Workshops and Courses

[Pamela Shelley]

Online Gradute Courses in System Dynamics at WPI

Fall Semester Begins August 26

Worcester Polytechnic Institute offers online, graduate courses in system dynamics.

Register for a course by September 3 by contacting online@wpi.edu or 508-831-6789.

Courses offered this fall semester are:
SD550 - System Dynamics Foundation. Taught by James Lyneis
SD551 - Modeling and Experimental Analysis of Complex Problems. Taught by Khalid Saeed
SD560 - Strategy Dynamics. Taught by Kim Warren
SS590 - Health Dynamics. Taught by James Thompson

Cost of one course if US$3,477.

[Thomas Fiddaman]

June 17: Introduction to System Dynamics with Vensim

June 18: Advanced Topics in Vensim

Instructor: Tom Fiddaman

For more information go to:
http://www.vensim.com/course.html

[Enzo Bivona]

Dear Colleague,

I'm pleased to send you the web link to the brochure of the Summer School we're going to host in Mondello (Palermo) Addaura Hotel July 4th-9th, on the topic: "Improving Public Sector Performance through System Dynamics Modeling and Simulation: a Strategic Planning & Control Perspective".

http://www.ced4.it/pages/struttura/main.php?id_categoria=9&id_servizio=146&language=IT&PHPSESSID=15498f0e12c990ff69b7d83ea8f6ee8a

The School follows the successful experience of last year, when we hosted a number of participants from different parts of the world, on the topic "Model Based Public Planning, Policy Design, and Management: a System Dynamics approach".
More details are in our web site: http://www.ced4.it under the item "Summer School".

The aim of our Annual Summer School is to link System Dynamics to Public Management studies and applications.
Our primary target is associated to PhD students and -- more widely -- younger researchers.
However, we also do not disregard the possibility that more experienced people involved in consulting or various public sector-related institutions may attend the School. As a matter of fact, last year's participants were from both the areas (University PhD students/researchers and practitioners).

Provided it is a "Summer School" and the School is in Palermo, the idea is to combine "science/knowledge" with culture and nature, and more specifically seaside enjoyment. Last year the logistics was provided by a hotel located in Ustica (a small island at 1 hr distance by hydrofoil from Palermo). This year, we'll host the Summer School in a beach club in Mondello (Palermo).
Also this year, the idea is that participants will enjoy the School not only by attending the teaching sessions and developing project works, through the tutorship from the School's Faculty, but also by spending free time with the natural resources, sports, and outdoor activities provided by the resort that will host the School.

This year's Summer School's learning goals are oriented to:
- Illustrate how System Dynamics can enhance Planning & Strategic Control Systems to improve Performance in the public sector;
- Analyze Industry-based System Dynamics applications in framing and measuring performance, to improve quality planning, accountability, and performance assessment on both an organization and an individual basis;
- Develop competences on how to link System Dynamics models to Financial and Accounting Models in assessing performance in various public sector fields;
- Support participants in developing "Industry-based" System Dynamics models, focussed on their own research projects.

In particular, different "Industry-based" applications will be focussed, e.g. ranging from Health Care, to Public Utilities, Energy, Housing, Tourism, and encompassing inter-sectoral domains, like infrastructure building or personal and social services.

Experienced and qualified Professors will teach at the School:
• Pål Davidsen (Full Professor of System Dynamics, University of Bergen, Norway)
• Michael J. Radzicki (Associate Professor of System Dynamics, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA)
• William C. Rivenbark (Associate Professor of Public Management, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA & Fulbright Specialist).
• Matteo Pedercini (Deputy Director for Capacity Development and Modeling, Millennium Institute, USA).
• Carmine Bianchi (Full Professor of Public Management, University of Palermo, Italy)
• Enzo Bivona (Assistant Professor of Business Management, University of Palermo, Italy)

I hope you will be interested to visit us, and to suggest your colleagues to work with us in a stimulating and enjoyable international setting!

