience.

麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 amazed at how far we 麻豆精品 S檝e come in bringing history to life, 麻豆精品 S says Walters. It 麻豆精品 S檚 an idea that took root in her mind years ago.

Associate Research Professor Lori Walters conducting a Terrestrial Laser Scan of a building rooftop.

The Seeds of MemoryScan

Before earning a Ph.D. from Florida State, Walters studied at Florida Atlantic where she followed up a bachelor 麻豆精品 S檚 in U.S. history with a master 麻豆精品 S檚 in the same field. One assignment changed her aspirations: a research paper on anything in Florida intriguing enough to justify 25 pages. Walters remembered a drive north on A1A and seeing Cocoa Beach.

麻豆精品 S淭here were still signs up from the 1960s calling it Missileland, USA, 麻豆精品 S she says. 麻豆精品 S淪o, I thought it would be fun to find out what the area had been like when the space program was growing there. 麻豆精品 S

Her fascination for the city 麻豆精品 S檚 past began. Later, ,she went back to Cocoa Beach to conduct oral histories with people who had worked at Cape Canaveral during the space race. She noticed a concrete ramp, the only remnant of the launch complex where John Glenn made history by rocketing into orbit.

麻豆精品 S淚 wondered how the history might be recreated, so it wouldn 麻豆精品 S檛 be lost forever, 麻豆精品 S Walters says.

A thousand miles away, a high schooler in Philly was getting caught up in another world of wonder: Toy Story.

麻豆精品 S淭he way they made the movie through physics and renderings had an impact on what I 麻豆精品 S檓 doing today, 麻豆精品 S Kider says.

What he 麻豆精品 S檚 doing with MemoryScan, specifically, started with a phone call from Walters in early 2021. Walters had been talking with longtime Cocoa Beach residents to preserve their memories through audio recordings and written material. One woman, Vivian Lindauer, took Walters on an unforgettable mental tour of the old Missileland.

Screenshot of Cocoa Beach Glass Bank 3D model in Unreal.

麻豆精品 S淪he went into amazing detail, right down to the furniture and types of calculators that were used in the iconic Glass Bank [formally known as The First Federal Savings and Loan], 麻豆精品 S Walters says. 麻豆精品 S淭hen she closed her eyes and literally described motels to me as if we were driving up A1A 50 years ago. That 麻豆精品 S檚 when I thought, 麻豆精品 S楾his is what has always been missing from oral histories: Put people in a vehicle, drive around and record history as they describe it. 麻豆精品 S

After mentally cruising the town with Vivian, Walters met with Kider and asked if it could be done. Can we provide people with prompts and take down the memories as they travel around? Can we track not just the words, but the gestures, the vocal inflections and the long pauses at points of interest? Can we capture so much of their memory that the memory then become a virtual experience for others?

Kider said yes. He suggested using devices to track eye and hand movements, cameras, GPS and crystal-clear audio recordings.

麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 why I like working in SMST with people who love technology, 麻豆精品 S Walters says. 麻豆精品 S淭hey find a way. 麻豆精品 S

Preliminary version of a participant in immersive experience driving through Cocoa Beach, Florida, along A1A in virtual reality.

The Future of MemoryScan

During her quest for Cocoa Beach 麻豆精品 S檚 experiential history, Walters has collected plenty of mementos. Pictures, blueprints, restaurant menus, hotel logos. They 麻豆精品 S檙e used to prime the remembrances of people who were there in the day. The cues are crucial, but the people complete the mosaic.

麻豆精品 S淭hey 麻豆精品 S檙e the key to everything, 麻豆精品 S Walters says. 麻豆精品 S淥nce they 麻豆精品 S檙e gone, any uncaptured memories are gone with them. 麻豆精品 S

The history of Cocoa Beach and its proximity to UCF have made it an ideal test bed. But Walters and Kider stress that MemoryScan grew from idea to reality because of Vivian Lindauer. When she passed away earlier this year, they gave MemoryScan a code name: Project Vivian.

麻豆精品 S淟ori always tells me to focus on the people, not on the science, 麻豆精品 S Kider says. 麻豆精品 S淭he code name is a good reminder of that. 麻豆精品 S

With the funding from NEH, they 麻豆精品 S檒l be able to add depth and vividness to Project Vivian. And then? Walters envisions MemoryScan being used to capture old Miami Beach. Kider imagines his kids seeing where he grew up in Philadelphia.

麻豆精品 S淎s we become older, the memories of our favorite places become more important, 麻豆精品 S Kider says. 麻豆精品 S淭hat 麻豆精品 S檚 what binds us together because we 麻豆精品 S檙e all from somewhere. 麻豆精品 S

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NEH-2022_2 Lori Walters conducting a Terrestrial Laser Scan of a building rooftop. NEH-2022 Screenshot of Cocoa Beach Glass Bank 3D model in Unreal. NEH-2022_3 Preliminary version of a participant in immersive experience driving through Cocoa Beach, Florida, along A1A in virtual reality.
UCF Researchers to Use Laser Scanners to Digitally Preserve New York 麻豆精品 S檚 Iconic TWA Flight Center /news/laser-scanners-twa-flight-center/ /news/laser-scanners-twa-flight-center/#comments Thu, 11 Jun 2015 18:02:50 +0000 /news/?p=66817 The TWA Flight Center at New York 麻豆精品 S檚 John F. Kennedy International Airport looks like something straight out of Mad Men, an architectural marvel that evokes the wings of a bird and the dawn of the Jet Age.

