Via Jennifer Burt, MFA Historic Preservation Student
Students in Mississippi 91ÖÆƬ³§'s historic preservation graduate program have been busy this summer.
The MFA in Historic Preservation field study course, taught by Associate Professor Jeff Fulton, most recently worked onsite at Louisville Presbyterian Church. Employing both traditional and digital documentation techniques, students in the course gathered information with a goal of helping support a future nomination for the church to be added to the National Register of Historic Places.
"When Associate Professor Jeff Fulton and I were planning the curriculum for the MFA in Historic Preservation, we wanted graduate students to have opportunities for hands-on learning in the field of preservation, not only theoretical lecture classes," said Beth Miller, coordinator of the graduate program and head of the Department of Interior Design at MSU.
Miller said this field study class is providing exactly the practical application that is so important, giving students a chance to gain hands-on experience in researching and documenting historic structures and learning how to submit nomination forms to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
"We appreciate the opportunity to work with this group on documenting the church through digital and photographic media and working on the National Register for Historic Places nomination form for this historic structure," she said.
While onsite, students measured the building by hand, photographed architectural features, identified contributing elements and utilized Matterport technology to generate a comprehensive 3D scan of the space.
Ava Fratesi, a student in the program, said utilizing Matterport—a high-precision lidar sensor—requires patience but is plays a vital role in documenting historic buildings accurately.
"For large buildings, you have to scan every two to three steps to get the most accurate dimensions and 3D imaging," she said, adding that she plans to research the device for her practicum. "My focus will be on how the Matterport plays a vital role in the endangered historic buildings. I believe that it is a faster way of adding buildings to the Historic Registry and will gain the attention of individuals with the love of historic preservation."
Fratesi said she wanted to gain a skill while in the master's program that would set her apart from other young designers, and she's excited to add this one to her kit.