"Accounting for Interdependence: Quantifying Uncertainties in Strongly Coupled Models of Engineering Systems".
The last five decades have seen a significant increase in the
frequency and impact of weather events, and a significantly
higher risk of man-made disasters since 9/11. Both global
economic systems and our daily lives depend on the continued
functioning of our infrastructure during such disruptions. Yet,
it can take weeks or even years for infrastructure to return to
normal operation after a natural or human-induced disaster.
The extensive, profound changes caused by urbanization and
globalization over the last few decades further complicate
the problem. Local infrastructure disruptions now have farreaching
consequences due to globally-networked technology
and supply chains.
The inherent characteristic feature of modern infrastructure
networks is their interdependent nature. In this presentation,
Dr. Sez Atamturktur Russcher will discuss how accounting for
this interdependence in predictive models is crucial to support
decision-making regarding the design, optimization, and
operation of these systems.
Dr. Atamturktur’s research suggests that when teams tackle
the social and technical interdependencies of difficult, realworld
problems they generate collective creativity, learning,
adaptability, and productivity that is beyond the capacity of
the individual. Within social networks, interdependent agents
grow their individual and collective influence and competence.
That is, individuals learn best when they are embedded in
interactive, interdependent networks of individuals called
complex systems.