Complex Systems Summer School 2017-Projects & Working Groups
From Santa Fe Institute Events Wiki
| Complex Systems Summer School 2017 |
Microbial Systems are Complex
Summary
Several of us seem to have shared interests in microbial ecology/evolution/genetics. It might be a good idea to meet up and brainstorm a project (maybe over beer?). Some potential ideas that were discussed during speed dating:
- The evolution of the bacterial pangenome
- Development/adaptation of classical population genetic techniques to microbes (maybe via a network describing HGT interactions)
- The evolution of metabolism/the interaction between metabolism and community structure
- How interspecific interactions (e.g. crossfeeding, competition) influence the rate of decay of community similarity in a homogeneous environment (scale of spatial organization)
Interested Participants
- Jake Weissman (jw4336(at)umd.edu)
EU: responding to migrant crisis
Keywords
cooperation, migration, consensus-reaching, supranational unions
Summary
How does an organization of independent countries, such the European Union, deal with a migrant crisis? How can a consensus on a response be reached? Why did the EU fail to deal efficiently and fairly with the 2015 migrant crisis (>1m people)? Why isn’t the migrant quota system not working? (Or is it?)
Yes, these are all pretty big questions, but I believe very exciting and timely. Haven’t figured out details obviously, but I think these could be explored with agent based models (possibly NetLogo?). It would be particularly interesting to see how a few factors influence the chances that a consensus is reached and what type of consensus:
- country on coast/external border vs landlocked
- how far from coastal border
- economic power
- diplomatic power
- Union organization: continuum - federal government can impose policies —> unanimous consensus must be reached every time
If you find this interesting, include your name and email on the list below & let’s meet up and discuss!
For a cool summary video of the 2015 crisis: look up on Youtube 'The European Refugee Crisis and Syria Explained'
Interested Participants
- Alberto Micheletti (biology, social evolution, ajcm2[at]st-andrews[dot]ac[dot]uk)
Gut-Brain Axis: Impact of gut microbiota on mental health
Keywords
public health, microbiome, metabolism, network analysis, neuroscience
Summary
The term "gut feeling" is not without a scientific basis. Recent literature has emphasized the connection between the brain and intestinal microbes. Studies are beginning to link neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis, to gut dysbioses.
Other relationships between the brain and the gut are waiting to be explored. Also, on a broader level, relationships between microbial metabolism and neurotransmitter levels could be investigated.
Open source data sets are available, such as the ones mentioned in this paper: bmcsystbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12918-016-0307-y
If you find this interesting, include your name and email on the list below
Interested Participants
Bleu Knight (bleu AT nmsu.edu; happylittleaccident AT gmail.com)
Beer: evolution through the ages
Keywords
beer, evolution, genetic elements, history
Summary
Brewing beer is an ancient art that has experienced a renaissance in the last few decades. Can we model beer recipes in an "evolutionary" sense? Can ingredients like hops and malt be modeled like genes that are expressed more in some beers than in others? Can we create phylogenetic trees that delineate relationships between beers? Can beers be considered 'species', and if so, what has contributed to the diversity that we see in the US today?
If you find this interesting, include your name and email on the list below
Interested Participants
Bleu Knight (bleu AT nmsu.edu; happylittleaccident AT gmail.com)