Events
Past Event
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Lightning Talks w/ Northwestern Scholars and Fellows
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
NICO LIGHTNING TALKS are open to Northwestern graduate student or postdoctoral fellows! If you are interested in giving a lightning talk (~10 minutes with questions) to the broader NICO audience, please fill out this short survey: https://forms.gle/vB4zc6cWoD2GihWB8. We will host our next session in Fall 2022.
Spring Speakers:
Lluc Font - Visiting PhD Student
McCormick School of Engineering
“Information-theoretic analysis of judicial decisions to reveal socially disruptive periods and topics”
Laws and legal decision-making regulate how societies function. Therefore, they evolve and adapt to new social paradigms and reflect changes in culture and social norms, and are a good proxy for the evolution of socially sensitive issues. Here, we propose an information-theoretic methodology to quantitatively track global trends and shifts in the evolution of large corpora of judicial decisions, and thus to detect periods in which disruptive topics arise.
Binglu Wang - PhD Student
Kellogg School of Management
Quantifying the dynamics of innovation abandonment across scientific, technological, commercial, and pharmacological domains”
Understanding the dynamics of innovation abandonment is essential for a deeper understanding of the innovation lifecyle. Here, we analyze four large-scale datasets that capture the dynamics of the innovation lifecycle from adoption to abandonment in diverse contexts: 2.6M scientists, 0.5M inventors, 3.5M consumers, and 5313 pharmaceutical organizations. We find that at a macro level, the abandoning probability of individuals or organizations increases with time, influencing the overall popularity dynamics. Yet beneath this macro trend lies a simple effect of preferential abandonment, governed by the underlying network in which abandonment unfolds. We find that this simple effect creates complex dynamics in how the underlying ecosystem disintegrates, generating a novel structural collapse in networked systems perceived as robust against random abandonments. Together these results demonstrate that the dynamics of innovation abandonment follow simple and reproducible patterns with direct implications for the structural properties of the underlying system. These results not only deepen our quantitative understanding of networked social systems, but also have implications for retaining user communities and protecting the integrity of ecosystems, suggesting that preferential abandonment may be a generic property within the innovation lifecycle.
Jorin Graham - PhD Student
Department of Physics
“Correlated dynamics enhanced by uncorrelated noise in coupled systems”
Synchronization arises in a wide variety of contexts, including physical systems – such as arrays of Josephson junctions, laser arrays, and power grids – and biological systems – such as ecosystems, circadian clocks, and cardiac pacemakers. These systems are embedded in environments whose influence can promote or disrupt synchronization. For example, correlated environmental noise often enhances synchronization, as it allows the system to inherit order from the environment. Recently, it has been shown that for coupled nonlinear oscillators, uncorrelated noise can in fact enhance synchronization better than correlated noise (Nicolaou et al., PRL 2020). In this presentation, I will show that a similar phenomenon arises even in the simplest coupled systems: systems that are linear and linearly coupled.
Moh Hosseinioun- Research Fellow
Kellogg School of Management
“Unpacking human capital using occupational skills”
How do we become more valuable workers? We invest in education and training to acquire skills, knowledge, and abilities that make us better at what we do. However, the acquisition of skills is not a series of independent events but is rather cumulative and interdependent among previous attainments. Certain skills are foundations for others— such as arithmetic for calculus— while there are skills like bodily coordination and orientation that can be mastered relatively independently. We ask whether such interdependencies determine the value of skills by analyzing skills' usage distributions across occupations.
Location:
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/92960926949
Passcode: NICO2022
About the Speaker Series:
Wednesdays@NICO is a vibrant weekly seminar series focusing broadly on the topics of complex systems and data science. It brings together attendees ranging from graduate students to senior faculty who span all of the schools across Northwestern, from applied math to sociology to biology and every discipline in-between. Please visit: https://bit.ly/WedatNICO for information on future speakers.
Time
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
NICO AI Seminar: Ziv Epstein, Stanford University "Re-Inventing the Attention Machine"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
1:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Ziv Epstein, Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, Stanford University
Title:
Re-Inventing the Attention Machine
Abstract:
Modern AI systems - such as LLMs and feed algorithms on social media - are algorithmic amplifiers that uplift certain voices and perspectives. But whose perspectives? In this talk, I will argue that human attention is the key bridge to understanding how we shape these AI amplifiers and how they shape us. In particular, I will argue that AI systems are training on a particular ground truth that is mediated by human attention and as a result is hill-climbing on attentional noise. To what extent is training data transformed by attention? Can we measure it? And can we shift attention to make more deliberate training data? I will discuss ways to measure attentional drift in AI systems, as well as prosocial tools to align behavior and values, and ongoing attempts to embed values into these AI amplifiers explicitly. These projects point to a new way of designing sociotechnical systems for prosocial outcomes, by moving away from attention economies and towards attention ecologies.
