The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology is thrilled to announce the launch of the new DiSKO website at diskoproject.kelsey.lsa.umich.edu. DiSKO—standing for the “Digital Study of Kelsey Objects” and a play on the Latin disco (“I learn”)—is an educational outreach project that makes select Kelsey Museum objects accessible online as 3-D models. Intended as a tool for teaching and learning, these renderings allow professors, students, and researchers from U-M and beyond to gain up-close looks at artifacts in our collection.
DiSKO began in 2019 under the direction of then–Director of Education Cathy Person, with funding from U-M’s Office of the Provost. Though initially waylaid by the COVID-19 pandemic, over the past year and a half, the project was reinvigorated as new 3-D modeling methods were implemented—allowing for dozens of Kelsey objects to be scanned and processed.
The DiSKO website provides users with detailed information about Kelsey objects, high-resolution images, and models that can be freely downloaded for use in classrooms, research projects, and 3-D printing. Currently, there are 30 objects available on the DiSKO website, with more yet to be uploaded as the project continues to grow and evolve.
The DiSKO project was made possible through the efforts of several hardworking, dedicated contributors: U-M graduate students Zoe Ortiz, Taylor Tyrell, and Hannah Edwards; staff and curators at the Kelsey Museum, including Eric Campbell, Michelle Fontenot, Scott Meier, Stephanie Wottreng Haley, Suzanne Davis, Caroline Roberts, Nic Terrenato, and Emily Allison-Siep; Liza Wilde, T.J. Smith, and Adam Hulyksmith of Boxcar Studio; and Jessica Wolking and additional staff from LSA Technology Services.
