location

interests

Broadly I'm interested in the design of virtual worlds for different functions, and the design of visualizations in these worlds.

Questions on my mind these days:

• what roles do we play in interacting with virtual objects? creator, spectator, observer, performer, collaborator, friend. are there others?
• what do we expect to sense and do in these roles?
• the virtual slips into reality with augmented reality overlays. what is old? what is new? and what is repurposed?
• how does visualization of scientific and other data change in immersive and augmented reality environments?

current projects

• quantum information science visualization
• real-time conversation visualization
• limbics - soft sculptures

completed projects

• A Digital GuestBook (Emily Carr Institute)
  January 2007
  Maria Lantin
  In this flash sketch deployed at the opening for the Intersections Digital Studios, guests are invited to sign their name on a tablet. The signatures are shown in sequence emanating from a drawn flower.
• Co-Production (Banff New Media Institute)
  March 20 -31, 2006, and May 1 – 30, 2006
  Tulipomania: an electronic trade fable
  Leila Sujir
  Collaborators: Maria Lantin, Steve Nichols, Joseph Cherlin and others
  During this co-production Leila and her team created an interactive graphical environment that blends video, sounds, and 3D objects all set on a time-sampled composite background created from the source videos. The environment consists of 3 'frames' which can be cycled through. Each frame uses the same stylistic and interaction framework but is composed of different objects and videos. The interaction invites the viewer to paint the frame using the different objects and videos available. The work was exhibited at the Art Gallery of Calgary from June to September 2006.
• Co-Production (Banff New Media Institute)
  April 2 - 16, 2006
  Between Conflict and Resolve
  Paula Levine
  Collaborators: Maria Lantin, Steve Nichols
  During her co-production, Paula explored the visualization of the Palestinian-Isreali conflict by juxtaposing the context of the two groups in 1899 and 1999. Together we created an visualization in the CAVE where people could interact with texts, images and video from the two periods. We investigated the idea of pushing and pulling the texts to alternate between the two time periods. We also experimented with the idea of the overlay of present day video on old stereograms. The piece was shown to a banff centre audience on the 15th of April.
• Co-Production (Banff New Media Institute)
  October 16th - November 5th 2005
  Living City Dying City
  John Gerrad
  Collaborators: Maria Lantin, Trent Noble
  During his co-production John explored the nightscapes of cities as viewed from high above. We built 2 dynamic simulations of cities, one growing, one dying shown on opposing screens of the CAVE. To see the cities one had to climb a ladder and peer through a small window.
• Visualization of BNMI discourse (1994-2004) (Banff New Media Institute)
  June 2005
  Maria Lantin, Greg Judelman, Matthew Sloly
  Collaborators: Andrew Salway, Donald Lee, Sara Diamond, Sarah Cook
  Using data generated from text analysis of the BNMI agendas and summaries, we created a visualization of the frequency of the most used words over the 10 year time span. This visualization will be exhibited at the National Academy of Science in June 2007 as part of the Creativity and Cognition Conference.
• flowerGarden (Banff New Media Institute)
  May, June 2005
  Maria Lantin and Greg Judelman
  Collaborators: Sara Diamond, David Kretz
  This project was an iteration on the work done at the simulation summit (see below). Using the garden metaphor we created a real-time interface for the visualization of concept sharing in small group gatherings. This work was first used in the 'Bodies in Play' summit held in June of 2005. It will be exhibited at the National Academy of Science in June of 2007 as part of the Creativity and Cognition Conference.
• Rapid Prototyping Session (Banff New Media Institute)
  December 2004, March 2005
  Explorations of Stereo Imaging
  Catherine Richards
  Collaborators: Maria Lantin, Jeroen Keijser, Guy Godin, Jay Feaver
  Catherine and her team came to the lab for 2 separate weeks. We worked with them to experiment with different aspects of stereo viewing and rendering including using wheatstone viewing devices in the cave, and creating flicker films in VR. The immersive environment was only part of her prototyping session which also included constructing anaglyphs for projection on a copper fabric draped over a table.
  
