VEMI Interdepartmental Collaboration
Are you looking for a creative way to translate your research to colleagues, funders, and the general public? Interested in utilizing new and immersive technology but not sure where to start? Have an idea but need help developing it to fruition?
Let the VEMI Lab help!
What’s VEMI?
The VEMI Lab focuses on research and development related to how humans interact with technology and how we can leverage technology to overcome pressing issues and convey information in new and inclusive ways. We employ a diverse and interdisciplinary group of students, both graduate and undergraduate, who are eager to collaborate on intellectually intriguing projects and conduct research with cutting-edge hardware and software.
What’s the opportunity?
VEMI seeks proposals for interdepartmental collaborative projects in the UMaine System using new human-centered, interactive technologies (such as virtual and augmented reality). Preference will be given to project submissions with implications for accessibility and submissions from early-stage faculty members. Advanced students with strong research ideas also are encouraged to apply. The goal of this collaboration is to disseminate UMS research in a digestible and exciting manner.
Interested in working together? Here’s what we need:
Complete our brief proposal submission form where we’ll ask for…
- A project description including a problem statement and proposed solution
- An explanation of your interest in collaborating with VEMI
The proposal submission form includes six long-answer questions, each limited to 5,000 characters (or approximately 710-1,250 words). Total proposal not to exceed 7,500 words across all fields.
This is an opportunity made possible through the University of Maine System Research Reinvestment Fund in collaboration with the Office of Research Development. Selected projects may be eligible for up to $30,000 for development and completion, with funding allocation dependent on project scope. We expect to have funding to support multiple proposals in 2024-2025.
Project submissions are due May 17, 2024 and proposal review will begin immediately. We expect to notify selected applicants by May 31, 2024. Project details will be scoped out in June (PIs must be available for meetings and collaboration with VEMI staff during this time), with development expected to begin in July 2024 and run through April 2025 (10 months). Interdisciplinary submissions are encouraged!
2023 Funded Projects
Dental Sterilization Simulation
University of Maine Augusta
Project PI: Katherine Kireburns, Assistant Professor of Dental Health
A virtual reality (VR) simulation tool intended to help dental hygienists and dental assisting students learn and practice proper procedures for sterilizing dental instruments. In the simulation, a student participant enters a virtual sterilization lab modeled after the real-world sterilization area at UMA’s state-of-the-art dental clinic in Bangor, Maine. This sterilization process follows both the Center of Disease Control (CDC) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines. In the simulation, the provider works through each step of the sterilization process from beginning to end, with infection control breaches being corrected in real time.
Stepping Out: the Portland, Maine Queer History Trail
University of Southern Maine
Project PI: Dr. Wendy Chapkis, Professor of Sociology and Women & Gender Studies
An interactive web app, accessible on computers and mobile phones, that guides people through a walking tour of seven LGBTQ+ heritage sites in Portland, Maine. Users following the LGBTQ+ history trail are presented with the rich history of each site through text describing important events, an album of photos from various points in the site’s history, and an audio tour to guide the users through the site.
VR Clinical Assessment
University of Maine
Project PI: Dr. Jessica Riccardi, Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders and director of the Brain injury, Education, and Rehabilitation (BEaR) Lab.
A virtual reality (VR) simulation tool intended to aid in the diagnostic assessment of cognitive and executive function impairments among children who have experienced a traumatic brain injury. This tool places the student in a simulated classroom where they are asked to build a simple egg-drop science experiment. The experiment involves multi-step directions, organization, and task management, all of which can be difficult to assess with standard assessments. The simulation uses eye-, head-, and hand-tracking to record data as the student reads and acts upon the instructions for the experiment, and subsequently constructs and tests the egg-drop experiment.
Molecular Scale Simulation
University of Maine
Project PI: Dr. Onur Apul, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
A virtual reality (VR) simulation tool intended to help students more easily and accurately visualize the stark differences in the scale of objects on the micrometer, nanometer, and molecular scales, with a goal of using size as a language to understand different types of pollutants in water, including per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS). This simulation places the user at a virtual control center wherein the user can change their own size, as well as spawn various objects that range in size from an object that is visible to the naked eye down to the size of a single water molecule. Changing the user’s size dramatically changes the perspective to which they view the objects that have already spawned and allows a more detailed view of the smaller objects they may be trying to spawn. At the users’ smallest size, a few dozen water molecules will fit in their hand.
FAQ
What makes for a successful project proposal?
These projects are meant to help faculty members disseminate and showcase their completed research in an innovative and engaging manner. They are truly development projects, not extensive, in-depth research projects. Our goal is to allow faculty to leverage our expertise, resources, and technology to support future research, and disseminate information or results in new ways.
How many projects will you select?
We expect to have funding to support multiple proposals in 2024-2025. Selected projects may be eligible for up to $30,000 for development and completion, with funding allocation dependent on project scope. Projects that go beyond the funding amount may continue on a contract basis, as mutually agreed upon.
How long will it take to complete the project?
Projects are scheduled on a 10-month development timeline with work expected to begin in July 2024 and run through April 2025. Project details will be scoped out in June, and PIs must be available for meetings and collaboration with VEMI staff during this time. Determination of project length and needed resources will be discussed upon acceptance of proposal.
How are these projects funded and how are funds allocated?
This opportunity is made possible through the University of Maine System Research Reinvestment Fund in collaboration with the Office of Research Development. The majority of funds must be directed towards undergraduate student research stipends. Some portion of the funds must be allocated towards VEMI staff and/or graduate student support. Funds will not be allocated for faculty summer salary or stipends.
What about intellectual property?
We require any project created using VEMI resources to have VEMI’s logo on the finished product. We also reserve the right for VEMI to showcase any projects created under this mechanism via our public outreach events such as STEM presentations, Lab tours, or other outreach activities. Any articles or papers created based on this project should include an acknowledgment of the VEMI Lab within it. The expectation, but not a requirement, is that the project will lead to submission of a larger grant or contract that VEMI will collaborate on, and VEMI resources are available to assist PIs who pursue this path.