EMERGENT FOCUS

Complexity in SBE

NSF-wide Complexity Focus

Interacting elements.  Large numbers of interacting elements, random interactions and aggregate or emergent phenomena are key factors in important systems – from atomic particles to societies. CDI will improve our ability to predict and deduce interactions in complex systems to better understand, design and control them.

Knowledge extraction.  

Computational experimentation.

Virtual environments.  

Education for computational discovery. 

Complexity is Embedded in CDI

NSF-wide Complexity Focus

Informal NSF-wide Working Group

SUCCESSFUL OECD Proposal

‘Complex Systems and the Science of Unanticipated Consequences and Unrealized Opportunities’

Policy for Timely and Urgent Global Situations

•Weather and climate forecasting•Disaster vulnerability and responses •Dynamics of alienation and conflict •Economic and political dynamics•Disease epidemiology•Dynamically responsive sensors & materials

•Sustainable energy technologies

SBE WORKING GROUP ON COMPLEXITY:Building Capacity

Jacqueline Meszaros, IOS, DRMSCheryl Eavey, MMSChris Kello, SLCFred Kronz, STSTerry Langendoen, CI, LingJon Leland, DRMS

Ping Li, PACDan Newlon, EconRita Teutonico, HSDBetty Tuller, PACDoug Whalen, CogNeuro, Ling

Successes and promising directions:-Complexity as a style of thinking-Patterns in human cognition, learning, movement, language ….-Modeling of heterogeneous, interacting, adaptive populations-Tools

SBE WG: Exploring Issues in Complexity

What do SBE Sciences Bring to Complexity Studies?-Rich descriptions and measures-Commitment to validity-Attn to bottom-up processes-Important, messy problems

SBE WG: Exploring Issues in Complexity

SBE Dear Colleague Letter

“Encouraging Submission of Proposals involving Complexity and Interacting Systems to Programs in the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences”

Design of this Effort:

Distributed, Supported,

Synergistic with CDI

Follow-up:

Learning for Future Years

HOPES?

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else

in the universe.”

- John Muir