Author: Philipp Wicke

Lecturer: Johannes Textor
Fields: Immunology, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning

Content

Our body harbours two complex learning systems: the central nervous system (CNS), and the adaptive immune system (IS). Artificial neural network models of the CNS have contributed substantial insight to neuroscience and CNS-inspired “deep learning” has revolutionized artificial intelligence. In contrast, how the IS processes information is still much less understood. This course will therefore ask: how can we understand information processing, learning and adaptation in the IS through the lens of computer science?

We will dive deep into several fascinating processes in the adaptive immune system such as negative selection, self-foreign discrimination, tolerance, and affinity maturation. I will cover the necessary immunological background to come to an understand of what we do and don’t know about these processes, and discuss how computational and mathematical models have been instrumental in our quest to understand the immune system from a computational perspective. I hope you will leave this course as fascinated and inspired by the marvelous architecture of our immune system as I am, and that this inspiration will transform and broaden your view of fundamental concepts like learning, adaptation, and generalization.

Literature

• Inge M N Wortel, Can Keşmir, Rob J De Boer, Judith N Mandl, Johannes Textor:
• Is T Cell Negative Selection a Learning Algorithm? Cells 9(3): 690, 2020. doi: 10.3390/cells9030690
• Marsland R 3rd, Howell O, Mayer A, Mehta P. Tregs self-organize into a computing ecosystem and implement a sophisticated optimization algorithm for mediating immune response. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Jan 5;118(1):e2011709118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2011709118.
• Jürgen Westermann, Tanja Lange, Johannes Textor, Jan Born:
• System Consolidation During Sleep – A Common Principle Underlying Psychological and Immunological Memory Formation.
• Trends in Neurosciences 38: 583-595, 2015.
• Stephanie Forrest, Steven A. Hofmeyr, Anil Somayaji. Computer Immunology. Communications of the ACM 40, 1997, pp 88–96. https://doi.org/10.1145/262793.262811

Lecturer

Johannes Textor is an associate professor in the Data Science and Medical BioScience departments at Radboud University and Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. His team studies the adaptive immune system through the lens of computation and learning. Building in silico models of the human immune system and combining these with various types of experimental data, they aim to understand the essence of what makes immune systems learn and adapt to changing environments. Johannes Textor holds a Vidi grant from the Dutch Research Council, a program grant from the Human Frontiers Science foundation, and was a visiting scholar at the Simons Institute, UC Berkeley, for the Spring 2022 semester.

Affiliation: Radboud University Nijmegen
Homepage: johannes-textor.name

Lecturer: Prof. Luc Steels
Fields: Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness

In 2021, Blake Lemoine, a software engineer at Google, and responsible for testing a chatbot LaMDA (Language Model for Dialog Applications) came to the conclusion that LaMDA was sentient, in the sense of being conscious. Since then many other users of generative AI systems, in particular ChatGPT, have reported similar experiences and the topic of machine consciousness suddenly became ‘salonfähig’, with neuroscientists and philosophers pitching in to define requirements for machine consciousness and whether or not this might ever be possible – although mostly concluding that current AI systems do not qualify as conscious agents. What are we to make of all this?

This talk intends to bring this discussion to IK, a forum exceptionally well adapted to have groundbreaking multi-disciplinary open discussions. I will argue for a vision of the mind as a dense network of complex adaptive networks, operating at different layers, from living embodiment to sentience, cognition, sapience and consciousness. The networks are autonomous and autopoietic. In other words, they develop on their own account and remain in a constant state of becoming, grounded in embodied action on the one hand and cooperation and competition with other agents on the other. We will then discuss consciousness from the point of view of this framework, reflecting on measures of awareness, the role of language, what consciousness might be for, non-ordinary states of consciousness, moral consciousness, a.o.  In this vision there is no single ‘I’, no physical conscious substance à la Penrose or Faggin, no intelligence without grounding or social interaction, no understanding without meaning. 

The goal of this talk is not to announce a new gospel but to stimulate the discussion and, in particular, become more disciplined and careful in attributing consciousness or other mental qualities to machines.

Lecturer

Luc Steels is a prominent figure in the field of artificial intelligence and cognitive science, known for his influential academic career. He has made significant contributions to various areas, including computational linguistics, robotics, and artificial life. His research has focused on the development of artificial systems capable of language evolution and cognitive processes, pioneering the use of robots and computer models to study language emergence. Throughout his career, he has held esteemed positions at institutions such as the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Sony Computer Science Laboratory. Luc Steels’ work has had a profound impact on our understanding of the origins of language and the evolution of intelligent systems.

