Research projects, ontologies, publications, and people of the Spatial Knowledge and Artificial Intelligence (SKAI) Lab at the University of Maine https://theskailab.github.io/ Thu, 12 Nov 2026 19:46:12 +0000 A list of 50 brilliant minds who have significantly advanced our understanding of the world and contributed to making it a better place! Name Years Country Major Contributions Pythagoras 570-495 BC Greece Best known for the Pythagorean theorem, which relates the sides of a right triangle. His contributions also extend to musical theory and philosophical concepts of numbers and their relationships. Euclid circa 300 BC Greece Often referred to as the 'Father of Geometry,' Euclid's work 'Elements' is one of the most influential works in the history of mathematics, laying out the foundations of plane geometry. Nicolaus Copernicus 1473-1543 Poland... Fri, 31 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://theskailab.github.io/blog/2024/great-mathematicians-and-physicists/ https://theskailab.github.io/blog/2024/great-mathematicians-and-physicists/ Lorentz transformation \[\begin{equation}\label{lorentz} \begin{aligned} x' &amp;= \frac{x-ut/c^2}{\sqrt{1-u^2/c^2}} \\ t' &amp;= \frac{t-ux/c^2}{\sqrt{1-u^2/c^2}}\\ y' &amp;= y \\ z' &amp;= z \end{aligned} \end{equation}\] Rotation \[\begin{equation}\label{rotation} \begin{aligned} x' &amp;= x\cos(\theta) + y\sin(\theta) \\ y' &amp;= y\cos(\theta) - x\sin(\theta) \\ z' &amp;= z \\ t' &amp;= t \end{aligned} \end{equation}\] Equation \eqref{lorentz} is beautiful. So is equation \eqref{rotation}. References The Feynman Lectures on Physics First Year Photos (1961‑62) Lecture 17 Lorentz transformation on Wikipedia Tue, 28 Nov 1961 00:00:00 +0000 https://theskailab.github.io/blog/1961/space-time/ https://theskailab.github.io/blog/1961/space-time/ <strong>Katrina Schweikert featured as a Sustainability Graduate Fellow.</strong> SKAI Lab research assistant Katrina Schweikert discusses her research using geospatial knowledge graphs to integrate environmental data and investigate PFAS contamination, alongside her interests in sustainability and environmental justice. <a href="https://umaine.edu/sustainabilitysolutions/2023-24-sustainability-graduate-fellow-katrina-schweikert/">Read the Mitchell Center fellowship feature</a>. Tue, 05 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://theskailab.github.io/allnews.html <strong>NSF funding supports the development of SAWGraph.</strong> SKAI Lab director Torsten Hahmann leads a team awarded $1.5 million from NSF to develop SAWGraph, an open knowledge network connecting PFAS contamination data with information about potential sources and environmental pathways. <a href="https://umaine.edu/news/2023/10/umaine-leading-development-of-new-state-of-the-art-tool-for-tracking-pfas-nationwide/">Read the UMaine News article</a>. Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://theskailab.github.io/allnews.html <strong>Connecting forest data through student research.</strong> SKAI Lab research assistant Kingsley Wiafe-Kwakye discusses his Digital Forest research in an INSPIRES student feature. Co-advised by Kate Beard-Tisdale and Torsten Hahmann, Kingsley uses ontologies and knowledge graphs to connect information about tree species and their environmental conditions. <a href="https://umaine.edu/epscor/2021/06/16/inspires-student-feature-kingsley-wiafe-kwakye/">Read the Maine EPSCoR student feature</a>. Wed, 16 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://theskailab.github.io/allnews.html <strong>Collaborating on new approaches to computing education.</strong> SKAI Lab director Torsten Hahmann is a partner in a project led by Harlan Onsrud exploring hands-on, team-based computing education across the University of Maine System. The project brings computing into activities addressing scientific and societal challenges. <a href="https://umaine.edu/research/2016/01/12/revolutionizing-computing-across-university-maine-system/">Read the UMaine Research announcement</a>. Tue, 12 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 https://theskailab.github.io/allnews.html