Bio-inspired Complex Networks in Science and Technology From Topology to Structure and Dynamics
Just a link to an upcoming event (April 14 – May 9, 2008) by the Max-Planck-Institut for complex system on Bio-inspired Complex Networks in Science and Technology, From Topology to Structure and Dynamics
I dont know any of the sofar announced speakers, who are the mathematicians among them? – the title sounds interesting.
From the announcement:
Presently our knowledge on the topology of biological networks, ranging from genes via neurons to societies, is increasing at an astonishing pace. A major challenge is to link the topological information to network functioning, and therefore to dynamics. Over the recent years significant progress in this direction has been made. The insights that have been gained are not only interesting in the context of biomedical applications; they also point to design principles that can be exploited in the construction of bioinspired technical networks.
The institute seems to follow three main approaches for their envisaged applications:
Generalized Models
A generalized model describes a system without restricting the interaction between model components to specific functional forms. Despite their generality generalized models can reveal many insights in the local and global dynamical properties of a system.
Equation-Free Modeling
Using special numerical techiques the dynamics and bifurcations of individual-based or agent-based models can be investigated with the standard tool of numerical dynamical systems theory. This approach is particularly useful for systems that cannot be described easily with equations.
Adaptive Networks
Many natural systems can be described as adaptive networks. Adaptive networks combine topological evolution OF the network and dynamics ON the network . Such systems have only very recently come into focus of physical research. However, several studies have revealed intriguiing dynamical effects, that can be important for many real-world systsms.
via physicsworld.com