Lecturer: Lukas Zenk
Fields: Improvisation; Creativity; Innovation

Content

In today’s complex and unpredictable world, the traditional homo economicus approach of careful planning and execution faces significant challenges. The demand for rapid decision making in complex situations requires a shift toward improvisation – an approach characterized by rapid problem identification, idea generation, and immediate implementation.

Drawing a parallel with classical theater, where actors meticulously follow predefined scripts, improvisational theater introduces a different paradigm. Actors take the stage without a predetermined story or characters, relying on their ability to improvise in the present moment. This skill, essential to artistic performance, finds a counterpart in the professional world, which faces time pressures and unpredictable challenges. Organizational Improvisation, an emerging field, explores and fosters this creative skill in organizations.

The workshop aims to immerse participants in improvisational mindsets and experience their applicability in a variety of scenarios, with a particular focus on co-creativity. By encouraging radical collaboration, dealing with uncertainty, and fostering co-creative learning environments, the workshop aims to inspire participants to rethink and reinvent their ways of behaving and thinking.

Literature

• Zenk, L.; Hynek, N.; Schreder, G. & Bottaro, G. (2022). Toward a system model of improvisation. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 100993. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2021.100993
• Zenk, L.; Wetzel, R., & Peschl, M. (2023). Improvisation as a design for organizational emergence. In M.P. Cunha, V. Dusya, A. Abrantes & A. Miner (Eds.). The routledge companion to improvisation in organizations. Routledge.
• Zenk, L., Steiner, G., Pina e Cunha, M., Laubichler, M. D., Bertau, M., Kainz, M. J., Jäger, C., & Schernhammer, E. S. (2020). Fast Response to Superspreading: Uncertainty and Complexity in the Context of COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 7884. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217884.

Lecturer

Lukas Zenk (Lukas.Zenk@donau-uni.ac.at) is Associated Professor of Innovation and Network Research and Deputy Head of Research at the Department for Knowledge and Communication Management at the Danube University Krems, Austria. In his applied research projects, he investigates how people collaboratively solve complex problems and how creative and innovative processes can be supported. He led research projects on Organizational Improvisation and Meta-Competences and developed the university modules on “Business Improvisation” and “Cognition and Creativity”. Lukas co-founded the improvisational theater company Quintessenz in Vienna and was a member of the executive board of the worldwide Applied Improvisation Network. He lectures at various universities, consults companies and gives keynote presentations. His innovative lectures, talks, and research projects in Networks, Innovation and Improvisation have earned him several awards. (see www.lightbox.at)

Affiliation: University of continuing education Krems
Homepage: https://www.donau-uni.ac.at/en/university/organization/employees/person/4294993368

Lecturer: Andreas Kalckert
Fields: Cognitive Neuroscience, Experimental psychology

Content

Embodied approaches have inspired and yielded new perspectives in a variety of research disciplines. These approaches have emphasized the role of the body in cognitive functions, not only for interacting with the world, but also for perceptual experiences. Psychological experiments using bodily illusion have taken this notion a step further and have provided evidence that even temporary experiences of embodiment can directly alter perception, action, and cognition. Consequently, these tools create new ways to change individuals in unprecedented ways.

In this course, I will provide an introduction into the perceptual and neuronal processes underlying bodily illusions. I will then illustrate how such illusions have demonstrated changes in the experience and attitudes in both healthy and patient populations, and discuss the potential of using these paradigms for therapeutic interventions. We will also touch on some ethical dimensions within this research that raise questions over its use in the future.

Literature

• Ehrsson, H. H. (2019). Multisensory processes in body ownership. In Multisensory Perception: From Laboratory to Clinic. Elsevier.
• Pyasik, M., Ciorli, T., & Pia, L. (2022). Full body illusion and cognition: A systematic review of the literature. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 143, 104926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104926
• Slater, M. & Sanchez-Vives, M. (2022). A plastic virtual self. In The Routledge Handbook of Bodily awareness. Routledge

Lecturer

Andreas Kalckert received his PhD at the Dep. of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute (Sweden). He worked as a lecturer in psychology at the University of Reading Malaysia, and now is a senior lecturer in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Skövde (Sweden). In his research, he investigates the processes underlying the experience of the own body from both a psychological and neuroscientific perspective. Here he is particularly interested in the role of movements.

