Kintsugi 3D Viewer application by computer science senior brings cultural heritage to users worldwide

Imagine being able to view the world's cultural treasures from the comfort of your own home. To enter international museums from your computer screen and admire paintings, sculptures and artifacts as clearly as if you were standing right in the gallery yourself, all with the click of a button.

With the world becoming increasingly digital, UW-Stout computer science senior Melissa Koskarek's Kintsugi 3D Viewer software is helping to make that happen. Through Kintsugi 3D, a creation of computer science Assistant Professor Michael Tetzlaff, Kosharek and a team of faculty and fellow student researchers are producing software that allows museums to preserve their collections by creating true-to-life, interactive 3D digital models to exhibit for viewers around the globe.

"Access to cultural heritage objects is a significant part of human history, serving as relics to what life was like in the past. These relics are one-of-a-kind and are only available at one place, at one time," Kosharek said. "We can help share the human experience further beyond what was originally possible by having it readily available to be viewed by anyone in the world with access to these technologies."

Kosharek presented her user-centered design research - Expanding Cultural Heritage Digital Curation and Dissemination Using Kintsugi 3D Viewer - at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, April 13-15, in Richmond, Virginia.

She was one of 11 UW-Stout students presenting 10 research projects at NCUR, the largest symposium of its kind. The annual event, which drew nearly 4,000 students from institutions across the country, promotes research, scholarship and other creative activity by undergraduates in all fields of study.

"Conducting undergraduate research builds career skills that all employers are looking for - critical thinking, ability to analyze data to make good decisions, communication skills, time management and more. It's an opportunity for students to grow personally and professionally as they become experts in a topic. I really love getting to see them present their research," said anthropology Professor Tina Lee, who attended the event as a student research mentor.

NCUR connects students with peers, faculty, and mentors as they share their posters, oral presentations, visual arts and performances. It helps students gain insight as they shape their academic and career paths.

Kintsugi 3D Viewer application

While similar to photogrammetry, which combines hundreds of photos from different angles to create a 3D model, Kintsugi offers more. It captures the essence of materials, textures, color, brightness and specularity - the reflectivity of a surface and how it varies - allowing users to examine artwork in greater detail, as if they were walking through a gallery in person.

Tetzaff's software project received a $75,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant, as well as funding from Mia and Cultural Heritage Imaging, UW-Stout's Office of Research & Sponsored Programs, and a grant from WiSys, which has helped pay for students to work to improve the software.

Software by UW-Stout professor, students helps international museum collections shine - literally - in 3D

Kosharek's 3D Viewer application is just one element of Kintsugi 3D. She is one of more than a dozen UW-Stout students from a variety of disciplines who contributed to the software.

"Melissa has made great contributions to the Kintsugi 3D project," Tetzlaff said. "One of the things that's unique about Melissa is that, while she's pursuing a degree in computer science, she also has a strong interest in user experience research and design. Her skillset in design and programming has allowed her to both design and implement new features for the Kintsugi 3D Viewer.

"Ultimately, our goal is for this software to be a free and open-source viewer app that makes it easier for museums to host 3D models on their websites, and Melissa's work has made significant strides towards that goal," he said.

At the intersection of research, design and development

For nearly a year, Kosharek, from Dickeyville, has been focusing on adding features to the Kintsugi 3D Viewer application to help collection curators manage and configure collections of 3D models to elevate the viewing experience for the public.

Kosharek is also working to bring the Viewer application closer to other current applications, such as SketchFab or Voyager. She designed the wireframes for what the user interface looks like and is developing functionality.

Through user research, led by mentors Tetzlaff and Instructional Designer Darcy Hannen, Kosharek had the opportunity to work directly with cultural heritage professionals at worldwide institutions, who sought to create models of artifacts in their collections, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam; the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, Norway; the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; and the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia).

"By working with my target audience, I gained an understanding of their workflow and needs, instead of assuming what would work. It was a very fun and interesting iteration cycle, where I learned the perspective of experts and the people who will be using the software. This helped make the software the best it can be, which is the focus of user-centered design," Kosharek said.

Undergraduate research helped Kosharek learn to take ownership of her work and gave her a unique experience different than her peers. "I built a lot of the skills I need in class, but Kintsugi has been the main place where I can work at the intersection of research, design and development in a more comprehensive way beyond the scope of what one class can offer," she said.

"Presenting my work is the culmination of my efforts and, in a sense, I get to 'brag' about what I was able to accomplish. I was very excited to go to NCUR, not just to show off my own work, but to see what others have been able to accomplish," she said.

Kosharek will graduate in May and is searching for full-time positions in the user experience, game production and event coordination fields.

Additional UW-Stout student researchers at NCUR, their topics and their mentors were:

• Jamal Abdo, applied social science senior from St. Paul: Analyzing Safety Associated with Lighting in Menomonie. Mentors Tina Lee and Courtney Juelich.
• Helayna Brown, of Menomonie, and Ella Kemp, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, both applied social science seniors: Return on Investment of the Work of County Land and Water Conservation Departments in Wisconsin. Mentors Tina Lee and Nicole Hayes.
• Natalie Chartrand, chemistry junior from St. Croix Falls: Investigating Para-phenylenediamine Levels in Hair Dyes, Henna, and Tattoo Inks. Mentor Ana Magdalena Vande Linde.
• Ashlyn Dellemann, applied social science senior from Two Rivers: Issues with Rental Housing Quality in Dunn County. Mentors Tina Lee and Courtney Juelich.
• Bryanna Hoffman, biochemistry and molecular biology senior from Eau Claire: Engineering Luciferase-Based Bioluminescent Reporters in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli to Monitor Glucose Uptake. Mentor Marcia Miller-Rodeberg.
• Ella Kemp, applied social science senior from Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Playing for Passion, Not Pay: Economic Trade-Offs and NIL Awareness in Division III Women's Soccer. Mentor Fatma Karaman Kabadurmus.
• Evan Mancl, applied social science fall 2025 graduate from Chippewa Falls: The Social Construction of Cemeteries and Grief in the Chippewa Valley. Mentors Tina Lee and Courtney Juelich.
• Dane Talbott Settle, industrial design senior from Madison: Nebi: Reinventing Mechanisms in Lighting Design. Mentor Jennifer Astwood.
• Sarah Ulsberger, applied social science senior from Fort Atkinson: Digital Aesthetics and Identities of UW-Stout Students: Perceptions of Authenticity in Identity-Driven Marketing. Mentors Tina Lee and Courtney Juelich.

UW-Stout's annual Research Day, on Tuesday, May 5, will celebrate the work of students, faculty, and staff from all fields through research posters, exhibits, visual art and design displays, collaborative student-faculty presentations, a pitch competition and an award ceremony. Community members and business and industry partners are invited to learn more about the projects and how research and creative works are enhancing and revolutionizing the way we live, work and understand the world.

Kintsugi 3D Viewer application by computer science senior brings cultural heritage to users worldwide

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