Complex systems channel

1.1 Separation of Scales: Why complex systems need a new mathematics

One of the central insights about complex systems is that the effect of dependencies among components cannot be fully represented by traditional mathematical and conceptual approaches. A key to their limitation…

Yaneer Bar-YamMar 104 min read

1.4 Universality

When we observe the largest scale behaviors of a system, we simplify the mathematical description of the system because there are fewer distinguishable states, and only a limited set of possible behaviors. This also means that systems that look different on a microscopic scale may not look…

Yaneer Bar-YamMar 105 min read

1.2 Revolution in Physics: Theory-experiment contradiction and multiscale insight

The importance of multiscale ideas is apparent in an approach developed in statistical physics beginning in the 1970s anchored in the method of renormalization group. Modeling in this…

Willow BrughSep 23, 20158 min read

NECSI Salon : Ethnic Violence

On January 28th, the monthly salon gathered at NECSI to discuss ethnic violence from the lens of complex science. Yaneer Bar-Yam, president of NECSI, gave a brief talk about NECSI’s paper about modeling violence. Marshall Wallace, past director of the Listening Project, also gave a quick talk…

Willow BrughSep 23, 20158 min read

the Complexity of Ebola response

These notes were taken at the 2014.Dec.18 New England Complex Systems Institute Salon focused on Ebola. Sam, Willow, and Yaneer contributed to this write-up, and 20 people were in attendance. We hope you’ll join us in future. We’ll have unstructured meetings each…

Willow BrughOct 26, 20154 min read

Homelessness, an Initial Inquiry

Homelessness is a persistent problem in US cities and elsewhere. Homelessness should not be viewed in isolation, as it is coupled with health, career, family and socio-economic context. Recent innovations in approach to addressing homelessness and associated problems in…

Willow BrughSep 23, 20154 min read

NECSI Salon: First Day Celebration

NECSI’s action-based 4th Wednesday Salon focused on First Day. This is an event which provides the resources, framing, and impetus to take personal responsibility for community health. It is not a fix-all, but is it an important, missing piece in the US health care debate, and a fulcrum for…

NECSIMar 17, 20154 min read

The Rise of Distributed Organizations

Complexity science and real world case studies. With: Deb Roy…

Catalina ButnaruMay 3, 20153 min read

Scientists, engineers and policy makers unite for water

But is the solution to complex water…

Yaneer Bar-YamMar 104 min read

1.3 Representations and Information as a Function of Scale

A representation is a map of a system onto mathematical variables. More correctly, a representation should be understood as a map of the set of possible states of a system onto the possible states of mathematical variables. A…