Speaker Bio:
Ziv Epstein is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI. In his research, he focuses on translating insights from design and the social sciences into the development of sociotechnical systems such as generative AI and social media platforms. Ziv has published papers in venues such as the general interest journals Nature, Science and PNAS , as well as top-tier computer science proceedings such as CHI and CSCW. His work has also received widespread media attention in outlets like the New York Times, Scientific American, and NPR.
Location:
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/98518429787
Passcode: NICO2024
Calendar:
Add to Outlook | Google Calendar
About this Seminar:
NICO welcomes everyone to join us at this AI focused Thursday afternoon seminar. Please note, since this is at 1pm, we will provide light refreshments only.
Time
Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Chris Bail, Duke University "Bridging Divides with Generative AI"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Chris Bail, Professor of Sociology, Political Science, and Public Policy, Duke University
Title:
Bridging Divides with Generative AI
Abstract:
Political discourse is the soul of democracy, but misunderstanding and conflict can fester in divisive conversations. The widespread shift to online discourse exacerbates many of these problems and corrodes the capacity of diverse societies to cooperate in solving social problems. Scholars and civil society groups promote interventions that make conversations less divisive or more productive, but scaling these efforts to online discourse is challenging. This talk will describe a large-scale experiment that demonstrates how online conversations about divisive topics can be improved with AI tools. Specifically, my colleagues and employ a large language model to make real-time, evidence-based recommendations intended to improve participants’ perception of feeling understood. These interventions improve reported conversation quality, promote democratic reciprocity, and improve the tone, without systematically changing the content of the conversation or moving people’s policy attitudes. These findings replicate during a half year experiment on a large social media platform.
Speaker Bio:
Chris Bail is Professor of Sociology, Political Science, and Public Policy at Duke University, where he founded the Polarization Lab. He studies how artificial intelligence shapes human behavior in a range of different settings—and social media platforms in particular. Chris is passionate about building the field of computational social science. He is the Editor of the Oxford University Press Series in Computational Social Science and the Co-Founder of the Summer Institutes in Computational Social Science. Chris received his PhD from Harvard University in 2011.
Location:
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/97722631639
Passcode: NICO2024
About the Speaker Series:
Wednesdays@NICO is a vibrant weekly seminar series focusing broadly on the topics of complex systems, data science and network science. It brings together attendees ranging from graduate students to senior faculty who span all of the schools across Northwestern, from applied math to sociology to biology and every discipline in-between. Please visit: https://bit.ly/WedatNICO for information on future speakers.
Time
Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Daniel Harris, Brown University "At the interface: physical analogy with interfacial fluid mechanics"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Daniel Harris, Assistant Professor of Engineering, Brown University
Title:
At the Interface: Physical Analogy with Interfacial Fluid Mechanics
Abstract:
Maxwell describes physical analogy as a "partial similarity between the laws of one science and those of another which makes each of them illustrate the other." Hydrodynamics has long since been a source of physical analogy, sharing similar equations with other seemingly disparate fields of physics. The focus of this talk will be on physical analogies with interfacial fluid systems, where accessible tabletop experiments can be used to investigate and communicate physical phenomena at vastly different scales. Following a brief review of some historical examples of analogy in interfacial fluid mechanics, I will describe two recent tabletop experiments developed in our lab that share similarities with certain microscopic colloidal systems. While physical analogy can be fruitfully used to advance science across disciplines, it can also be leveraged to enhance scientific communication and pedagogy.
Speaker Bio:
Daniel M. Harris is an Assistant Professor of Engineering at Brown University in the Fluids and Thermal Sciences group. Before joining Brown, Dan was a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Department of Mathematics. Dan received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University in 2010 and his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from MIT in 2015.
