Logo: University of Southern California

Events Calendar


  • Social Biological Organisms: Aggregation Patterns and Dynamics

    Wed, Oct 25, 2006 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM

    Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

    Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars


    Chad Topaz Assistant Professor
    and
    Assistant Director of Center of Excellence in Teaching
    Center of Excellence in Teaching
    Rossier School of Education
    USC Biological aggregations such as insect swarms, bird flocks, and fish schools are arguably some of the most common and least understood patterns in nature. These groups are thought to arise chiefly from "social forces" acting on individual organisms, including attraction (for protection and mate choice) and dispersion (for collision avoidance). In this talk, I will discuss recent work on continuum (fluid-like) and agent-based models for aggregations. The models describe phenomena such as vortex swarming, population clumping, and group migration. The goal is to determine the relationship between individuals' microscopic rules for movement and the macroscopic properties of the group (such as size, density, and velocity).

    Location: Stauffer Science Lecture Hall, Room 100 (SLH 100)

    Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

    Contact: April Mundy

    Add to Google CalendarDownload ICS File for OutlookDownload iCal File

Return to Calendar