The VEMI Lab is a diverse collective of individuals joined by an interest in spatial cognition, navigation, multimodal interface design, and use of multimodal virtual environment technology for behavioral research and innovative applications. Our lab is part of the Spatial Information Science and Engineering (SIE) Department at the University of Maine. SIE is the only department of its kind in the country and its focus on both science and engineering allows for a unique melding of theory and practice in our research. The SIE Department represents faculty and students from various backgrounds who study all matter of things spatial. Interests and expertise span a range of topics, including: computational models and formal ontologies of space, design and implementation of spatial databases, spatio-temporal reasoning, modeling and visualization of spatio-temporal phenomena, GIS and GPS, distributed and ubiquitous spatial computing, data management in geosensor networks, legal issues affecting the creation and use of digital databases and spatial technologies, human-robotics interactions, and spatial cognition and navigation. Students and staff in the VEMI Lab benefit from access to the many resources of the department as well as its connections to the broader campus community and well-established contacts with industry.  

Lab Director:
Dr. Nicholas A. Giudice
Assistant Professor, Spatial Information Science and Engineering  
Office Phone: 207-581-2187   
Nick's EMail ( giudice@spatial.maine.edu )
Research interests: multimodal spatial cognition, functional and anatomical equivalence of spatial representations, information requirements for multimodal interface design, navigation of real and virtual environments, wayfinding without vision, cross-modal brain plasticity

Lab Manager:
Richard Corey
Master's candidate, Intermedia
Rick's Email 
Research interests: Re-evaluating unrecognized spaces that exist in public domains, and establishing an emotional connection with that space, as well as orchestrating the lab's smooth operation.

Graduate Research Assistant:
Kit Cuddy
Master's candidate, Spatial Information Science and Engineering
Kit's Email
Research interests: My research currently focuses on the efficacy of using virtual spatialized audio for displaying navigation information, specifically for the purpose of developing a device (or mobile application) for indoor wayfinding.

Lead Programmer:
Timothy McGrath
Undergraduate, Mechanical Engineering
Tim's Email
Research interests: Simulated physics and collisions, virtual mapping of physical environments, exploring concepts for multimodal interaction with program objects

Undergraduate Research Assistant:
Timothy Baker
Undergraduate, Mathematics
Tim's email 
Research interests: Efficient methods for interior representation and spatial modeling, multi-modal learning and experimentation, and mathematical applications of VR.

Official Lab Non-Human 
Uro the Dogg
GSD, Fidelco
Uro's Email 
Research interests: Blind navigation, spatial reasoning and spatial uncertainty, guidance of bipedal mammals in complex environments, and psychophysics of bone chewing gratification as a function of bone size, density, and marrow content. 

SIE Departmental Contact:
Karen Kidder
Spatial Information Science and Engineering
Office phone:   207-581-2188  
Email: kkidder@spatial.maine.edu
www.spatial.umaine.edu

Lab Address:
Virtual Environment and Multimodal Interaction Laboratory
Room 348, Boardman Hall
Spatial Information Science and Engineering Department
Orono ME, 04469-5711

Note that snail mail is sent to the SIE main office but the physical lab location is 236 Boardman Hall.

General Lab EMail
Lab Phone:  207-581-2151  
Fax: 207-581-2206