Dan’s primary research interests are in interfacial phenomena, microfluidics, and transport phenomena. His research involves an integrated experimental and theoretical approach. Dan has also received numerous awards for his scientific visualizations, including being selected as the winner of the 2016 NSF/Popular Science Visualization Challenge in Photography, as well as numerous prizes from the American Physical Society’s Gallery of Fluid Motion and Gallery of Soft Matter.
Location:
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/93585934682
Passcode: NICO2024
About the Speaker Series:
Wednesdays@NICO is a vibrant weekly seminar series focusing broadly on the topics of complex systems, data science and network science. It brings together attendees ranging from graduate students to senior faculty who span all of the schools across Northwestern, from applied math to sociology to biology and every discipline in-between. Please visit: https://bit.ly/WedatNICO for information on future speakers.
Time
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Eleni Katifori, University of Pennsylvania "TBA"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Eleni Katifori, Associate Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania
Title:
TBA
Abstract:
TBA
Speaker Bio:
Eleni Katifori is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania. Prof Katifori’s research group are interested in understanding the physics behind the morphological and functional attributes of living organisms. They primarily focus on questions inspired by and related to biological transport networks and the elasticity and geometry of thin sheets. Professor Katifori received her Ph.D from Harvard University in 2008 and a B.S. from the University of Athens, Greece in 2002.
Location:
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/92857810876
Passcode: NICO2024
About the Speaker Series:
Wednesdays@NICO is a vibrant weekly seminar series focusing broadly on the topics of complex systems, data science and network science. It brings together attendees ranging from graduate students to senior faculty who span all of the schools across Northwestern, from applied math to sociology to biology and every discipline in-between. Please visit: https://bit.ly/WedatNICO for information on future speakers.
Time
Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Serguei Saavedra, MIT "How Do Ecological Systems Become (re)Assembled?"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Serguei Saavedra, Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT
Title:
How Do Ecological Systems Become (re)Assembled?
Abstract:
One of the most iconic thought experiments in biology is what would happen if we could rewind the tape of life on Earth and play it again. Would the tape have a different story in every replay? Or is there a general order of events? The relevance of this thought experiment is not just philosophical or counterfactual, because (re)assembly processes undergone by ecological systems, from microbes to mega-fauna, are continuously replicating the experiment. By integrating theoretical and empirical work, in this talk I will provide a guideline to increase our understanding about the (re)assembly possibilities of ecological systems. Explaining and predicting the (re)assembly of ecological systems underpins our ability to develop successful interventions in bio-restoration, bio-technologies, and bio-medicine.
Speaker Bio:
Serguei Saavedra is an Associate Professor at MIT in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is also an external faculty at Santa Fe Institute. Serguei is a theoretical ecologist focused on understanding the feasibility of observing the emergence, transformations, and regeneration of ecological systems under environmental changes. Before joining MIT in 2016, Serguei studied systems engineering in Mexico; specialized in mathematical modeling at Genoa University; completed his PhD in engineering science at Oxford University; and did his postdoctoral work at the NICO (under the mentorship of Brian Uzzi), Doñana Biological Station, and in the department of environmental systems at ETH.
Location:
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/91082510906
Passcode: NICO2024
About the Speaker Series:
Wednesdays@NICO is a vibrant weekly seminar series focusing broadly on the topics of complex systems, data science and network science. It brings together attendees ranging from graduate students to senior faculty who span all of the schools across Northwestern, from applied math to sociology to biology and every discipline in-between. Please visit: https://bit.ly/WedatNICO for information on future speakers.
Time
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Joseph Paulsen, Syracuse University "TBA"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
//
Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
Speaker:
Joseph Paulsen, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Syracuse University
Title:
TBA
Abstract:
TBA
Speaker Bio:
Joseph Paulsen earned a bachelor's degrees in Mathematics and Physics from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, and he completed his PhD in Physics at the University of Chicago with Sidney Nagel. He won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for his work that studies connections between geometry and mechanics in thin materials. Outside of science, one of his passions is trying to squirrel away as much time as possible to ski with his 7-year-old daughter (his son and his wife are not skiers... yet).
Location:
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/94291553667
Passcode: NICO2024
About the Speaker Series:
Wednesdays@NICO is a vibrant weekly seminar series focusing broadly on the topics of complex systems, data science and network science. It brings together attendees ranging from graduate students to senior faculty who span all of the schools across Northwestern, from applied math to sociology to biology and every discipline in-between. Please visit: https://bit.ly/WedatNICO for information on future speakers.
Time
Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)