Chad MairnInnovation Lab · SPC
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Visit the Lab
My Innovation Lab workbench, photographed from above — a multimeter, Arduino boards, a soldering iron, tangled leads and tool cases spread across the desk
Innovation Lab (iLab) at SPC · Gibbs & Tarpon Springs — and out in the field spc-ilab.xyz ↗

The Innovation Lab
is a technology
playground.

I'm Chad Mairn — faculty, librarian, drummer, tinkerer. I run SPC's Innovation Lab, where students and faculty get hands-on with XR, AI, music tech, and whatever emerging tech shows up next.

See the experiments Browse the tech shelf About me
“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”
— Albert Einstein
2013iLab founded
$258,735Largest grant
20+Years at SPC
35+Years making music
Start here

A playground,
not a lecture hall.

The rule wherever we set up: no judgments, no grades — and coloring outside the lines is encouraged.

What the iLab is

The Innovation Lab (iLab) is a collaborative learning environment at St. Petersburg College where people of all ages who share an interest in science, technology, engineering, digital arts, and math can meet, socialize, collaborate, and pick up new skills.

I like to think of the lab more as a concept than a single room. We have two home bases, but the work travels. We could be out on a soccer field testing one of the drones we just built, or at the STEM center making sure our butterfly garden is functioning. Wherever the experiment is happening — that's the Innovation Lab.

Want to try VR, 3D design and printing, or 360-degree imagery in your class — or outside it? Use the contact form below and we'll set up a time to talk through what's possible.

  • Find us — SPC Gibbs Campus: SA-222, 6605 5th Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33710
  • Find us — SPC Tarpon Springs Campus: LRMA, 600 E. Klosterman Road, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689
  • Full-time faculty across Humanities & Fine Arts, Business, and the College of Computer & Information Technology (CCIT)
  • Lecturer at San José State University's School of Information (since 2024)
  • Columnist — “From the Innovation Lab” in Computers in Libraries magazine
  • Founder of SPC's Listening Lab and the iLab itself (2013)
Archived iLab LibGuide ↗ Press (archived) ↗
On the bench now

Experiments

The current rotation — part classroom kit, part research, part “what happens if we plug this into that?”

Arduino · Web Audio

Theremin Painter

Students vibe-code a web app, then conduct it: an HC-SR04 distance sensor and a pot turn hand-waves into pitch, color, and paint on a p5.js canvas.

UNO R3 + HC-SR04 + potentiometer + button + RGB LED + LCD1602, talking to the browser over Web Serial at 9600 baud. Chrome/Edge only — and close Serial Monitor before you hit Connect.

Local AI · Voice

UNO Q Talking Assistant

A desk assistant with a servo head and LED eyes, thinking locally — a small Qwen3 model on a Linux box, no cloud round-trip.

Arduino UNO Q bridges to the Linux side via RouterBridge. Next step on the bench: whisper.cpp for ears and Piper for a voice.

3D Capture

Gaussian Splat Map

Walk around a place with a phone, get a photoreal 3D splat back. We're building toward a splat map of campus spaces.

Capture and processing happen on the phone (Scaniverse) — the lab's machines have no GPU, so splats are viewed in the browser, not trained locally.

XR · Wearables

Glasses, Agents & XR

Meta Ray-Bans and the new Meta Display glasses, tested against three different AI agents to see what hands-free assistance actually feels like.

Ties into the 2026 column on wearable tech in teaching and learning — the lab tests it on itself first, students second.

Music Tech

Data Sonification

Turning datasets into sound — because sometimes you can hear a pattern before you can see it. Drums and synths are lab equipment here.

35+ years as a musician, electronic music study at USF's SYCOM studios (Moog & E-mu modular), and a bench that runs from an Atari 1040ST with Notator to a Korg MS-20 Mini.

AI Literacy · Interactive Tutorial

AI Literacy for College Students

Six interactive modules — how AI works, what it gets wrong, prompt engineering, the ethics of using it, how to study with it, and how to disclose your AI use — with quizzes, a live AI lab, and an AI-use disclosure tool. The prompt-engineering module's embedded chatbot is the pattern the “Ask the iLab” assistant on this page follows.

Open the tutorial ↗

Splat Gallery

One real Gaussian splat capture, shared under an open license — a full-size scene that waits for a tap and tells you the download before it starts.

