Biocomplexity -- Incubation Activity: Collaborative Research: Networking the 'Invisible Colleges': Application of Network Theory to Biocomplexity

本次研讨会将汇集数学家、统计学家、计算机科学家、生物科学家和社会科学家的多学科集合，旨在开发人类和生物系统中的复杂网络模型，特别强调社会和生态网络的整合。构建研讨会的具体目标是：(1)建立共识；(2)复杂系统建模；(3)接口与扩展；(4)形象化和探索性；(5)数据质量问题。30位不同学科的专家应邀参加了2001年3月在杜克海洋实验室举行的为期三天的研讨会。在会议之前，为了建立共识，我们将向每位与会者分发一份目的声明、关键阅读材料和各种学科中使用的类似术语的词典。讲习班将以一整天的重点介绍开始，第二天专门讨论以最后四个目标为重点的分组讨论，最后一天由报告员综合分组讨论的摘要和建议。与会者将：确定跨学科复杂性的共同问题，思想交叉融合的限制，以及克服这些限制的方法；探索数学家、统计学家、社会和生物科学家开发的各种数学和统计网络模型和分析的适当性，适用于复杂生物系统的研究；探索包括人类系统动力学，营养和非营养性质，进入复杂的生物系统模型；开发和改进基于计算机的工具，用于复杂生物系统的探索性视觉分析；并且，解决关于在食物网和营养网络的生物复杂性建模中使用的数据质量问题。社会科学家和生态学家都使用网络模型来研究复杂性。然而，目前以计算机为基础的研究人类和生物系统复杂性的方法尚未得到充分发展。最重要的是，这些模型缺乏人类和生态网络的整合。到目前为止，在复杂的各个领域已经做了很多工作，但各个领域的研究人员之间很少接触，每个领域形成了一个“看不见的学院”。最近，社会科学家和生态学家已经认识到他们的平行努力，并开始合作。这次研讨会的短期成果将包括与会者的出版物，但更大的意义将来自不同背景的科学家之间的长期合作。这次研讨会将有助于促进这种合作，并有可能对更好地理解生物复杂性研究中的各种问题作出重大贡献。这项孵化活动是作为2000财政年度生物复杂性特别竞赛的一部分得到资助的。

This workshop will bring together a multidisciplinary collection of mathematicians, statisticians, computer scientists, biological scientists, and social scientists for the purpose of developing models of complex networks in both human and biological systems, with special emphasis given to integration of social and ecological networks. The specific objectives used to structure the workshop are: (1) establishing common ground; (2) modeling of complex systems; (3) interfacing and extension; (4) visualization and exploration; and (5) data quality issues. Thirty experts in the various disciplines have been invited to participate in a three-day workshop at the Duke Marine Laboratory in March of 2001. Prior to the meeting, in order to establish common ground, we will distribute to each participant a statement of purpose, key readings, and a lexicon of analogous terms used in the various disciplines. The workshop will commence with a full day of focused presentations, a second day devoted to breakout groups focusing on the last four objectives, and a final day where breakout group summaries and recommendations will be synthesized using rapporteurs. The attendees will: identify the common issues of complexity across disciplines, the limitations to cross fertilizations of ideas, and ways to overcome these limitations; explore the appropriateness of various mathematical and statistical network models and analyses developed by mathematicians, statisticians, and social and biological scientists applicable to the study of complex biological systems; explore the inclusion of human system dynamics, both of a trophic and non-trophic nature, into models of complex biological systems; develop and improve computer based tools for the exploratory visual analysis of complex biological systems; and, address issues concerning the quality of data used in modeling biocomplexity in food webs and trophic networks. Both social scientists and ecologists use network models to study complexity. However, current computer-based methods of the study of complexity in human and biological systems are not fully developed. Most significantly, these models lack integration of human and ecological networks. Until now, there has been much work done on a variety of fields in complexity, but there has been little contact among researchers in the various fields, each field forming an "invisible college." Recently, social scientists and ecologists have recognized their parallel efforts and have begun collaboration. Short-term products of this workshop will include publications from the attendees, but the greater significance will come in the long-term with increased collaboration among scientists from different backgrounds. This workshop will aid in promoting such collaboration and has the potential to contribute significantly to a better understanding of various problems in the study of biocomplexity. This incubation activity was funded as part of the FY2000 Biocomplexity Special Competition.