Affiliation: Dep. of Cognitive Neuroscience and Philosophy
Homepage: https://www.his.se/en/about-us/staff/andreas.kalckert/

Lecturer: Romina Martin
Fields: Environmental system science, sustainability, complexity

Content

Wicked problems and the polycrises of the Anthropocene are challenging contexts for laying out a perspective for resilient and equitable human well-being within the planetary boundaries. “Humans are embedded in the biosphere” is the underlying assumption for sustainability scientists working with resilience of social-ecological systems. This means that humans shape, for example, lakes, agricultural landscapes, forests and oceans which they in turn depend on. The emerging system dynamics are often non-linear and further influenced by shocks. How could and should this system persist, adapt or transform in order to continue providing life support functions?
This course will introduce resilience principles, complex adaptive systems and demonstrate how simulation models together with complementary methods enable research on regime shifts, poverty traps and common pool resource problems. We will use case study examples to co-develop conceptual models on paper in a participatory process. To reflect, we discuss the inter- and transdisciplinary challenges for using model simulations in resilience thinking.

Literature

• https://www.seslink.org – video on complex adaptive systems
• Schlüter, M., Haider, L., Lade, S., Lindkvist, E., Martin, R., Orach, K., Wijermans, N., Folke, C., 2019. Capturing emergent phenomena in social-ecological systems: an analytical framework. Ecology and Society 24. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11012-240311
• Martin, R., Sanga, U., 2023. Participatory modelling: Participatory research methods for sustainability ‐ toolkit #6. GAIA – Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society 32, 230–232. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.32.2.5
• Martin, R., Schlüter, M., Blenckner, T., 2020. The importance of transient social dynamics for restoring ecosystems beyond ecological tipping points. PNAS 117, 2717–2722. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1817154117

Lecturer

As a modeller in ecology, Romina investigates complexity in social-ecological interactions to better explain and support sustainable management and governance in European landscapes. She received her PhD 2013 in Biology in Cologne with a study on pastoral livelihood security and rangeland management in drylands using ecological-economic modelling. Since then, Romina pursued research at the Stockholm Resilience Centre on managing regime shifts at lakes, ecosystem services and sustainability transformations. She is teaching systems thinking and sustainability science on the Bachelors and Masters level. Apart from research, Romina enjoys life with her family including two kids on the island Tranholmen close to Stockholm.

Affiliation: Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University
Homepage: https://www.stockholmresilience.org/meet-our-team/staff/2013-09-12-martin.html

Disciplines/Fields: Ecology, Mathematical modelling, Systems ecology

Dr. Ferenc Jordán will overview how network models help in describing various ecological systems (animal social networks, food webs, habitat networks). We will focus on key nodes and critically important links, and discuss how to connect vertically the above-mentioned, horizontal organization levels. Based on real problems, data, novel methods and approaches we will discuss the limits and perspectives of studying socio-ecological systems. Various hot topics will be discussed, ranging from marine overfishing to the emergence of leadership in social groups, and from systems-based conservation to habitat fragmentation, all from the same systems perspective.

Literature:

• Jordán F 2022. The network perspective: Vertical connections linking organizational levels. Ecological Modelling, 473, 110112, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110112.
• Bradshaw CJA, Ehrlich PR, Beattie A, Ceballos G, Crist E, Diamond J, Dirzo R, Ehrlich AH, Harte J, Harte ME, Pyke G, Raven PH, Ripple WJ, Saltré F, Turnbull C, Wackernagel M, Blumstein DT 2021. Underestimating the challenges of avoiding a ghastly future. Frontiers in Conservation Science, 1, 615419, https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2020.615419
• Jordán F, Ehrlich PR, Blumstein DT 2020. Pandemics have multiple, interacting drivers. Psychology Today, 26 July.
• Sagarin R, Taylor T (Editors) 2008. Natural Security: A Darwinian Approach to a Dangerous World. The University of California Press.

Lecturer

Dr. Ferenc Jordán is Hungarian biologist (PhD 1999, Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary), focusing mostly on part-to-whole problems in ecology, based on network models. These range from food webs to animal social networks and from habitat networks to protein-protein interaction networks. Formerly The Society in Science: Branco Weiss Fellow (ETH Zürich, Switzerland, 2003-2008), Principal Investigator at The Microsoft Research: Centre for Computational and Systems Biology (Trento, Italy, 2008-2014), Fellow at Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (Berlin, Germany, 20162017), presently researcher at University of Parma (Italy, 2022-) and external associate to Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (Napoli, Italy, 2016-). Increasingly interested and active in science communication, panel member of several organizations (e.g. European Research Council, Polish National Science Center) and editor in some journals (e.g. Ecology Letters). Currently lives in Vienna.