3D Capture · Real splat

Cactus

A small potted cactus on its studio block, nearly photographic — 139,410 gaussians packed into a subject about two meters across, pot, floral band, and calibration markers included.

Drag to orbit · scroll or pinch to zoom · right-drag to pan

Cactus — Steam Studio, CC0

3D Capture · Detail view

Cactus close study

A second gallery view of the same open capture, framed closer to the pot and plant so you can inspect how the gaussian points hold up at short range.

Drag to orbit · scroll or pinch to zoom · right-drag to pan

Cactus — Steam Studio, CC0

From the archived site

Earlier iLab projects and pages, preserved from the previous site:

360° Tour of the iLabGuriVRUnshushable Radio Program
Built, tested, still evolving

Projects

Finished builds and works in progress across preservation, creative coding, music technology, XR, and human-computer interaction.

Athenæum

An AI-native front door to the SPC library catalog. Plain-language search over books, journals, videos and more, live through MCP, plus a Socratic guide that asks instead of answering.

Open Athenæum ↗

Technos Axcel Repairs

In progress

Building a Greaseweazle with a Raspberry Pi Pico to capture data from old floppy disks.

mcpprimo for Claude Desktop

In progress

The setup works. Next: package it as an easy batch file so other people can try it without the manual setup.

Bytebeat web app

In progress

A browser-based application for composing and experimenting with algorithmic Bytebeat sound.

ChaosPatch for VCV Rack

A custom module modeling Atari Punk Console and Synthrotek 4093 chaos circuits, plus glitch, stutter, and an oscilloscope. Fable generated the plugin structure, DSP, and panel art; it compiled on the first try with the VCV Rack SDK and MSYS2.

Solar System Walk

An AR companion for SPC's Seminole campus walk: QR codes open each planet, with an option to place it in augmented reality.

Explore the Solar System Walk ↗

MyndPlay

In progress

Experiments with brain-wave input, working toward controlling Ableton and other music tools.

Visit MyndPlay ↗

UNO Q Talking Assistant

In progress

A desk assistant with a servo head and LED eyes, using a small local AI model and an Arduino bridge to keep the conversation on the lab's own hardware.

See how it works ↑

Oscilloscope music

In progress

Experiments that send 3D imagery to oscilloscopes, turning shape, motion, and signal into sound.

Explore oscilloscope music ↗

The AI Doc — Companion Notebook

35 open-access essays and papers by the film’s interviewees, ready to explore through cited chat, audio deep dives, flashcards, mind maps, and narrated video. Google account required.

Open the companion notebook ↗

LRMA Projection Mapping Project

In progress

A grant-funded project from the iLab's partnership with the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, where Chad works directly with the museum on technology projections spanning AR/VR, AI, and projection mapping.

See the museum work ↓

Theremin Painter

In progress

An Arduino-and-browser instrument where distance and knob sensors turn hand movement into pitch, color, and paint on a p5.js canvas.

See how it works ↑

Gaussian Splat Map

In progress

A phone-capture workflow and browser viewer building toward a photoreal 3D map of campus spaces.

View the splat work ↑

Artemis II Data Sonification

NASA AROW telemetry became MIDI, Bytebeat, and a live Three.js descent visualization. With OpenClaw's help, a Python bridge drove the Korg MS-20 and DIY synths as Orion's altitude and velocity shaped the sound.

Explore NASA's open APIs ↗

FOXP2 Genome Sonification

A chicken FOXP2 FASTA sequence became MIDI through Music Algorithms, using Fibonacci durations and modulo for rhythm. Ableton Live and Bytebeat then turned the gene into glitchy vibraphone, pads, and granular sound.

Watch the FOXP2 video ↗ See the workstation ↗

Generative AI Concert

Maegan Marlow's companion app turned audience reactions into source material for visual art and a screenplay during Markus's solo-piano performance. Ben mentored Maegan and created reactive video; Christine hosted the experiment in the museum.

Watch the concert sample ↗

Jazz in the Stacks

Smithsonian Institute-sponsored library concerts that brought live jazz into the stacks, creating informal shared listening experiences across local libraries.

Agent dashboard

Meet the Agents

Three agents help keep the lab's digital work moving — each with a distinct lane and a clear set of responsibilities.

