Collective behavior as a research domain
The study of emergent collective behavior is becoming ripe. Various conferences (e.g, this, this, this) and research groups (this, this, this, this, this) are being established around both the general topic and its domain-specific instantiations. Whether the particular subject matter is networks of brain cells, animal herds (popular article), populations of language users, economic cooperation, or robots that exploit their embodiment, researchers in many corners of academia seem to be converging upon a family of research principles for examining complex phenomena in their respective domains. The supervening claims are diverse, but what the bulk of these endeavors have in common is the underlying insight that even seemingly intractable complexity can emerge from dynamic coordination among far more basic operations, especially when distributed across multiple agents or system components. It is a framework that has dense historical roots in areas of engineering, physics, psychology, biology, and philosophy; today its scope of applicability and interdisciplinary relevance are visibly expanding.
Our group
Founded in Spring 2014 at Cornell University, the Collective Behavior Study Group seeks to unite students (i.e., graduate, professional, and undergraduate), faculty, and other denizens with an interest in the above issues. We will convene to discuss relevant topics ranging from interesting research to artistic projects and novel ideas. Members will have the opportunity to obtain and give feedback to other members about informal presentations and ideas, whether research-related or not.
Topics of discussion
Self-organizing systems, networks, evolutionary dynamics, non-human and human behavioral ecology, ontogeny, robotics, joint action, linguistic coordination, emergence of social norms and institutions, economic games, physiological perspectives on sociality, historical foundations of collective behavior research, etc. Computational and modeling approaches will sometimes be the topic of discussion, but they will be presented in a manner that minimizes presupposed background knowledge and unexplained jargon. As the potential reach of our topic is broad, we enthusiastically welcome individuals from all kinds of backgrounds.
The study of emergent collective behavior is becoming ripe. Various conferences (e.g, this, this, this) and research groups (this, this, this, this, this) are being established around both the general topic and its domain-specific instantiations. Whether the particular subject matter is networks of brain cells, animal herds (popular article), populations of language users, economic cooperation, or robots that exploit their embodiment, researchers in many corners of academia seem to be converging upon a family of research principles for examining complex phenomena in their respective domains. The supervening claims are diverse, but what the bulk of these endeavors have in common is the underlying insight that even seemingly intractable complexity can emerge from dynamic coordination among far more basic operations, especially when distributed across multiple agents or system components. It is a framework that has dense historical roots in areas of engineering, physics, psychology, biology, and philosophy; today its scope of applicability and interdisciplinary relevance are visibly expanding.
Our group
Founded in Spring 2014 at Cornell University, the Collective Behavior Study Group seeks to unite students (i.e., graduate, professional, and undergraduate), faculty, and other denizens with an interest in the above issues. We will convene to discuss relevant topics ranging from interesting research to artistic projects and novel ideas. Members will have the opportunity to obtain and give feedback to other members about informal presentations and ideas, whether research-related or not.
Topics of discussion
Self-organizing systems, networks, evolutionary dynamics, non-human and human behavioral ecology, ontogeny, robotics, joint action, linguistic coordination, emergence of social norms and institutions, economic games, physiological perspectives on sociality, historical foundations of collective behavior research, etc. Computational and modeling approaches will sometimes be the topic of discussion, but they will be presented in a manner that minimizes presupposed background knowledge and unexplained jargon. As the potential reach of our topic is broad, we enthusiastically welcome individuals from all kinds of backgrounds.