Lecturer: Andrea Loettgers
Fields: Epistemology of scientific modelling

Content

Complexity and interdisciplinarity seem to be ubiquitous in today\’s science. As shown in interdisciplinary research areas such as biochemistry, ecology, synthetic and systems biology, neuroscience, and astrobiology, reasoning by models is an integral part of the
scientific practice, which addresses the properties and behavior of complex systems. Philosophers of science have become more insistent in addressing how models generate knowledge about complex systems in their specific interdisciplinary settings. This class will first discuss the traditional view of models as representations of some target systems rooted in the semantic view of theories. From there, we move on to an alternative approach closer to actual scientific practice in which models of complex systems are considered purposefully constructed entities. By doing so, the epistemic capacities inscribed into the model in the construction process become accessible. Models gain autonomy if they are no longer viewed as \’just\’ representing some object in the world.
In discussing the artifactual account of models, we will use examples from systems and synthetic biology, physics such as the Ising and spin glass models, and network models. These discussions of actual cases will lead us to further ‘ingredients’ of modeling practices, such as model templates, which capture essential transdisciplinary practices. Or the transfer of notions from engineering to biology and assumptions about the existence of systems independent design principles underlying the organization of complex systems.
In this course, I will provide some framework for discussions on modeling practices. Everybody is welcome to contribute her/his own experiences by making use of and reflecting on models.
The list of literature is just a selection from which you may get some first idea of what are the topics when it comes to modeling practice in philosophy.

Literature

• Morgan, M. and Morrison, M. (1999). Models as Mediators, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Weisberg, M. (2007). ‘Who is a Modeler?’, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 58:207-233.
• Weisberg, M. (2013). Simulation and Similarity: Using Models to Understand the World, New York: Oxford University Press.
• Hughes, R.I.G. (1999) ‘The Ising model, computer simulation, and universal physics’, In M.S.
• Morgan and M. Morrison (Eds.), Models as mediators. Perspectives on natural and social sciences. (pp. 97-145). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Elowitz, M. and Leiber, S. (2000). ‘A synthetic oscillatory network of transcriptional regulators’, Nature 403: 335-338.
• Hopfield, J. (1982) ‘Neuronal networks and physical systems with emergent collective computational abilities’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 79:2554-2558.
• Knuuttila, T. and Loettgers, A. (2013). ‘Basic Science Through Engineering: Synthetic Modeling and the Idea of Biology-inspired Engineering’, Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 44:158-169.
• Knuuttila, T. and Loettgers, A. (2023). ‘Model templates: transdisciplinary application and entanglement’, Synthese 201(6):200.

Lecturer

Andrea Loettgers is a senior researcher in the ERC project Possible Life-The Philosophical Significance of Extending Biology at the University of Vienna. She holds a habilitation in philosophy of science from the University of Bern and a PhD. in physics from the University of Göttingen. From 2001 to 2011, she has been a Postdoc at the California Institute of Technology. At Caltech, she held joint appointments in the humanities and the biology department to conduct and philosophical analyse laboratory observations in synthetic biology. During this time, she was awarded a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Alfred Sloan Foundation. From 2005-2006, she had been appointed as the Hixon-Riggs Visiting Professor for Science, Technology and Social Studies at Harvey Mudd College. After returning to Switzerland, Loettgers has been awarded an additional grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation for a project on synthetic biology at the University of Geneva. From 2016 to 2018, she was appointed as Bernoulli Fellow at the Center of Space and Habitability. In her research, Loettgers investigates modeling practices in physics and biology based on laboratory observations. A special interest concerns the development of organizational principles in biology and their transfer in-between biology and physics. She has published in: British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Science, European Journal for Philosophy of Science, Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, and The Monist.

Affiliation: University of Vienna

Lecturer: Ana-Alexandra Moga
Fields: Coaching | Personal Development | Personal Growth

Content

In the four session course, we’ll take a walk together through the garden of resilience.

Over the duration of the course, we’ll explore some science-based knowledge nuggets to expand on how we think about our mind and body, practice some coaching methods that can anchor us in the present moment, develop our own tools for cultivating resilience and, hopefully, have some fun in the meantime.
As we collectively experience the conference, during the middle part of the course we’ll explore ways to connect deeper and find inspiration and strength from each other and the group.
The closing part of the course is aimed to highlight and review the tools and strategies that we can take home with us to further experiment with and continue to cultivate resilience in our every day life.

Lecturer

Ana-Alexandra Moga is a certified executive and leadership coach. Her background is rooted in software development and engineering management, with a lifelong yearning for artistic expression. Her passion for coaching took an academic route in 2021, when she enrolled at New York University to follow a rigorous education in the coaching domain. Six months after graduation she left her product and engineering leadership role to pursue the coaching path full time. She harnessed her 17+ years experience in both the corporate world and in fast paced start-up environments to create a blended coaching style: creative, playful, goal oriented, highly adaptable and with a strong structural foundation.

