Friday 4pm 31st, Tamas David-Barrett on: "Some topics regarding the evolution of human sociality"

Title: Some topics regarding the evolution of human sociality

This talk will first introduce the behavioural synchrony model: a two-level agent-based model of collective action coordination, followed by the overview of three applications: social stratification, social brain, and language. The second half of the talk will focus on two empirical questions concerning ego networks: the universality of close friendship, and the role of propinquity in storytelling.

Tamas David-Barrett is interdisciplinary behavioural scientist with a grounding in economics and evolutionary anthropology. His theoretical work concerns the evolution of social traits that allow the emergence of large and complex human societies. His empirical work concerns ego centred social interactions, in particular the evolution of close friendship, network effects in pair choice, and friendship-kinship trade-offs.  Tamas David-Barrett is a post-doc in Experimental Psychology of University of Oxford, and economics fellow of Trinity College, Oxford.

Neils Bohr Common Room, Schuster Building, All Welcome

Short notice: Talk by Chris Blum on "Swarm Intelligence and Hybrid Metaheuristics" 17th Sept Manchester

Swarm Intelligence and Hybrid Metaheuristics

by Prof Christian Blum (http://www.ehu.es/cs-ikerbasque/blum/)

Abstract: The fields of swarm intelligence and hybrid metaheuristics are briefly introduced. Moreover, two application examples from the speakers' current/recent work are presented for each of the two main topics. Concerning swarm intelligence, the application examples will focus on recent work on self-synchronization found in colonies of ants and self-desynchronization to be observed in populations of Japanese tree frogs. Concerning hybrid metaheuristics, the application examples deal with combinations of metaheuristics with linear integer programming techniques.

*2pm* in *Lecture Theatre 1.3*, Computer Science, University of Manchester

Workshop on Modelling Routines 25th Nov 2014, Manchester

Guest speaker will be Professor Alan Warde, of the University of Manchester's Sustainable Consumption Institute.

Venue: the Manchester Metropolitan University Business School.
 

More details (when we know them) at: http://modellingroutines.wordpress.com

A free MOOC on "Complexity and Uncertainty" starting Sept 15 2014

Wander Jager, University of Gronigen, NL writes:

Over 9000 students have registered for our MOOC on complexity and
uncertainty. We expect this free MOOC to be a nice introduction in the
field for many interested people. I kindly ask you to share the following
link to inform potential participants...we start on September 15.

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/complexity-and-uncertainty/

Upcoming Complexity Seminars in Manchester

All at 4pm, Friday, Neils Bohr Common Room, Schuster Building, Brunswick Street, University of Manchester. 

All welcome!

Today, 7th February : James Woodcock and team (Centre for Diet and Activity research, Cambridge) on "Learning what you need to cycle: an agent based model of cycle commuting"

February 14th, a Valentine Day's special, Luis Lafuerza on "Sex and noise in speciation"

February 21st:  Ruth Meyer on "DITCH - a model of inter-ethnic partnership"

February 28th:  George Constable TBA

March 7th:  Stefano Picascia on "An Agent Based Exploration of Urban Economic and Cultural Dynamics Under the Rent-Gap Hypotheses"