The brain of an ant is smaller than a pinhead, yet social insect colonies implement effective organization and flexible problem solving at large scales. But their organization is alien to us: no hierarchy or central control(er) guides individual actions. Similar self-organized structures abound in biology, whether in nerve cells forming brains, cellular machinery, or ecosystems. Research on such complex adaptive systems has generated both philosophical questions (does organization emerge “for free”?) and engineering applications (managing an efficient self-organized internet). In this course students will explore a variety of well-studied biological examples of self-organization, particularly the world of ants and bees and their collective problem-solving strategies and ecology; but we will also continuously draw parallels to other biological and human-engineered systems facing similar problems or showing similar outcomes.
Registration will open online on Monday, November 23, 2020 at 8 AM (AZ Time)
- Classes will be delivered online via the Zoom video conferencing platform. Course will be password protected and only available to enrolled students.
- All class sessions will be recorded and made available to enrolled students for a limited time to assist those who may not be able to attend the live class times.
- Enrolled students may withdraw from a course and receive a tuition refund if the request is received before the second class session.