Affiliation: N/A
Homepage: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-alexandra-moga-86a653b/

Lecturer: Michael Ungar
Fields: Social Science; Psychology; Health Science; Community Development; Cultural Studies

Content

In this short course, Dr. Michael Ungar will explore the many different systems that contribute to experiences of individual and collective resilience, as well as the methods used to research multisystemic resilience. The intent is to integrate perspectives from studies of biological, psychological, social, institutional, and economic resilience, as well as those concerned with the built and natural environments. The course will also focus on how to research resilience in participatory ways to develop knowledge that informs policy and practice. An introduction to the theory of resilience will be followed by an overview of its application to populations under stress, as well as the tools used to assess resilience at individual and community levels. Using examples from studies conducted by Dr. Ungar and his colleagues at the Resilience Research Centre, students will have an opportunity to reflect on how multiple systems influence one another over time and in culturally nuanced ways. Discussion will include topics such as contextualization of the resilience concept, measure development to account for positive developmental processes, and the many aspects of resilience that need to be considered in designing research and developing programs and policies to improve the capacity of populations to cope with atypical stressors. Participants are encouraged to bring questions relating to their own research topics whether from the natural, biological, or social sciences.

Literature

• Ungar, M. & Theron, L. (2019). Resilience and mental health: How multisystemic processes contribute to positive outcomes. Lancet Psychiatry, 7(5), 441-448. Doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30434-1
• Ungar, M. (2018). Systemic resilience: Principles and processes for a science of change in contexts of adversity. Ecology & Society, 23(4). Doi: 10.5751/ES-10385-230434.
• Ungar M. (Ed.)(2021). Multisystemic resilience: Adaptation and transformation in contexts of change. New York: Oxford University Press. (Available open access: https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780190095888.001.0001/oso-9780190095888)

Lecturer

Michael Ungar, Ph.D., is a Family Therapist and Professor of Social Work at Dalhousie University where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience. His research on resilience around the world and across cultures has made him the number one ranked Social Work scholar in the world, with numerous educational institutions, government agencies, not-for-profits and businesses relying on his research and clinical work to guide their approaches to nurturing child, family, organizational and community wellbeing under stress. He the author of over 250 peer reviewed papers and book chapters, as well as 18 books for researchers, mental health professionals, and lay audiences, including his most recent works The Limits of Resilience: When to Persevere, When to Change, and When to Quit (forthcoming January, 2024), a book for individuals and organizations under stress, Multisystemic Resilience: Adaptation and Transformation in Contexts of Change, an open access compilation of 39 scholarly papers from a dozen different disciplines, and Working with Children and Youth with Complex Needs: 20 Skills to Build Resilience, a book for mental health professionals. As well as having received numerous awards for his work, including the Canadian Association of Social Workers National Distinguished Service Award and being named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Dr. Ungar maintains a blog titled Nurturing Resilience which can be read on Psychology Today’s website.

Affiliation: Dalhousie University
Homepage: www.resilienceresearch.org; www.michaelungar.com

Lecturer: Anna Förster
Fields: Internet of Things, Machine Learning

Content

This course will offer an overview of the problems and challenges associated with outdoor deployments of internet of things (IoT) applications. After a short introduction to the field of IoT and the discussion of various outdoor applications, we will dive deeper into the threats IoT applications face in these environments. We will showcase some concrete threats and discuss possible solutions and approaches.

Lecturer

Anna Förster obtained her MSc degree in computer science and aerospace engineering from the Free University of Berlin, Germany, in 2004 and her PhD degree in self-organising sensor networks from the University of Lugano, Switzerland, in 2009. She also worked as a junior business consultant for McKinsey&Company, Berlin, between 2004 and 2005. From 2010 to 2014, she was a researcher and lecturer at SUPSI (the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland). Since 2015, she leads the Sustainable Communication Networks group at the University of Bremen. Currently, she serves as Director of the Bremen Spatial Cognition Center (BSCC) and as a board member of the Center for Computing Technology (TZI). Her main research interests lie in the domain of the Internet of Things. She is mostly interested in self-awareness and resilience, user friendliness and user adoption, self-organisation, and machine learning for IoT applications. All considered scenarios and applications serve the Sustainable Development Goals and contribute to a more sustainable and peaceful future.

Affiliation: University of Bremen
Homepage: comnets.uni-bremen.de