Spatial Cognition 2016 will host three keynote speakers
- Russell Epstein, University of Pennsylvania
- Benjamin Kuipers, University of Michigan
- Asifa Majid, Radboud University
Russell Epstein, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Epstein conducts research on the neural mechanisms of underlying visual scene perception and spatial navigation in humans. Research focuses on both perceptual and mnemonic aspects of navigation, exploring topics in both scene/place/landmark recognition and spatial memory. Recent work uses fMRI to understand how scenes, objects, landmarks, and environmental spaces are represented in specific brain regions, including the parahippocampal cortex, retrosplenial cortex, and the hippocampus. Currently, Russell is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
ABSTRACT: Pending
Benjamin Kuipers, University of Michigan
Dr. Kuipers investigates the representation of commonsense and expert knowledge, with emphasis on the effective use of incomplete knowledge. Research accomplishments include developing the TOUR model of spatial knowledge in the cognitive map, the QSIM algorithm for qualitative simulation, the Algernon system for knowledge representation, and the Spatial Semantic Hierarchy model of knowledge for robot exploration and mapping. Currently, Benjamin is a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan.
ABSTRACT: Pending
Asifa Majid, Radboud University
Dr. Majid investigates the nature of categories and concepts in language, in non-linguistic perception and cognition, and the relationship between them. I adopt a large-scale cross-cultural approach in order to establish which aspects of categorisation are fundamentally shared, and which language-specific. My work is interdisciplinary, combining standardised psychological methodology, in-depth linguistic studies and ethnographically-informed description. Currently, Afisa is a Professor of Language, Communication, and Cultural Cognition at Radboud’s Center for Language Studies.
ABSTRACT: Pending