• Conference, Education and Networking Travel Support
• Introductory CSS courses
• Network Theory Working Group Startup
• PhD Scholarships (awarded 2003-2004)
• A message from the web site perpetrator

Conference, Education and Networking Travel Support

A central objective of the CSS Emerging Science Program is

"to develop an active network of skilled CSS researchers in CSIRO (and beyond) so that advances in the science in one context are rapidly transmitted and applied to other fields."

To this end, CSS funds have been allocated to support

1. attendance at both local and international CSS related conferences or workshops, including summer schools
2. travel for invited external (non-CSIRO) interstate or international CSS seminar presenters
3. Extended visits (up to 6 weeks) to the Core group or between the Core group and/or labs where CSS projects are based.

For further information, please contact Rachel Williams

The Complex Systems Science area (CSS) is interested in encouraging potential CSIRO postgraduate scholarship applicants to consider projects and opportunities in CSS. Further information on Complex Systems Science may be found at http://www.dar.csiro.au/css/whatis.shtm . Information on some of the CSIRO work on complex systems science can be accessed from http://www.dar.csiro.au/css/activity.shtm

For information on which Divisions are involved in CSS Research and to access details of CSIRO's Postgraduate Scholarship Application Process, please visit the following web-page http://www.csiro.au/phd Posted 1/10/01

Five CSIRO PhD top-up scholarships were awarded through the CSS Centre over 2003 and 2004. The list of successful applicants and their projects can be found at http://www.dar.csiro.au/css/Postgrad.shtm

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The course is not intended for people who are already developing and applying these tools. It is NOT a meeting of experts in these CSS fields. It is designed to help you gain a basic understanding of two CSS research areas and to provide you with sources of information which you can further investigate if you think the approach is appropriate.

Aims of Course
This proposal is about raising awareness of the options for resource managers/researchers dealing with social/economic/environmental systems about the theories, assumptions and applicability of various complex systems techniques.

Modules

Module 1: June 2003.
Working scientist's guide to complexity. R Bradbury, CRES (ANU)
Multi-agent based simulation. P. Perez, ANU
Stability and control of complex systems. R. Ball, ANU
System dynamics modelling. K. Linard. (UNSW/ADFA)

Module 2: August 19-20 2003.
Bayesian belief networks. Scott Wooldridge, AIMS.
Network theory. David Green, Monash; David Newth, CSU (Albury).
Course outline 97kB pdf.

Module 3 Gungahlin, 8 September, 2003.
Topic:
Adaptive game theory. Robert Seymour, University College London.
Information.

Module 4: May 2004
Hill Climbing, Tabu Search, Simulated Annealing and Genetic Algortihms Oliver Chikumbo
Cellular Automata Terry Bossomaier (CSU)

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From Paul Walker, CSIRO

Network theory concerns properties that arise in systems of many objects linked together. It is central to understanding and managing complexity because many features of the systems arise from their underlying network structure, rather than specifics of the objects and interactions. Key ideas include: connectivity, criticality, loops and cycles, modularity, trees and hierarchies; as well as, small world and scale-free behaviour. The universal nature of networks means that there are potential applications to many natural and artificial systems. Examples include communication networks, control systems, food webs, gene regulatory networks, disease spread and epidemics, neural networks, and social systems.

As you can see, network theory has a wide range of applications. How can we share knowledge about these and further develop the theories and tools available.

I have formed a working group, under the CSIRO Centre for Complex Systems Science, to

- share insights and knowledge about network theory,

- to develop a framework for integrating concepts and tools for analysing networks from diverse disciplines and identifying opportunities for collaborative research

- to investigate the interatcion between network structure and network function

- to identify the requirements, in terms of tools and algorithms, that are required to analyse both

a) the structure of networks and how they change through time, especially with weighted edges and nodes

b) the interactions between different types of networks (eg. social, economic, environmental, governance)- to provide a forum for discussing emerging ideas on network theory and for add-value to emerging or currentprojects with a network/CSS focus

The first meeting of the Network Theory working Group was held in May at CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems Canberra

Key presentations : Prof. David Green (Univ Monash)

Key presentations : Prof. Pip Pattison (Melb Univ)

Sessions on :

• What is network theory and why is it important
• What do we understand by the term "Methods in Network Theory
• What do we understand by the term "Structure in Network Theory"
• How can we best share knowledge on these issues
• Network structure, function and dynamics
• Network theory applications : a series of short 5 minute talks on applications

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Working papers

perhaps 1 to 2 pages of of ideas that might be of generic interest.

Book reviews:

From 0.5 to 1.0 pages. give us a review of your favourite (or most-hated) complex systems science book.

Research descriptions.

Again, about 1 page. We are looking for various types:

• Draft proposals for the next funding round
• Descriptions of PhD work identified as CSS, supported by CSIRO top-up (both the corporate scheme and the CCCSS two).
• Descriptions of PostDoc research identified as CSS in the corporate scheme