| Affiliations: | |
| Project Leader: | Sean Conte srconte@tamu.edu Philosophy |
| Faculty Mentor: | Dr. Kenneth Easwaran, Ph.D. |
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Meeting Times:
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TBD – You will set this together with your team, so you must have at least some flexibility. |
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Team Size:
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4
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| Open Spots: | 0 |
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Special Opportunities:
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Ideally, the group will co-author a paper that will be submitted to conferences and (eventually) journals for publication.
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Team Needs:
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Team members will learn how to use NetLogo and Octave. But more importantly, they will learn how to model problems and then analyze those models in respect to the real world. No prior experience with coding is necessary. In groups of 2-4, teams will accomplish various tasks pertaining to the library of models in progress. These tasks include: implementing (coding) a new idea in an existing model, gathering data from a model, analyzing data for trends and patterns, and interpreting these findings in relation to the real world. All members of the group should be interested in regular discussions about the social, political, and/or scientific implications of the findings. |
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Description:
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The MSGBSSN research group uses computer models to explore various strategies for sharing information. We aim to determine and explain why certain strategies have the effects that they do. We represent scientists as nodes in a network that send signals to each other. The basic version involves conducting studies, sharing them with their neighbors in the network, and updating on what they hear. Each model investigates some addition to the structure including propagandists, bias of scientists, incentive structures for scientists, different skill levels of the scientists, the structure of the network, the presence of a general public, as well as others. Some surveys of relevant research: Zollman, “Network Epistemology” (2012) (http://www.kevinzollman.com/uploads/5/0/3/6/50361245/netepist.pdf) O’Connor & Weatherall, “Modeling How False Beliefs Spread” (2020) (http://cailinoconnor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/A30-Modeling-How-False-Beliefs-Spread.pdf)There are three teams that run concurrently working on different projects (which is why there are three identical postings for this group). We will be meeting both in person and via ZOOM.If you are interested in working with the MSGBSSN research group, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/GyQy4XPuALhrNgH68 |