Wei Ni

Hi, I am Wei. I am reading my Master’s degree at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and I did my Bachelor’s degree at the same university on control engineering.

In October 2007 I was enrolled on my university’s special course “Complex Adaptive Systems” lectured by Professor John H. Holland from the Santa Fe Institute and the University of Michigan. I was motivated by the lecturer’s teaching and research on the topic of complex systems. I believe that in SFI I am going to meet intelligent people like Prof. Holland by participating in CSSS'09, and I look forward to having interesting discussions with you all.

My answers to Daniel's 4 questions are as follows:

1. What are your main interests? Feel free to include a "pie in the sky" big idea!

My current work focuses on developing an e-learning tool to guide L2 learners to adopt a bottom-up cognitive pattern in their Chinese noun classifier acquisition. In a broad sense, I am interested in studying the acquisition/evolution of natural language (or other social sciences research topics) from the rule-based agent’s perspective.

2. What sorts of expertise can you bring to the group?

I have received training in control science & engineering issues such us system modeling, system identification and linear system analysis. I hope these techniques would be useful for our group project.

3. What do you hope to get out of the CSSS?

I hope to deepen my understanding on the concepts and methodologies of complex systems studies during the summer school. I am particularly interested in investigating how complexity theories and approaches (such as agent-based computational model) can be applied to social systems.

4. Do you have any possible projects in mind for the CSSS?

I would develop a clearer picture on the possible group project after we have a few discussion seesion in first week of the summer school.

I come from Zhejiang, China. Aside from research, I spend time listening to music (either it is new-age or ‘oldies-but-goodies’), reading (either books on Alexander the Great or by Friedrich Nietzsche), and doing sports such as jogging and soccer.

See you soon in June. My email is niwei_at_ntu.edu.sg. Keep in touch!

Li-Jiang River, Guilin, China