FW: MIT Media Lab Colloquium - Duncan Watts

[lyons at digitalvoodoo.org (Timothy M. Lyons)]

2/12: MIT Media Lab Colloquium - Duncan Watts  (Bartos Theater, Media
Lab)

Wednesday, February 12, 2003, 4:00 PM EST 

Title: "Six Degrees: The Science of the Connected Age"

Abstract:
We've all heard about "Six Degrees of Separation." What most people
don't know is how important this concept is for understanding the
connected systems that make up our modern world.

Between the Internet and email, cell phones and satellites, friends and
family, highways and airports, we are continuously surrounded by and
subjected to a world of networks-often bewilderingly so. Whether they
bind computers, economies, or terrorist organizations, networks are
everywhere in the real world; yet, until recently, the fundamental
nature of the networks themselves has remained shrouded in mystery. But
in the past few years, a new generation of research has commenced that
is rapidly revealing the rules by which networks grow, the patterns they
form, and the way in which they drive collective behavior.

Starting from the story of the "small world problem," from which the
idea of six degrees was derived, Watts will describe the science of
networks and its relevance to a range of problems, from epidemics of
disease to outbreaks of market madness; from individuals searching for
information to business firms surviving crisis and change; and from the
structure of personal relationships to the technological and social
choices of entire societies. 

Bio:
Duncan J. Watts is associate professor of sociology at Columbia
University, and an external faculty member of the Santa Fe Institute. He
holds BSc in physics from the University of New South Wales, and a PhD
in theoretical and applied mechanics from Cornell University. 

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The link will become active on the date and time scheduled for this
event