Carleton students discover AMAZING ORIGINS of Norwegian Batchelor Farmers!
Virtual vikings set sail with help from Carleton research partnership
The Virtual Viking Longship Project uses virtual reality and 3D modeling to explore the significance of Viking Age longships, while documenting the process for other institutions.
The virtual longship in the process of development
A virtual longship in the process of development
Viking ships and virtual reality might seem oceans apart, but a recent partnership between students and faculty at Carleton and Grinnell College is bringing the two together. The Virtual Viking Longship Project is bringing Viking ships to virtual seas, charting a course for creative and powerful educational experiences.
The Virtual Viking Longship Project is a research initiative funded by a Digital Humanities Advancement Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The project is led by David Neville and Timothy Arner from Grinnell along with Austin Mason, assistant director for digital humanities in the Humanities Center and lecturer in history at Carleton.
The project uses 3D models and virtual reality (VR) to explore the cultural and social significance of longships in the Viking Age. The ultimate goal is an immersive and educational VR experience where a person can put on a headset and set sail. The program will incorporate informational blurbs, videos, and mini-games to teach players about the physical and cultural aspects of longships.
Four Carleton students—Lily Haas ’24, Maddie Smith ’24, Jack Ochoa-Andersen ’24, and Kritika Pandit ’26—spent the summer as student research partners with Mason, learning the technical skills necessary to begin developing and troubleshooting the virtual reality features. The students learned to use VR and 3D modeling software, brainstormed new features and improvements, and researched Viking daily life, rituals, and culture.
Two students test a virtual reality rowing game with a broom handleMaddie Smith ’24 and Lily Haas ’24 test out the rowing mini-game with a broom handle and VR headset
“The summer project is a fantastic learning experience for the students,” said Smith, an art history major and 3D artist for the project. “We are practicing the skills we need to achieve the ultimate goals of the project by working on smaller, related VR experiences and building up a proficiency with relevant software.”
This learning process brought challenging and rewarding moments.
“The first project I assembled and ran that was not explicitly part of a tutorial was really exciting,” said Haas, a computer science major and software developer for the project.
The summer work included a game that educates users about the contents of a Viking’s sea chest and a game that teaches users how to row a longship.
“The user will learn how oars are placed through oar holes in the ship and then follow instructions that will teach them how to row and give feedback on their timing,” explained Haas.
In addition to immersing themselves in the digital details of Viking ships, the students took a four day trip to Moorhead, Minnesota to see the Hjemkomst, a replica of the ninth century burial ship from Gokstad, Norway.
The Hjemkomst, which means “homecoming” in Norwegian, was first tested on Lake Superior and then sailed to Norway in 1982. The students had the chance to interview several original crew members, including Mark Hilde, the first mate, and Paul Hesse, the navigator.
Students sit in front of computers working on the projectLily Haas ’24, Kritika Pandit ’26, and Maddie Smith ’24 at work on the project in the Weitz Center IdeaLab
“We took hours of footage during which they talked about their experiences on the Hjemkomst and showed us around the ship itself,” said Smith.
The students were also able to board the ship—a rare experience, as it can be dangerous even with crew supervision. Pandit, the programmer for the project, described it as a thrilling and inspiring experience.
“Hearing the crew members’ real-life experiences enriched the trip and added significant value to our project,” Pandit said.
As usual, the ate at the top of your daily column is wrong—it’s 2023 not 2017.
Carleton students discover AMAZING ORIGINS of Norwegian Batchelor Farmers!
Virtual vikings set sail with help from Carleton research partnership
The Virtual Viking Longship Project uses virtual reality and 3D modeling to explore the significance of Viking Age longships, while documenting the process for other institutions.
Josey MacDonald ’2513 October 2023 carleton.edu
The virtual longship in the process of development
A virtual longship in the process of development
Viking ships and virtual reality might seem oceans apart, but a recent partnership between students and faculty at Carleton and Grinnell College is bringing the two together. The Virtual Viking Longship Project is bringing Viking ships to virtual seas, charting a course for creative and powerful educational experiences.
The Virtual Viking Longship Project is a research initiative funded by a Digital Humanities Advancement Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The project is led by David Neville and Timothy Arner from Grinnell along with Austin Mason, assistant director for digital humanities in the Humanities Center and lecturer in history at Carleton.
The project uses 3D models and virtual reality (VR) to explore the cultural and social significance of longships in the Viking Age. The ultimate goal is an immersive and educational VR experience where a person can put on a headset and set sail. The program will incorporate informational blurbs, videos, and mini-games to teach players about the physical and cultural aspects of longships.
Four Carleton students—Lily Haas ’24, Maddie Smith ’24, Jack Ochoa-Andersen ’24, and Kritika Pandit ’26—spent the summer as student research partners with Mason, learning the technical skills necessary to begin developing and troubleshooting the virtual reality features. The students learned to use VR and 3D modeling software, brainstormed new features and improvements, and researched Viking daily life, rituals, and culture.
Two students test a virtual reality rowing game with a broom handleMaddie Smith ’24 and Lily Haas ’24 test out the rowing mini-game with a broom handle and VR headset
“The summer project is a fantastic learning experience for the students,” said Smith, an art history major and 3D artist for the project. “We are practicing the skills we need to achieve the ultimate goals of the project by working on smaller, related VR experiences and building up a proficiency with relevant software.”
This learning process brought challenging and rewarding moments.
“The first project I assembled and ran that was not explicitly part of a tutorial was really exciting,” said Haas, a computer science major and software developer for the project.
The summer work included a game that educates users about the contents of a Viking’s sea chest and a game that teaches users how to row a longship.
“The user will learn how oars are placed through oar holes in the ship and then follow instructions that will teach them how to row and give feedback on their timing,” explained Haas.
In addition to immersing themselves in the digital details of Viking ships, the students took a four day trip to Moorhead, Minnesota to see the Hjemkomst, a replica of the ninth century burial ship from Gokstad, Norway.
The Hjemkomst, which means “homecoming” in Norwegian, was first tested on Lake Superior and then sailed to Norway in 1982. The students had the chance to interview several original crew members, including Mark Hilde, the first mate, and Paul Hesse, the navigator.
Students sit in front of computers working on the projectLily Haas ’24, Kritika Pandit ’26, and Maddie Smith ’24 at work on the project in the Weitz Center IdeaLab
“We took hours of footage during which they talked about their experiences on the Hjemkomst and showed us around the ship itself,” said Smith.
The students were also able to board the ship—a rare experience, as it can be dangerous even with crew supervision. Pandit, the programmer for the project, described it as a thrilling and inspiring experience.
“Hearing the crew members’ real-life experiences enriched the trip and added significant value to our project,” Pandit said.