Centre for Research in Complex Systems

Complex Systems Research Summer School 2009

Evolution of Language, Culture and Socioeconomic Systems

Sponsored by COSNet and CRiCS

Dates Dec 6-11, 2009, beginning with a reception on Sunday 6 and finishing with dinner on the night of Friday 11

Schedule

Download Programme

Some questions for which the summer school will attempt to provide the answers..

1. Why do some animals have spotted coats, some animals have striped coats, but almost no animals have spotted tails?

2. Why are long legs sexy in women?

3. Why do only humans have whites in their eyes?

4. Why do we like music?

5. Why do humans form the largest social groups in the animal kingdom and what sets their size?

6. Why do some birds sing at higher frequencies compared to their country cousins?

7. Why should you take a first date to a vegetarian restaurannt?

TOPICS and PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

Registration and Opening Reception Sunday December 6

Topic 1: Theory

- Useful concepts from graph theory

- Information theory prerequisites

- Modularity in networks

- Testing networks against models

Topic 2: Experimental methods

- Will focus on methods of collecting information on social, organisational and linguistic networks

- In depth study of social networks for pandemic simulation

- Mutual information on time series

Topic 3: Social and business networks

Topic 4: Linguistic networks

- Evidence of linguistic network structure from text

- Using language network for looking at social structure

- Co-evolution of language and society

Topic 5: Visualisation

- Display of graphs and networks

- Common software tools (Pajek, LGL)

ORGANISING COMMITTEE

General Chair: Terry Bossomaier, CRiCS, Charles Sturt University
Programme Chair: Rob Stocker, UNSW at ADFA
Local Chair: David Tien, CRiCS, Charles Sturt University
Administration: Kate Parsons CRiCS, Charles Sturt University

REGISTRATION

Registration includes: materials, coffee and lunch, the opening reception, summer school dinner and closing barbecue

Full-time Research Students:
$250 registration
$500 registration plus student accommodation

COSNet will provide ten scholarships of $500 to full-time research students at an Australian Higher Education Institution who are COSNet members. The closing date for scholarship applications will be September 30, 2009, with notification of acceptance by October 10, 2009.
COSNet membership is free and available from the website http://www.complexsystems.net.au/content/joining

Early Bird:
COSNet member: $800 registration ($550 without accommodation)
Non COSNet member: $1000 ($750 without accommodation)

General:
COSNet member: $1000 registration ($750 without accommodation)
Non COSNet member: $1250 ($1000 without accommodation)

Application for Scholarship

Please fill in and return to kparsons@csu.edu.au

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© 2007- CRiCS - Centre for Research in Complex Systems Contact : Kate Parsons