Feedback and Dynamics in Nature

From Anita Borg Institute Wiki

Notes by Moya Watson

Panel session on looking to nature for problems to solve as well as for inspiration in education.

Linda Petzold - UCSB - "Code is like children - misbehaves like children." (She said many more interesting things, but I came in late and missed most of it!)

John Doyle - CalTech - "We can simulate anything in nature with computers - but will it work?" On being ready: Our bodies - like cellphones - burn a lot of energy being ready (energy vs. latency). To what extent does the psychosis of society as a whole (automatic weapons, mass slaughter, etc) have a biological component? Fragilities of society as a whole.

Naomi Leonard - Princeton - Interested in ecology, ecosystems, collective motion, collective decision making. Working on understanding the ocean using robotic systems with sensors as a collective moving around in the ocean.

Jean Carlson - UCSB - Interested in simulating fire, earthquakes, "complex systems in nature." What sorts of tools are needed to capture phenomenon such as feedback in nature? "You can't model every atom from the bottom up." By simulation, the focus can be on proactive and preventative spending vs. reactive spending, which can save lives, save money. "Better simulation models are key." Richard Murray - CalTech - Talked about control systems, like cruise control. Looking at nature to get inspiration. "Reverse engineering the fly."