Students build a virtual recreation of the ’64 World’s Fair

When Charles Hughes was 21 years old, he visited the 1964-1965 World's Fair in Queens, New York. Now, 45 years later, he'll have the opportunity to re-visit that same fair.

Hughes, the director of the Media Convergence Lab at the UCF Institute for Simulation and Training, is the co-principal investigator for "Interconnection ... Come Back to the Fair."

Interconnections is a 3-D recreation of the 1964-1965 World's Fair. Users can navigate all 648 acres and 140 pavilions of the fair with the click of a mouse.

"On one level, it is the preservation of cultural heritage online," Hughes said. "People can experience the sights, sounds and activities of the '64-'65 World's Fair in a virtual setting."

That year's World's Fair included exhibits from companies like IBM and General Motors. It also featured Michelangelo's Pieta, and "It's a Small World," the attraction which was moved to Disneyland when the fair closed.

Interconnections is geared toward youths ages  9 to 13 to learn about STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

Lori Walters, the principal investigator for the project, said students will be able to step off of a Subway car and into the World's Fair where they participate in activities that teach science lessons about subjects like gravity and friction.

Walters said there are three components to Interconnections. The first part is the completed virtual world, which will be available online for users to download.

The Queens Museum of Art, which sits on the site of the fair, will house the second component of the project, additional interactive experiences for guests that will also be created at UCF.

The third component is a series of public programs for youths at the New York Hall of Science.

To create the 3-D world, Walters and her team are collecting old photographs, slides, negatives, brochures, booklets and other documents or souvenirs from the fair.

Modelers restore the source materials and use Maya, a 3-D modeling program, to recreate the image. Those who contribute materials will have the original returned to them along with a digital copy.

Hughes said one challenge has been restoring photos with mold on them.

"People leave the photos in their basement, and what happens in New England?" he said. "We've got to make the photos as clean as possible for people."

The intersection of different disciplines makes the project unique.

"The world of art and science aren't as disconnected as everyone thinks they are," Walters said. "There's art in science and science in art and this project demonstrates that."

Sarah Loewy, a senior computer science major, does programming for the project. She said the project has allowed her to apply what she's learned in classes while learning more about history.

"Working under a historian has taught me a lot about that time period that I wouldn't necessarily have access to in terms of information," she said.

Nick Beato, a doctoral student studying computer science, said working on the project is better than taking classes in terms of gaining experience.

"If they have an opportunity, all students should get on a project that is more like the real world while they're in school, or they'll have no background or job knowledge when they hit the job market," he said.

Hughes said the fact that he visited the fair has not necessarily benefitted the project in terms of having specific memories, but has in terms of passion.

"When things are personal, there's more passion," Hughes said. "There's a want to bring it back."

The project is partially funded by a $1.47 million National Science Foundation grant and is expected to be completed in 2012.