For any further info, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Best regards,

Enzo


__________________________________________________________________
Enzo Bivona, Assistant Professor in Business Management
University of Palermo - Faculty of Political Sciences
PhD in Business Management - University of Catania (Italy)
Master Phil in System Dynamics - University of Bergen (Norway)
enzo.bivona@unipa.it
bivona@ced4.it

University Address:
Via Maqueda, 324 - 90100 Palermo (Italy)
Tel: +3909123892520

Office Address:
c/o CED4 - Via Mazzini, 59 - 90139 Palermo (Italy)
Tel/Fax: +39091587400
Mobile phone: +393384381446

CED4-System Dynamics Group web page:
http://www.ced4.it

[Michael Radzicki]

Dear Colleagues:

As part of Worcester Polytechnic Institute's graduate distance learning program in system dynamics modeling this summer I will be teaching an introductory course in agent based modeling. As this is an introductory course, no knowledge of either system dynamics or ABM is required.

The course will provide a sweeping overview of agent-based modeling including the strengths and weaknesses of various ABM software platforms, the details of the NetLogo modeling platform, well-known cellular autonoma and multi-agent models, the ABM modeling process, and cutting-edge topics in ABM. Of note is that a portion of the course will be devoted to comparing and contrasting system dynamics and agent-based modeling, and on guidelines for determining when it is appropriate to use each modeling technique.

The course will run on-line via the Blackboard software platform from May 24, 2010 to July 29, 2010. All lectures will be recorded and placed on the course site, along with models, Power Point presentations, PDFed articles, and other relevant material. A student's grade will be determined by the points he/she earns on a series of weekly homework exercises and the points he/she earns on a term-long modeling project. A teaching assistant and I will be actively monitoring the ebb and flow of the course via an on-line discussion board and e-mail exchanges.

Courses in WPI's graduate distance leaning program in system dynamics can be taken individually, or as part of a program leading to a Certificate of Graduate Study or a Masters of Science Degree. For more information please contact me (Professor Michael J. Radzicki) at: mjradz@wpi.edu or point your browser to: http://online.wpi.edu/

[Michael Radzicki]

Dear Colleagues:

As part of Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s graduate distance learning program in system dynamics this summer I will be teaching a course in Macroeconomic Dynamics. No prior knowledge of macroeconomics is necessary to take the course. Basic knowledge of system dynamics modeling is helpful but not mandatory.

The course provides a sweeping overview of macroeconomic thinking from Adam Smith to the present day. Of note is that I have translated all of the models and theories of the great thinkers discussed in the course into system dynamics so that their similarities and differences can be more easily seen. A more detailed outline of the course can be found at: http://michaeljosephradzicki.com/macrodynbook.htm

The course will run on-line via the Blackboard software platform from May 24, 2010 to July 29, 2010. All lectures will be recorded and placed on the course site, along with models, Power Point presentations, PDFed articles, and other relevant material. A student’s grade will be determined by the points he/she earns on a series of weekly homework exercises and from his/her participation in relevant discussion board chatter. A teaching assistant and I will be actively monitoring the ebb and flow of the course via an on-line discussion board and e-mail exchanges.

Courses in WPI’s graduate distance leaning program in system dynamics can be taken individually, or as part of a program leading to a Certificate of Graduate Study or a Masters of Science Degree. For more information please contact me (Professor Michael J. Radzicki) at: mjradz@wpi.edu or point your browser to: http://online.wpi.edu/

[Gonenc Yucel]

Dear all,
We are aiming to put together a special session on 'Modelling Societal Transitions' in the 3rd World Congress on Social Simulation, and invite contributions that focus on methods and/or applications of simulation models in the context of societal transitions.

Applications could range from case-specific models of a certain transition to more general – thought experiment-like – simulations.
Methods should preferably involve novel approaches, like the use of ontologies, data-mining techniques, workbenches and exploratory modelling. These contributions can range from sample implementations of these novel approaches to thorough methodological discussions.

