International Conference on Complex Systems 2004

New England Complex Systems Institute, Newton MA

Investigators

Abstract

The Fifth International Conference on Complex Systems (ICCS) is being organized for May 16-21, 2004. This event will build on the successes of four previous conferences: (a)International Conference on Complex Systems (September 26-30, 1997), (b) Second International Conference on Complex Systems (October 25-30, 1998) and (c) Third International Conference on Complex Systems (May 21-26, 2000) and (d) Fourth International Conference on Complex Systems (June 9-14, 2002). This conference series, which is organized by the New England Complex Systems Institute (NECSI), is the main international conference dedicated to the unified study of complex dynamical systems. Central to the purpose of the conference is building an international community that is devoted to this new field. NECSI is an educational and research institution with the participation of faculty from major academic institutions from New England, around the United States, and internationally. It is dedicated to interdisciplinary communication and collaboration on complex systems. There is a new and growing effort to understand complex systems and complexity that has attracted a lot of interest in the scientific community. Various conferences and workshops have addressed aspects of these growing efforts. However, this is the only major international conference series to bring the wide diversity of researchers together, demonstrating the interdisciplinary but coherent nature of these efforts. The excitement of research in this field and its diverse applications has been expanding and the conferences have been growing and we anticipate a much larger conference than the previous ones. Interest among students and postdoctoral fellows continues to grow and the International Conference on Complex Systems provides essential exposure for them to reviews of historical progress and new advances. The broader impacts of the conference include interdisciplinary cross-fertilization among physicists, computer scientists, engineers, mathematicians, biologists, ecologists, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, linguists, managers and physicians. The contact extends beyond the academic community to include professionals as well as the public. The new scientific effort to understand complex systems has attracted the attention of professionals in diverse areas -- high technology, biotechnology, health care, financial services, and corporate management generally. It has also attracted significant public attention because it addresses topics such as individual psychology, dynamics of social and economic change, and ecology, that are of general concern; and can address new problems as they arise, like global terrorism and homeland security. The ICCS conference will include educational sessions that are appropriate for professionals and the public. The conference will be located in Boston and will be accessible to public transportation. The ICCS has in past and is expected to continue to serve as a vehicle for public awareness of the importance of science to society.