Muse

Merlin

Merlin builds and coordinates the site, and is the first contact when a new idea needs a home.

Owns

  • Site building and updates
  • Coordination across the work
  • First contact for new projects

Live · active site agent

Operations

Hermes

Hermes runs on the Linux box and looks after the machine behind the agents.

Owns

  • Box health
  • Notifications to Chad's watch
  • Weekly security scan

Live · running on the Linux box

Builds & glasses

OpenClaw

OpenClaw runs on the Linux box, takes first passes at builds, and bridges to VisionClaw on Meta glasses.

Owns

  • First-pass builds
  • VisionClaw connection for Meta glasses

Live · running on the Linux box

Inventory

The tech shelf

What's actually in the room. Search it, filter it — some kits can even go home with you. (List is due an update; the lab keeps outgrowing it.)

Full list: spcollege.libguides.com/ilab/technologies (archived) ↗ — the live page is being retired, so this links to the Wayback Machine copy.

Across campus

Partnering with the museum

The iLab partners with the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art (LRMA), and I work directly with the museum as its liaison to the college's academics. Together we partner on innovative technology work and educational and community outreach — bringing museum work into the classroom and classroom tech into the museum.

That means technology projections ranging from AR/VR and AI to projection mapping: an immersive AR experience built around iconic 1960s records for the Martin Balin exhibit, a VR tour built from architectural blueprints, and a 3D film by Salvador Dalí protégé Louis Markoya adapted for VR.

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art ↗
LRMA projection mapping study Layered architectural planes illuminated by amber, teal, blue, and pink projected light.
Projection mapping study · LRMA
Funding

Grants & support

2024
Digital Connectivity Technology ProgramFlorida Department of Commerce
$258,735
2022
Expedition Space LabISS National Laboratory
$10,000
2019
STEM / Coding / Robotics WorkshopsProposal for Boys and Girls Clubs (2019–2020)
2016
Virtual Reality: A RenaissanceGrant project, 2016–2017
2014
Innovation Lab — Staying Cutting EdgeGrant project, 2014–2015
2011
Expanding Access to Electronic PublicationsResearch proposal on the future of reading and scholarship in a digital world
2016
Curiosity CreatesWalt Disney Corporation & ALA
$10,000
2019
A Magical Leap — Mixed RealitySPC Foundation
$2,707
2018
Focus on FundingSPC Foundation
$3,314
2017
Graphs & Geometry with 3D PrintingSPC Foundation
$2,894
2016
HoloLens: Holographic Enhanced LearningSPC Foundation
$3,360
2014
Technology Makerspace LabSPC Foundation
$3,500

Full grants list (archived) ↗ · Connections ↗

Lab grants — from the archived site
2024–25
AI in CybersecurityFlorida Department of Education — CTE
$180,000
2023–24
Extended-Reality Education LabFlorida Department of Education — CTE
$149,000
2021–24
AR/VR Curriculum for Career EducationInstitute of Museum and Library Services
$247,000
2019–21
Next-Generation Manufacturing WorkforceFlorida DOE — Job Growth Grant Fund
2019–20
Learning-Experience Designer & Program ManagerFlorida DOE — Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund
$70,000
2018–20
Collaborative Environment for InnovationFlorida Department of Education — CTE
$120,000
Not funded
2023
STEM Traveling Education Lab and Repository (STELaR)Hands-on career exploration
Full grant proposals — contact me for access

The complete proposals (PDFs) aren't posted here for public download — they carry budget figures, staffing details, and unpublished project plans. If you'd like one for your own work, tell me which grant you're interested in through the contact form and I'll share it directly.

Contact me for access
Partners & projects

Connections

The lab doesn't work alone — these are the organizations it builds with, from the archived Connections page.

Gadgets for good

eSmart Recycling

Recycling electronics for good — keeping gadgets in circulation and out of the landfill.

Visit eSmart Recycling ↗
Extended reality

HD Interactive

Extended-reality focus groups — putting XR experiences in front of real audiences and listening hard.

Visit HD Interactive ↗
Museum · Veterans

Imagine Museum

A veterans reality project, built with the museum's contemporary glass collection as the backdrop.

Visit Imagine Museum ↗
Science · Environment

Guardians of the Gulf

With NOAA and the USF College of Marine Science — science outreach for the Gulf, through the lab.

