Resources: Cascade Systems Society

Discussion Meetings on the First Friday of each month during the school year
Place: Harder House 104, Portland State University (10th & Market)
Time: 4:00 - 5:30 PM

 

Description

4:00 to 4:30 is social time, with the primary discussion being from 4:30 to 5:30.

The discussion meetings are not technical and explore interesting aspects of systems. They are held in the September-May timeframe and are open to the public. The current focus is on ecosystem health.

The primary purpose of the Cascade Systems Society (CSS) is to promote the understanding, appreciation, and utilization of systems concept in the Northwest region of the United States. A secondary purpose is to network and affiliate with other regional, national, and international systems organizations.

Subscription to the Mailing List

We have become a "virtual" organization. Becoming a member of CSS is accomplished by subscribing to our email list, css@ee.pdx.edu.

To subscribe, send an email to: majordomo@ee.pdx.edu with no subject (it is ignored) and the following as the first line of the body of the message:
subscribe css

To be removed from the list, do the above except the body should contain:
unsubscribe css

 

WINTER 2010 SCHEDULE


FALL 2009 SCHEDULE

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(past and future, reverse chronological order)

WINTER 2010

DATE: February 5, 2010

LOCATION: Harder House, Room 104

TIME: 4:00-6:00 PM

PRESENTER: Josh Hughes

TITLE: Criticisms of Systems Science

ABSTRACT:

A new year often begins with a sense of optimism, but we (ever the contrarians) will begin it with a healthy dose of pessimism. Our first CSS seminar of the year will be a discussion about criticisms of systems science, a topic recently discussed at the Systems Science Department's first Friday lunch seminar--one which stimulated a lively and interesting discussion.

As Winston Churchill said, "Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things." Is the systems project in an unhealthy state? Since its emergence in the 1940s and 1950s, a number of people have believed that to be the case, and a few have issued strong--and long--critiques of the systems view. As George Klir notes--his 2001 book Facets of System Science will provide a good deal of the material for our discussion--some of this criticism was ill-conceived and easily refuted; but some was indeed justified, and addressing the "unhealthy" aspects of systems science changed it for the better. No doubt it behooves the systems thinker to be familiar with these criticisms both justified and unjustified: knowing the "justified" criticisms will (hopefully) prevent us from repeating the mistakes of the past and provide us with a deeper understanding of the systems project's development; knowing the "unjustified" criticisms can provide us with an understanding of how the systems field is perceived by those outside it and (perhaps) motivate us to improve the way we communicate our ideas. 

Here is a summary of some of the major criticisms of systems science (Umbach, 2000):
  • The concepts of system and model are too general.
  • Structural similarities (analogies and isomorphisms) cannot be realized by empirical study to a sufficient degree.
  • The importance of interdisciplinary concepts such as open systems, hierarchies, feedback, self-organization, emergence, and networks are exaggerated in importance and do not exclusively belong to systems science.
  • A universal scientific language based on systems science is impossible.
  • Not all areas of reality—and especially society—can be sensibly quantified and mathematically modeled.
  • Holistic thinking is not subject to empirical methods and therefore is unscientific.
  • Empirical studies should not be replaced by simulation.
  • System approaches to major world problems are often based on frivolous data foundations, methodological limitations not subject to careful reflection, exaggerated expectations based on mathematical models and computers, attacking the dominant preference for economic growth, and propagation of fears of catastrophe.
Well-publicized criticisms from the 1950s and until the present day will be presented one at a time so that we can discuss whether or not they are or were justified and talk about how they have been addressed by the systems community in the past.  This can also be an opportunity for us to discuss issues within the systems project that you may feel are preventing its further advancement.

BIOSKETCH:  Joshua Hughes is a second year, core-option PhD student and graduate assistant in the PSU Systems Science Graduate Program. He is working on research with George Lendaris on contextual reinforcement learning and experience-based identification and control; he is also collaborating with Martin Zwick on a few papers that show how systems theories might provide insights into some contemporary problems. He is interested in information theory, cybernetics, reconstructability analysis, neural networks, fuzzy logic, catastrophe theory, game theory, and many other things.  Josh has a B.S. in civil engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an M.S. in civil engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder.  He has over ten years experience working as a geotechnical engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Portland-Vancouver Area providing investigations, recommendations, and oversight for a variety of residential, commercial, and public works projects.

 

FALL 2009

DATE: November 6, 2009

LOCATION: Harder House, Room 104

TIME: 4:00-5:30 PM

PRESENTER:Wayne Wakeland

TITLE: Systems Thinking

ABSTRACT: Systems Thinking - What does it mean current?     
What should it mean in the future?
How is it done?    
Why is it done?   
When should it be done?     
Who should do it?
What are its strengths?   
What are its limitations?
How is it similar to and different from the system dynamics approach?
To what degree can ST be done purely qualitatively?
Etc.   Etc.
 
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT: We will contrast causal loop diagrams, flow diagrams, and system dynamics models in terms of what can and cannot be inferred behaviorally from each of these classes of models, using specific examples.

BIO:Wayne earned a B.S. in Engineering and a Master of Engineering from Harvey Mudd College in 1973. In 1977 he was gratned a Ph.D. in Systems Science from Portland State University (PSU). Wayne began a career in industry, while teaching computer modeling and simulation courses at PSU in the evening. Wayne held various managerial positions in manufacturing materials, and information technology at Tektronix, Photon Kinetics, Magni Systems, Epson, and Leupold & Stevens. During this period he also led several major information system implementations. In 2000, Wayne shifted focus and became an Associate Professor of Systems Science at PSU with continued emphasis on computer simulatio methods. His current research projects are focused on reducing risks associated iwth pain medications, and on increaseing the demand for food that has been grown, produced, and transported in a sustainable fashion. Wayne has also studied the dynamics of fisheries, criminal justice systems, elevated intracranial pressure, and autoimmune system disorders. He also teaches systems thinking in the MBA in Sustainable Business program at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute.

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DATE: October 2, 2009

LOCATION: Harder House, Room 104

TIME: 4:00-5:30 PM

PRESENTER: Peter Albert

TITLE: Psychology And Global Warming: Can we save ourselves from ourselves?

ABSTRACT: Discussions of the global warming crisis generally focus on
technological solutions, and neglect behavioral science.  But human
behavior is the root of the problem.

Drawing on information from psychology and behavioral economics, Peter
will argue that people can be happy with sustainable lifestyles, but
powerful forces, both external and internal, drive people to high
levels of consumption.

Can humanity change itself fast enough to save the planet?

Peter believes we need Systems Science to integrate information from
ecology, psychology, and economics in order to chart a course away
from global catastrophe toward a rich, fulfilling, and sustainable
lifestyle for all.

Peter present information that is usually missing from discussions of
global warming, which will, no doubt, stimulate a lively discussion.

BIO: A lifelong student of human behavior, Peter studied mathematics and
neuroscience under National Science Foundation grants and holds
degrees in psychology and economics.  He has worked as a computer
programmer, counselor, and consultant, and currently does private
tutoring at PSU in statistics and other topics.  He is the author of
?The Owner?s Guide to Difficulties,? published on ChangeThis.com.

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