We intend to work towards a special issue in JASSS (Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation) on this subject and this call for papers can therefore be considered a first step thereto.

Further details can be found in the attached call for papers.

We are looking forward to your contributions and your presence at our sessions at the conference!

For any questions do not hesitate to contact:
J. de Haan [hans.dehaan@tudelft.nl]
J. Timmermans [j.s.timmermans@tudelft.nl]
G. Yücel [G.Yucel@tudelft.nl]

[Robert Eberlein]

April 20: Introduction to System Dynamics with Vensim

April 21: Advanced Topics in Vensim

April 22,23: Small Models with Lots of Data. This course covers techniques for getting important information from large quantities of data. Through a number of example you will learn how, using small models and optimization, data can reveal important insights into dynamic issues (requires knowledge of subscripts and optimization).

For more information go to:
http://www.vensim.com/course.html

[Bobby Milstein]

Training Opportunity: Institute on Systems Science and Health (ISSH 2010) http://issh.aed.org

June 13-18, 2010
New York, New York

Application Deadline: February 15, 2010 11:59pm (Eastern)

Produced and funded by:
The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) at the National Institutes of Health The Syndemics Prevention Network at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Hosted by
Columbia University
Mailman School of Public Health
Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health
Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research

With support from
Academy for Educational Development
GT Consultants

ISSH 2010 OBJECTIVE: This is a training course, not a scientific conference. The objective is to provide attendees with a thorough introduction to a selected systems science methodology that may be used to study behavioral and social dimensions of public health challenges. Participants in the week-long course will focus on one of three methodologies: agent-based modeling, system dynamics modeling, or network analysis. The ideal candidate is an investigator, at any stage of his or her career, who has had little or no formal training in systems science and aims to use the knowledge gained at ISSH to develop proposals to the NIH and CDC for research projects to improve population health and health equity.

The CURRICULUM will help participants:
* Better understand the general principles of systems science and different methodological traditions, including their strengths, limitations, and types of problems for which they are best suited;
* Work through specific problems using a chosen methodology and become familiar with relevant software package(s);
* Appreciate the potential for applying systems science methodologies to problems of population health and disease, especially those in which behavioral and social factors figure prominently;
* Prepare stronger applications to funders such as NIH, CDC, and philanthropies in those areas where systems science, behavioral and social processes, and population health intersect.

FACULTY: Faculty are leading experts (practitioners and teachers) with extensive methodological experience. Track leaders are as follows:
Agent-based Modeling - El

[Joanne Egner]

Modeling Business Models and Processes with iThink (Delivered in German language)
March 3-4, 2010
Berlin, Germany
Facilitator: Oliver Grasl, transentis consulting
http://www.transentis.com/index.php/ithinkworkshop

Introduction to Dynamic Modelling with iThink and STELLA
March 15-17, 2010
Hong Kong
Facilitators: Mark Heffernan & Derek Burrows, Evan & Peck
http://www.decisionmodelling.com/training_ithink.htm

Introduction to Dynamic Modeling with iThink and STELLA
April 7-9, 2010
Orlando, FL
Facilitators: Mark Paich, Steve Peterson & Corey Peck, Lexidyne, LLC
http://www.iseesystems.com/store/Traini ... think.aspx

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or any of the facilitators.
Best,
Joanne

[Robert Eberlein]

Hi Everyone,

Some upcoming Vensim Courses to be held in Las Vegas Nevada

February 1: Introduction to System Dynamics with Vensim (Tom Fiddaman)

February 2: Advanced Topics in Vensim (Tom Fiddaman)

February 3,4: Small Models with Lots of Data. This course covers
techniques for getting important information from large quantities
of data. Through a number of example you will learn how, using small
models and optimization, data can reveal important insights into
dynamic issues. (Bill Arthur)

February 3: Climate Policy and System Dynamics. This courses covers
the dynamics of climate change as influenced by human activity using
accessible small scale models. (Tom Fiddaman)

More information on the courses is available at:

http://www.vensim.com/course.html