Visit Guardians of the Gulf ↗
Civic tech

St. Petersburg Innovation District

Digital inclusion work, the St. Pete Science Festival, and smart-cities projects across the district.

Visit the Innovation District ↗
Global connections

World Partnerships

A frequent partner in Chad's work and a continuing connection for the iLab.

Visit World Partnerships ↗
“From the Innovation Lab”

Recent writing

A running column in Computers in Libraries magazine since 2023, plus a book chapter on AI in library services (in press).

On Substack

From Chad's Substack

Detailed work documentation and emerging tech commentary, in full on Substack.

All posts on Substack

The short version

CV snapshot

My own note on this CV: “isn't completely up-to-date.” The highlights, current enough to be useful.

Education

  • M.A., Library & Information Science — University of South Florida, 2001 · magna cum laude
  • B.A., Humanities — University of South Florida, 1999 · cum laude
  • A.A., General Education — St. Petersburg Junior College, 1997 · magna cum laude
  • Library of Congress Junior Fellowship — Music Division, Leonard Bernstein Collection, 1998

Experience

  • 2004–present — Faculty, Innovation Lab, St. Petersburg College
  • 2024–present — Faculty Lecturer, San José State University
  • 2023–present — Columnist — “From the Innovation Lab” in Computers in Libraries magazine
  • 2011–2016 — CTO & Co-Founder, Novare Library Services
  • 2001–2004 — Reference / Systems Librarian, Gulfport Public Library

Awards

  • Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute — Mentor Hall of Fame
  • League of Innovation Excellence Award — Innovative Use of Technology
  • Phi Kappa Phi · Golden Key · USF Arts & Sciences Honor Society

Research interests

Information literacyDigital inclusionEmerging techMusic technologyAIHuman–computer interactionPhilosophy of education

Teaching

For-credit courses across three colleges at SPC — computing, digital design, business AI, research skills, and music — plus Information Communities at San José State University.

DIG 3702 · Divergent Thinking for Interactive DesignINFO 200 · Information Communities — San José State UniversityCGS 1070 · Basic Computer & Information LiteracyGEB 1432 · Applied AI in BusinessLIS 1002 · Electronic Research StrategiesLIS 1002 HonorsLIS 2004 · Introduction to Internet ResearchMAN 2930 · Current Trends in ManagementMUL 1010 · Music AppreciationMUM 2680 · Audio Technology FoundationsOST 1793 · Internet Orientation

Recent talks include keynotes and sessions at Computers in Libraries, Internet Librarian, FACRL, the National Conference of State Legislatures, Synapse Summit, and Nerd Nite St. Pete — mostly on AI, XR, and what libraries do next.

Open the PDF in a new tab ↗ Download the PDF The complete document — education, experience, teaching, writing, and grants. Read it on this page, no download needed.
Get in touch

Contact me

Questions about the lab, a classroom idea, a visit, or a talk — send a note here and it lands in my inbox.

What to write about

Short is fine. Tell me what you're working on and what you'd like to try — I'll reply with next steps and a time to talk.

  • Visit the Lab — tours, open play, and trying the tech in person at Gibbs or Tarpon Springs
  • For your class — VR, 3D printing, 360° imagery, AI, or music tech brought into a lesson
  • Speaking & writing — keynotes, workshops, and the “From the Innovation Lab” column
  • Grant proposals — the full PDFs are gated; ask here, name the grant, and I'll send it to you directly
  • Something else — if it involves curiosity and a workbench, it probably belongs here

Use the contact form and I'll reply with next steps.

When you hit Send, your email app opens with the message addressed and ready — you review it and press send there. Nothing is sent from this page itself, and no email address is listed on the page.

Come play
with the tech.

Faculty, students, and the curious are welcome. The fastest way in is a conversation: tell me what you're teaching (or what you just want to try) and I'll find the right machine, headset, or synth for it.

You'll find us at SPC Gibbs Campus, SA-222 — 6605 5th Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33710 — and at SPC Tarpon Springs Campus, LRMA — 600 E. Klosterman Road, Tarpon Springs, FL 34689. And just as often, out in the field testing whatever we built last.

Contact me Contact form Archived experiments page ↗
“There are no judgments, no grades — and it is encouraged to color outside the lines.”
— The iLab house rule