"My research is at the intersection of digital twins and game design technologies, with a specialized focus on digital preservation," Meredyth Yorek said.

When she was an undergraduate student first applying to LSU, she had an interest in game design and animation, but didn't imagine the ways these fields could be applied outside of the entertainment industry.Now as a graduate student charting an impressive academic career, she has gained skills across a range of emerging technologies, had the opportunity to work with NASA, and is part of a technological revolution that is transforming many industries – in Louisiana, and around the world.

Yorek is a Doctor of Design (DDes) candidate in the LSU College of Art & Design.She has a Digital Art Masters of Art & Engineering (DMAE), an MBA from the College of Business, and a BFA in digital art from the LSU School of Art.

As an LSU graduate student, Yorek is using interactive technology to create virtual spaces, from museum exhibitions to a NASA facility.

To Space – And Beyond

As a DMAE student in 2023, Yorek had the opportunity to work with LSU digital art faculty Marc Aubenel, Derick Ostrenko, and Jason Jamerson on the digital twin of the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans – "it's like a video game exploring a real place," she said.

"LSU's Computer Science, Digital Art, andDigital Media Arts & Engineering (DMAE)programs are working with LSU's Nation Center for Advanced Manufacturing (NCAM) to prototype a forward lookingDigital Twin of the Michoud Assembly Facility inNew Orleans," said Marc Aubanel, Director of the LSU Digital Media Arts & Engineering program."Graduate students in the DMAE program are taking part in creating a cyber version of the manufacturing facility.This gives LSU students a chance to use cutting-edge technology that has been developed for video games and film in a manufacturing context."

Yorek's work on the digital twin project supports NASA as they work toward theArtemis missionand provide the next generation for future scientists and engineers, Aubanel said.

Yorek has a background in game design, digital environment design, and virtual reality "digital twins" – creating virtual worlds that mimic real places.As an LSU student she was able to build on these skills, beginning with creating 3D visuals as an undergraduate digital art student, learning coding, to the advanced interactive technology that she works with today.

While working on the NASA digital twin, she learned about photogrammetry and LiDAR, and how to create full blown simulation systems."One of the challenges was how to run lots of objects in the same world – it's a lot like game design," she said."There's incredible potential in learning these new technologies and applying it to different scenarios."

Beyond aerospace engineering, the digital twin technology could be used for defense, businesses, the humanities – the possibilities are endless, she explained.

"This could be applied to almost anything – it's just: how?"

Yorek's research as a Ddes candidate is interdisciplinary, as digitizing environments and objects has potential implications for not only art and architectural history, but also anthropology, humanities, engineering, and more.She even worked with the Louisiana Mosquito Abatement project for St.Tammany's Parish.

Her work on the NASA digital twin project honed her skills in advanced modeling technologies.She now applies this expertise to historical preservation projects, collaborating with museums.

The Future of Museums?

Digital technology is transforming how people interact with museum exhibitions, both in person and virtually, Yorek says."If you're able to digitize museum collections, not only can it help the museum to conduct independent research, but it can also connect information between different institutions to create deeper understandings."

For example, Yorek worked withLudovico Geymonat, associate professor of art history, to reconstruct sculptural artifacts based on historical evidence, bringing them to life in a digital format.They proved that a series of statues once existed in San Marco Cathedral in Venice, Italy, she said."The sculptures were broken up long ago, and now an arm is located at a museum in New York," she explained."Using digital technology, you can ‘recreate' the completed object and put the pieces back together to show how they once fit."

She cited an actively growing field of digital archaeology positively impacting world cultural heritage sites, including the reconstruction of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France."After the fire, a video game company (Ubisoft) donated the data to help rebuild the cathedral," she said.The historic UNESCO World Heritage site was restored thanks to technology.

Yorek is now applying her skills for theLSU Museum of Art, where she is digitizing their archives for museum visitors to access virtually.She's working on producing a digital collection that scholars and visitors could explore through museum websites, creating virtual exhibitions with video game-like interactive components, and researching the business aspects for museums in the future.

"How are we going to get younger generations, or more tech-savvy audiences, into these academic museum spaces?" she said."Technology will change not only how we're able to research, but also how future generations will engage with historical sites and artifacts."

Cultural Heritage For All

"Thanks to virtual capturing technologies, we are able to better understand cultural heritage sites," she said.

As a Doctor of Design in Cultural Preservation candidate, her work involves finding new ways to incorporate 3D modeling and game design into museum spaces, enhancing both curatorial practices and visitor engagement.Digital formats offer novel interactions with invaluable objects and far-away places, with implications for the future.

"My work explores how techniques such as LiDAR, photogrammetry, and 3D modeling can be applied beyond gaming, particularly in the preservation and visualization of cultural heritage," she said."I've always loved art history, learning about the history of new places.Now the challenge is how to make these experiences more available to people around the world?"

Digital technology will help change the ways new audiences are educated, and how they become interested in history.One can model what a place or item looked like thousands of years ago, see how it changed or developed over the years, and make predictions for the future.These technologies can be used to help preserve cultural heritage sites for the future, so they will be there for generations to come.

"I believe that our cultural heritage is so important, but few people have access to many places," Yorek said."This research and technology is going to help connect museums, and people, from around the world."

A Tiger – 3 Times

She has come a long way since her very first digital art class, she said.Every time Yorek has considered the next step in her education and career, she has chosen LSU.

When Yorek first came to LSU as an undergraduate student, LSU was the best value education for her: "to get a degree, you shouldn't have to put yourself into debt," she cautioned.

She recalls how, as a youth, she watchedHow to Train Your Dragonand decided that she wanted to do animation."As a kid from Louisiana that wanted to work in the entertainment industry, I read I had to go to California," she said."But that's simply not true anymore – there's a fast-growing scene and network of opportunities to study and work right here."

At the LSU School of Art she had the opportunity to study game design and expand her skills.She then decided to study digital art further with her masters, getting a dual degree in business to gain more valuable skills."I never imagined doing digital twin work, but I realized, ‘wait, my brain works both ways!I could do this, too!'" It led her on an unexpected but exciting new path.

After her DMAE, she started looking into Doctor of Design programs and found only a handful in the country – and LSU's is by far the most affordable, she said."LSU has helped make it possible for me to go for the career I want."

She has learned that she loves teaching, and would one day enjoy teaching the next generation of future designers."I have now taught the 3D design class that I took myself as an undergraduate student at LSU!Life is coming full circle," she laughed.

Her favorite memories at LSU, every step of the way, have been the people she has found and loved working with.The support network at the LSU School of Art has been incredible, she said.

For future students, she advises: "Don't be afraid – to make mistakes, to not be the best in every area.Find what you're excited about and lean in to that strength.It might not be what you expected you'd love, and that's okay.Don't be afraid to talk to new people – in class, your professors – create a community and build those connections.

"It's hard, but ultimately it will help get you to the fields of your dreams."

Read more about the DMAE.

Read more about the Doctor of Design.