Historians worry that looming plans to develop the Trans World Airlines terminal as a hotel may sacrifice some of the iconic features that earned it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Next week, researchers from the University of Central Florida will lead a team that will use high-tech laser scanners to capture the interior and exterior of the structure before that may happen.

麻豆精品 S淭his is one of the great masterpieces of midcentury architecture, 麻豆精品 S said researcher Lori Walters of the Institute for Simulation & Training and the Department of History, both at UCF. 麻豆精品 S淲e want to preserve it for future generations as it looks prior to any modifications that will be made in the near future. 麻豆精品 S

The data will be used to create a finely detailed 3-D model of the building designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen that users could virtually explore.

麻豆精品 S淚t will enable you to walk around and interface with the environment, so you 麻豆精品 S檒l be able hear an oral history snippet, see photographs, read documents, learn about the period and what jet travel was like in the 1960s, 麻豆精品 S Walters said.

TWA Flight Center Interior

Working with UCF history instructor Michelle Adams, Walters has created digital 3-D depictions as varied as the New York State Pavilion from the 1964-65 World 麻豆精品 S檚 Fair, NASA 麻豆精品 S檚 Saturn V rocket and the Apollo 14 capsule.

They use sophisticated, tripod-mounted scanners that bounce lasers off objects, creating a point cloud 聽of buildings and objects. Multiple scans are stitched together to create a 3-D depiction accurate down to two millimeters.

At Kennedy Airport, they 麻豆精品 S檝e worked with the Port Authority to gain access to the TWA Flight Center, where scans are expected to start on Monday, June 15, and take five days. They 麻豆精品 S檒l be assisted by a crew from Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, as well as Rutgers University engineering professor Jie Gong and RU graduate students.

The TWA Flight Center opened in 1962, a year after Saarinen died. Its sweeping wings, use of glass and light, and fanciful interior have long captured the imagination. It was featured in the Steven Spielberg film 麻豆精品 S淐atch Me if You Can 麻豆精品 S starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

The building has been vacant since 2001, when TWA ceased operations. The Port Authority is reportedly in negotiations with a developer to turn it into a hotel.

Walters, whose research focuses on post-World War II, particularly the 1950s and 麻豆精品 S60s, said the building should be remembered.

麻豆精品 S淚 wanted our next project to be something that was representative of the era, and something that 麻豆精品 S I don 麻豆精品 S檛 want to use the word threatened 麻豆精品 S but could be changing in the near future, 麻豆精品 S she said.

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World 麻豆精品 S檚 Fair Expert Plans to Scan Pavilion /news/worlds-fair-expert-plans-scan-pavilion/ Fri, 30 May 2014 15:11:54 +0000 /news/?p=59617 A researcher at the University of Central Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 Institute for Simulation & Training (IST) will help sear the magic of the 1964/65 New York World 麻豆精品 S檚 Fair in the minds of a group of middle school students the first week of June as she leads a research project focused on laser scanning one of the remaining structures on the site.

Lori Walters, who also serves as an assistant professor of , will lead a team of scanning technicians and 50-60 students for several days of work that will result in a complete 3D historical record of the Fair 麻豆精品 S檚 iconic New York State Pavilion.

Walters is doing the project voluntarily with the help of the non-profit organization CyArk which has set a goal of digitally preserving 500 of the world 麻豆精品 S檚 most renowned historical sites within five years.

麻豆精品 S淕iving a new generation of students access not just to the wonders of the Fair but to the wonders of cutting edge technology is beyond exciting, 麻豆精品 S Walters said.

The researcher has been interested in the Fair since she was a child. She studied history to satiate her thirst for knowledge about the 1950 麻豆精品 S檚 and 1960 麻豆精品 S檚, especially the technological advances that occurred during that time.

Her work took a technological leap of its own when she affiliated with IST to reconstruct historical sites such as the launch pads of Cape Canaveral and the World 麻豆精品 S檚 Fair in an online format, making them accessible to the world.

For this latest project Walters will bring her FARO Focus 3D laser scanner to New York, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Fair this summer, and teach the middle school students from neighboring Nassau County how to accurately capture the entire Tent of Tomorrow area of the New York State Pavilion. FARO is also providing the team use of one of their new Focus X 330 scanners that has the capability of capturing data as far as 330 meters. A representative from CyArk will assist in scanning and the piecing together or 麻豆精品 S渟titching 麻豆精品 S of the scans to complete a digital model.

Her unique work has attracted the attention of media focused on the Fair 麻豆精品 S檚 anniversary, most recently in the May 27 .

Walters plans to give the data to the New York Parks Department to help preserve the authenticity of the structure should the city decide to either renovate it and to serve as a historical representation if it is ultimately torn down.

麻豆精品 S淲hatever happens to these historical structures future generations will always have access to them in the form of these scans, 麻豆精品 S Walters said.

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UCF To Build Virtual New York World's Fair /news/ucf-to-build-virtual-new-york-worlds-fair/ /news/ucf-to-build-virtual-new-york-worlds-fair/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:49:42 +0000 /news/?p=7188 300px-1965_new_york_world_fair

Lori C. Walters, a research associate in the UCF Department of History, was awarded a $1.47 million grant from the National Science Foundation to fund a 3D virtual recreation of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair.

Walters’ team utilizes an immersive 3D virtual environment to unfold the sights, sounds, personal memories and lessons of the World’s Fair. Virtual fairgoers of all ages will be immersed in an accurately modeled historical world with more than 140 pavilions on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines and an array of arts and humanities exhibits.

For more, visit the UCF New York World’s Fair Web site.

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