Students in this project collaborate with Bonner Center and Senior Archivist at Guilford College in North Carolina to collect and create content to be used for AR/VR elements for their Underground Railroad curriculum. The woods at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina are called the "first stop" on the Underground Railroad. These woods house a tulip poplar tree that dates back before 1800 they call the "witness" because that tree was present during the documented operation of the Underground Railroad in Guilford County. A silent witness to the lives and actions of African Americans (enslaved and free) and their white allies.
Milstein Program students, along with other Cornell student volunteers collaborate with James Shields at the Bonner Center at Guilford College, and Gwen Erickson at the Quaker Archives at Guilford College to help create augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) content, as well as downloadable audio for the Centers' Underground Railroad curriculum project to document the history and stories, and provide resources for elementary, middle and high school students and teachers to learn more about the pathway to freedom enslaved Africans took through Guilford County, The AR/VR assets will also be used for markers in the woods at Guilford College to act as a "virtual" tour guide when live tour guides are not available. The project team is working on developing an app (using out-of-the-box software) about the Underground Railroad in Guilford County. In past years this project team has gone to Guilford County North Carolina over spring break to capture video, do interviews with local people, and visit historic sites.
Watch students on the trip to Greensboro last year during spring break reflect on their experiences, and on the project.
MILSTEIN PROGRAM STUDENTS:
- Abena Gyasi
- Amanda Mihovilovic
- Erika Katsumoto
- Chukwudumebi Obi
- Tiffany Zhong
OTHER STUDENTS:
- Ashley Contreras
- Benita Kayembe
- Nicole Jourdain
- Jessica Rose Lecorchick