Tanks of Vermont: Using 3D Imaging of Oversized Artifacts and Oral Histories to Build Community Engagement

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Capturing and Sharing Vermont’s Past: 3D Imaging as a Tool for Undergraduate Research and Community Engagement" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The use of 3D imaging within archaeology is often focused on the modestly sized objects and artifacts that form the basis of most museum or research collections. With the appropriate instrument, however, even very large objects can be effectively imaged and used in both research and outreach contexts. In this poster, we present the results of a project designed to capture oversized artifacts of United States military history, and accompanying stories. Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) halls throughout the state of Vermont often feature a tank outside, a testament to the technology and methods of warfare in the twentieth century. Using an Artec Leo 3D scanner, digital models of a variety of these tanks have been created and allow for detailed exploration of how size and design changed through time. Oral histories collected from veterans or their family members during the lengthy scanning process provide compelling personal counterpoints to the digital models and strengthen linkages between the university and surrounding community.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Capturing and Sharing Vermont’s Past: 3D Imaging as a Tool for Undergraduate Research and Community Engagement   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40104.0