University of South Florida students in Dr. Ryan Carney's Digital Dinosaurs course used present-day technology to bring the past to life.
The course provides hands-on training of the cutting-edge digital tools used in paleontology.
While the subject matter is focused on dinosaurs, the techniques students used are applicable to a variety of disciplines, according to Carney, a professor in the 欧美三级片 College of Arts and Sciences Department of Integrative Biology.
鈥淭he most exciting thing about this course is that students get exposed to not just one but a broad portfolio of unique and cutting-edge technological skills鈥攆rom creating and exploring their own virtual reality scenes, to creating and 3D printing their own physical models for their final project. It is so fulfilling to see the joy and excitement on their faces as they use these approaches to achieve鈥痶heir project goals,鈥� Carney said.
鈥淪cience is increasingly becoming more digital, and this is particularly true for paleontology, the study of ancient life. New digital tools are allowing paleontologists to image, study, share, and interact with fossils in powerful and exciting ways,鈥� the course description reads.
Carney explains that students gain 鈥渞eal-world practical skills鈥� such as 3D scanning, modeling, animation, and printing, as well as proposal writing, data generation and analysis, publication and presentation skills.
鈥淭he most exciting thing about this course is that students get exposed to not just one but a broad portfolio of unique and cutting-edge technological skills鈥攆rom creating and exploring their own virtual reality scenes, to creating and 3D printing their own physical models for their final project. It is so fulfilling to see the joy and excitement on their faces as they use these approaches to achieve鈥痶heir project goals,鈥� he said.
Students use virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR) as they learn more about the historical creatures that once roamed Earth.
鈥淚t is quite evident that鈥痗reating their own digital content not only allows students to gain a better understanding and appreciation of these technologies, but also fosters substantial intrinsic motivation throughout the assignments and final project,鈥� Carney said. 鈥淯ltimately, VR/AR can serve as an integral pedagogical component of undergraduate curricula, helping to engage, instruct, and inspire the next generation of biologists鈥攁s well as equip them with the digital skills to become innovators in the 21st-century workforce."
鈥淭his class is less of a paleontology course and more of a technology course for biology students,鈥� Carney adds.鈥�淲hile the subject matter focuses on dinosaurs, the techniques are applicable to a variety of other STEAM disciplines, from biology and geology to art and architecture. In other words, the curriculum leverages the power of paleontology as a 鈥榞ateway science.鈥欌��
Claire Crookston, an integrative biology PhD student, McKnight Fellow, and Biology Graduate Student Organization President said the list of reasons why she enjoyed this course is extensive.
鈥淭his is one of the first experiences I鈥檝e had with digital 3D modeling techniques and the analyses of these data could feasibly become part of my dissertation,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n this course, I used computer applications I didn鈥檛 realize existed and became comfortable enough with their user-interfaces to teach others how to use them. I applied my knowledge of R [open-source coding for data analysis and visualization] to learn a new package, Geomorph for morphological data analysis (geometric morphometrics) and honed valuable data and time management skills. These are important things for any student researcher鈥痶o experience so we can continue learning and growing as scientists in the digital age. My time in this class will not easily be forgotten.鈥濃��
Crookston, who has a BS in zoology from Colorado State University and an MS in biology from Southeastern Louisiana University, said she is pursuing biological research because she has always found the life sciences to be fascinating. She appreciated the opportunities presented in this course to grow her skillset for studying natural phenomena.
鈥淭his course was unique in that a lot of the methods are learned by doing rather than by a lecture alone,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e got to practice our object scanning and post-processing in the Access 3D Lab with even more individualized practice for our final project where we combined all our newfound skills. We also got to submit our final models to the [Advanced Visualization Center's] 3D Print Lab and have our digital creations made tangible. The addition of dinosaur biology topics helped to maintain the organismal aspect to the course and convinced me of the value of a fossil record and paleontological research.鈥�
For Leila Sujanani, an undergraduate biology student concentrating in ecology and evolution, the field of biology has 鈥渃onsistently been [her] most enduring passion鈥� and she found ways to feed into that passion in this course.
鈥淭hough the course is based on dinosaurs (which are awesome), there is so much creative freedom and practical knowledge in the coursework,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he鈥痟ands-on labs provide invaluable insights into the real-world applications of 3D scanning and modeling techniques, transcending the boundaries of paleontology and extending into diverse fields of study. Furthermore, the deep dive into modern paleontology has sparked numerous ideas that resonate with my own research interests, fostering a profound appreciation for the interdisciplinary nature of scientific inquiry.鈥�
As part of the course, students also submitted a mock four-page National Science Foundation research proposal of their 鈥渄ream project鈥� to gain skills needed to take their research from the lab to the community.
鈥淭his course makes the projects feel worth the time I put into them,鈥� she said. 鈥淕raduate school has always been on my radar, but it still feels unattainable. This being thrown at us was a refreshing reassurance that I can do the writing and use creative/novel ideas to pursue science.鈥�
鈥淥ne aspect of the Digital Dinosaurs course that I found incredibly helpful and valuable to my student experience is the emphasis on interdisciplinary skills and practical applications,鈥� she added. 鈥淟earning about 3D scanning and modeling techniques, for example, not only deepened my understanding of paleontology but also introduced me to a set of technical skills with broad applicability across my own field of interest. The skills and insights I gained from the course have not only enriched my student experience but also empowered me to approach my studies and future career with confidence and purpose.鈥�
Carney said that this course has led to a total of three peer-reviewed publications, including two that were first-authored by undergraduates, as well as two teaching awards.
鈥淚 designed this to be a course that I would have liked to have taken as a student myself. The lectures and labs were inspired by the digital tools and techniques that I learned since my own undergraduate days, and weave鈥痠n things from my interdisciplinary backgrounds of art, business, music, and public health, in addition to paleontology and technology,鈥� Carney said.
Learn more about the course and 's work.