MODELING WORKSHOP

Dates: November 15-16, 2003
Location: MIT, Cambridge, MA

Subject matter

This course offers an introduction to building models of complex systems (biological, sociological or from any other discipline). It will cover the basic steps of identifying the objects to be modeled, describing their state and interactions mathematically, and implementing the model in a computer simulation. Examples from the fields of chemical pattern-formation, game theory, and time-series analysis will be presented. Particular attention will be paid to choosing the right level of detail for the model, testing its robustness, and discussing which questions a given model can or cannot answer.

Target audience

This course is geared toward students, post-doctoral fellows, faculty and others who are interested in developing quantitative models. A formal background in mathematics, physics or programming is helpful, but not required.