N. Trent Chamberlain 2025 Spring Internship

  Hello readers!This fourth week of my internship took a slightly different path. Instead of my usual schedule with Eric at the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center, I had the opportunity to attend a special training session at the University of Central Florida's Center for Humanities and Digital Research (CHDR). The training was led by UCF graduate student Sarah Boye, who guided us through some of the incredible digital tools available at the center. We received hands-on training with their large-scale Titan scanner, a powerful scanner capable of creating incredibly detailed digital reproductions of paper documents. The scanner was detailed enough that we could see the exact penstrokes on the postcards we scanned. We also learned how to operate smaller, more portable scanners, which are essential for a community focused initiative called a  History Harvest. I learned that a History Harvest is an event where community members can bring in their personal artifacts to be professiona...

  Hello, readers! Welcome back for another update on my summer internship at the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center (BVMC). Summer is in full swing, and we've had another busy week exploring the possibilities of 3D digitization within the museum. Following our work photographing the outdoor monuments, this week Eric and I had the opportunity to walk through the interior of the museum. Our main goal was to thoughtfully curate a list of artifacts that would be prime candidates for 3D digitization. It was fascinating to move through the exhibits, not just as a visitor, but with the specific purpose of identifying items whose stories could be enhanced and made more accessible through this technology. We saw a wide array of compelling objects, from personal items donated by veterans to larger pieces of military equipment. Each piece tells a powerful story, and the challenge lies in selecting those that will translate best into a 3D model and offer significant educational value. We were lo...

 Hello again, readers! Another week has flown by at the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center (BVMC), and it's been a productive one, despite the notorious Florida heat! This week, Eric and I braved the summer heat to photograph some of the incredible monuments that grace the center's grounds. The goal is to begin creating 3D models of these important historical markers. It was a lot of careful positioning and snapping hundreds of photos to make sure we had everything we needed to start modeling. Beyond our outdoor photography expedition, we also spoke with representatives from the museum. We talked about which objects inside the center would be ideal candidates for our 3D digitization project. It's exciting to think about bringing some of these incredible artifacts to life in a way that will be viewable online to more people At home I had some additional work to start the modeling process. I spent time uploading all the photographs we took and then started experimenting with th...

 Hello, readers! I'm excited to share the details of my upcoming summer internship at the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center (BVMC). Following my previous internship experience, I'm looking forward to a new opportunity to work in public history, this time focusing on a different aspect of preserving military history. This summer, I'll be working alongside Eric, a grad student from UCF, and Paul, a staff member at the BVMC whom I had the pleasure of taking a World War II class with last semester. It's great to be collaborating with both familiar and new faces in this endeavor. The main focus of my internship will be on learning and utilizing new 3D digitization tools. Eric and I will be working together to create 3D mappings of some of the exhibits at the center. This hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology is something I'm particularly eager to dive into. Among the exhibits we'll be working with, I'm most looking forward to mapping a Vietnam-era helic...

 Hello Readers! This past week marked an exciting milestone in my internship journey: presenting my work at the High-Impact Practice (HIP) Student Showcase! The showcase is a fantastic UCF event celebrating student projects from HIP-designated courses, highlighting learning, research, and real-world experience. It was a great opportunity to share the project I've been working on at the Military History Museum. My presentation at the HIP Showcase centered on the process of bringing  the Vacanti collection to life. It involved several key stages. First I made sure to talk about the process of accessioning. Carefully cataloging and preserving every item, from World War II ration cards and service medals (including WWII occupation, Korean, and Vietnam War medals) to graduation cards identifying his role as an Aviation Machinist Mate and posters from his time as a recruiter. I wanted people to be able to understand the work that goes into properly preserving these artifacts. Second...

 Hello readers! Checking in for Week 14 of my internship journey at the Military History Museum. As the exhibit featuring Lieutenant Commander Salvatore Vacanti's collection begins to take shape, this week was dedicated to a crucial, often underestimated, element, writing the exhibit labels.   After weeks spent carefully accessioning, researching, and planning the layout for the Vacanti collection, it's time to think about how we communicate the stories behind these fascinating objects to our visitors. This week, I focused on drafting the labels that will accompany the artifacts from LCDR Vacanti's naval career, from his World War II ration card and service medals to items documenting his time as a recruiter and aviation machinist mate.   Writing effective exhibit labels is a unique skill. It’s not just about listing facts; it's about crafting a narrative that captures attention and sparks curiosity. Museum visitors are typically standing and have limited attent...

  Hello readers! I'm excited to share that I've officially started the process of creating an exhibit for the Lieutenant Commander Salvatore Vacanti Collection. As you know, this collection is comprised of various personal artifacts, documents, photographs, and other memorabilia generously donated by LCDR Vacanti's daughter. My goal was to transform these items into an engaging and informative exhibit that honors LCDR Vacanti’s service and I think I’ve made a good start in doing just that So far, up until now, I've been hard at work accessioning the collection, which is a crucial step to ensure that everything is cataloged and preserved properly. Now that the collection is properly cataloged I have begun to move forward with the exhibit itself. In the collection, I've found some fascinating artifacts that illustrate LCDR Vacanti's career. These include, A World War II ration card.Various medals, including World War II occupation medals, Korean and Vietnam War se...