Network Science Workshop

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• Network Science Workshop
• 15-17 October 2008
• Welcome!

Dr. John R. James, Director John-James_at_usma.edu
Commercial 845-938-5563 DSN 688-5563
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Administration

• Thanks to ARO for sponsoring the workshop!
• Meeting Locations
• Meals
• Breaks
• Boat ride Thursday afternoon
• We welcome technical society sponsorship for next
  years workshop!
• We specifically seek support from a wide variety
  of societies - Contact John.James_at_usma.edu

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USMA Network Science Center Concept

• Characteristics
• Interdisciplinary
• Multiple USMA departments and research centers
• Builds on existing military and university
  research ties
• One-stop shop service for interested faculty
• Provide projects, dollars, admin, and logistical
  support

• Purpose
• Track and exploit the emerging discipline
• Address Army-specific Network Science challenges
• Provide relevant educational opportunities for
  current and future Army leaders

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Research Interests
We lack predictive models for complex,
interdependent networks (e.g. executing
operations to meet the commanders intent will
result in?)

• Tactical-level modeling Unable to predict
  outcomes of full-spectrum operations at the
  tactical level
• Operational-level modeling Unable to predict
  operational-level implications of tactical events
• Bi-directional message passing Unable to predict
  (construct) a consistent set of constraints for
  sharing a body of knowledge across a security
  boundary
• Epidemic and Collapse of Ideology in Socially
  Networked Groups Unable to predict spread and
  collapse of an ideology in socially-networked
  groups
• Rhetorical Analysis Unable to predict the
  presence and detect the growth of ideological
  influence among individuals (not necessarily
  socially-networked) through analysis of
  rhetorical similarities between documents.
• Statistically-significant change Unable to
  predict change in social networks using
  statistical analysis tools
• Complex Biological Networks We do not know if
  current tools for analyzing biological networks
  might enable prediction of dynamics of interest
  for full-spectrum operations.

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USMA Participation In the Network Science
Cooperative Technology Alliance

• USMA will be a government member of the Network
  Science Cooperative Technology Alliance (NS CTA)
• USMA will not receive any resources through the
  NS CTA
• USMA welcomes the opportunity to collaborate, on
  a non-exclusive basis, on topics of mutual
  interest
• One possible avenue might be through a Network
  Science Fellow Program to be initiated with the
  National Academy

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2009 USMA/ARO Network Science Workshop 21-23
October, 2009 (subject to change)