• Rapid Prototyping Session (Banff New Media Institute)
  October 2004
  Deja Vu of Fresh Water, A Nightmare Environment
  Carmen Gerstl
  Collaborators: Maria Lantin, Jeroen Keijser, Trent Noble, Mark Germany
  Carmen is a 3D digital artist who worked with us in the lab to build a virtual environment showcasing her work as a 3D artist in Maya. The environment she built features mechanical fish, and mermaid in a dreamy environment with a beautiful soundscape created by a workstudy in the Music and Sound dept. at the Banff Centre. The environment was given an honourable mention in the Art & Artificial Life International Competition.
  
• cyber fashion show (Banff New Media Institute)
  august 2004, banff centre
  in 4 weeks a team of fashion designers, programmers and engineers put together an entire wearables fashion show. my role was to program the sensor boards and analyze the data streams in real-time. the data was used to affect video stream being shown duing the show. horizon zero published an issue (issue 16, wear) devoted to the concept of wearables, and the banff centre fashion show.
  
• simulation of simulation summit (Banff New Media Institute)
  april 2004, banff centre
  we designed a visualization/re-enactment of concept sharing during a simulation summit held at the banff centre. the whole thing was built in 3 days, with input from the group. report and other documentation for this event is on the banff web site.
  
• horizon line prototype (Banff New Media Institute)
  John Gerrard
  April 2004, banff centre
  helped john gerrard build this prototype spatialized sound piece. documentation can be found on his site.

writing

FlowerGarden: An Interactive Visualization of Concept-Sharing
M. Lantin, Greg Judelman
About Face: Interface - Creative Engagement in New Media Arts and HCI
CHI2006 Workshop, Montreal, Canada April 22 - 23, 2006

Real-Time Simulation and Visualization of Concept Sharing
M. Lantin, D. Walters, D. Kretz
Simulation and Other Re-enactments: Modeling the Unseen, Banff New Media Institute, April 29-May 2 2004

Picture a whole new view on your handheld
M. Lantin and M. Doyle
Wireless Developer Network, May 13, 2003

A Whole New View
M. Lantin
Geo:connexion Magazine, March 2003

PDT 3D White Paper
M. Lantin for IDELIX Software Inc.
Published on IDELIX web site, 2003

PDT White Paper
M. Lantin for IDELIX Software Inc.
Published on IDELIX web site, 2002

Maintaining Apical Dominance in the Fern Gametophyte [reprints upon request]
David Holloway and M. Lantin
Annals of Botany, 2002;89(4):409-417

An Environment for the Simulation of Biological Models
Thesis, Ph.D in Computing Science
Simon Fraser University, April 1999

Supporting Detail-in-Context for the DNA Representation, H-curves
M. Lantin and M.S.T. Carpendale
IEEE Visualization 1998, October 23-26 1998

Who is Grace Hopper anyway? A report on the 2nd Grace Hopper Celebration
of Women in Computing
M. Lantin
The Peak - SFU student newspaper, November 1998

Generalized Context-Sensitive Cell Systems
M. Lantin and F.D. Fracchia
Information Processing in Cells and Tissues, Liverpool, UK, Sept. 1996

Models of algal growth - computer simulation as a predictive tool
G. W. Woolcott, M. Lantin, and F.D. Fracchia
XIIth Annual Conference of the Australasian Society for Phycology and Aquatic Botany (AS-PAB), Stradbroke Island, Queensland, July 7-9, 1995

Parallel Features of the SPEFY Software Development Environment
D. Gass, K. Inkpen, M. Lantinm K.J.M. Moriarty and M. O’Brien
Supercomputing ’92, Montreal, 1992

patents

US patent 20040056898
Jetha, Zeenat; Baar, David; Carlisle, Andrew; Lantin, Maria
Graphical user interface having an attached toolbar for drag and drop editing in
detail-in-context lens presentations
pending, March 25, 2004

U.S. Patent 7,088,364
Lantin, Maria
Method and system for displaying stereoscopic detail-in-context presentations
Granted August 8, 2006