ebeshero
commented
3 years ago Ideas for research questions to investigate might be:
- What makes and models of old cars are popular in our region?
- How do people keep old vehicles running? (This could be part of the metadata you collect): What kinds of care and maintenance are required?)
- What resources are available to help people keep old vehicles running (linking out as part of the metadata)?
- How have energy sources and drive mechanisms for cars/bikes changed over time?
- What is it like to drive a machine built in the past century? What are the crucial differences from what we're used to now? (Can your project bring something of this to life in a web browser?)
This is a real project proposal, coming from conversations with colleagues and administrators at Behrend. There's an idea just forming to launch an Automobile History Museum in downtown Erie near the Hagen History Center, and our Chancellor would like for students to be involved. I had an idea that might be a good proof-of concept from a project team in DIGIT 400:
Do you like old cars (or old bikes/trucks/transport)? Did you grow up with people around who took care of an old-fashioned car or do you know people who go to antique car shows? You could launch a project that collects photos and home video footage of old cars from families, friends, local sources and maybe seeks out archival media in the libraries around Erie documenting cars/bikes/other transport from the past hundred or so years. The team collects, organizes files, and compiles metadata to pair with the images/multimedia using XML as an information architecture for building a sortable, searchable website. You'd need to make sure it's okay with people to share their photos on a public-facing website, and check that your documentation is good. The website you build could be a proof-of-concept exhibit about the heritage of automotive history in our region.
This is the germ of an idea, so if it looks interesting, please build on it. There could be some funding, hobnobbing, and local glory involved for a group of students working on some dimension of this. Also, the website you build could have multiple homes: we start in our DIGIT web developing places and then it could pack up and move to a site developed for the history museum in the making.