I am co-director, with Imre Kondor, of the Complex Systems Summer School to be held in Budapest, Hungary in 2002. This school is jointly administered by the Santa Fe Institute and the Central European University. It is an intensive four-week introduction to complex behavior in mathematical, physical and biological systems, intended for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.  No tuition is charged. The 2002 Budapest school will be held on the campus of Eötvös Loránd University from July 8 through August 2.

Course objectives:
The goal of the summer school is to provide an intensive introduction to the study of complex behavior in mathematical, physical, and living systems, with particular emphasis on mathematical and computational modelling techniques. The school presents the core concepts and techniques of complex systems, together with the work in progress of researchers applying these ideas to specific problems. This training is designed to provide a solid understanding of traditional disciplines combined with a new view of complexity. In this way the school is intended to attract, stimulate, and educate the best young scientists as they begin to define their own research programs.

Target audience:
Applications are solicited from graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in any discipline, but with some background in science and mathematics at least at the undergraduate level (including calculus and linear algebra). Review materials for the relevant mathematics will be available at the beginning of the course. Women, minorities, and students from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply.

Syllabus:
During the four weeks of the school, participants are introduced to the basic ideas and techniques central to research in complex systems.
Week 1 will consist of an intensive series of lectures and laboratories introducing fundamental ideas and tools of complex systems research.
Weeks 2 and 3 will consist of lectures and panel discussions on current research in complex systems. The topics are:

• Collective Behavior and Self-organization
• Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems
• Network Structure and Dynamics
• Universal Scaling Laws in Biology

For further information  see:

•  Tentative list of faculty and topics

•  Santa Fe Institute page

•  Central European University page