Following the successful first ESSA Summer School on Agent-Based Modelling, held in Brescia, Italy in September 2010, a second Summer School is planned for 18-22 July 2011 at the University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom.
The Summer School is aimed at those who have a basic understanding of social simulation and are taking their first steps in agent-based modelling. It is expected that most participants will be actively engaged in developing a simulation model.
The programme will consist of lectures from experienced modellers, together with group sessions led by tutors when participants can discuss their modelling plans and experience. The lectures will focus on the stories behind successful examples of agent-based modelling, and will cover issues from defining a research question to writing effective reports.
Lecturers will include:
• Iqbal Adjali (Unilever, UK)
• Edmund Chattoe-Brown (University of Leicester, UK)
• Bruce Edmonds (Manchester Metropolitan University, UK)
• Nigel Gilbert (University of Surrey, UK)
• Paul Ormerod (Volterra Consulting, UK)
• Flaminio Squazzoni (University of Brescia, Italy)
• Pietro Terna (University of Torino, Italy)
• Klaus G Troitzsch (University of Koblenz, Germany)
By the end of the Summer School, students can expect to have absorbed a great deal of ‘tacit’ knowledge about how to go about model building, as well as having had opportunities to discuss their research with experts and peers.
The Summer School welcomes postgraduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and professionals.
The School is located at the University of Surrey. The campus overlooks Guildford, a market town in the Surrey countryside with good links to London Heathrow and London Gatwick airports, and about 50 kms from the centre of London. See http://www.surrey.ac.uk/about/visitors/travel/
Application procedure
Please send (a) a brief CV, (b) a summary of your current research, including a description of modelling planned or achieved and, if you are a postgraduate student (c) a letter of support from your supervisor, as attachments to an email with the subject line “ESSA Summer School application” to lu.yang@surrey.ac.uk by 15 March 2011 at the latest. Notification of acceptance/rejection will be sent by 1 April 2011.
Fees
• For university and research institute students, including bed and breakfast (B&B) on the University Campus: £350
• For staff of Higher Education institutions, including B&B on the University Campus: £450
• For others, not including accommodation: £400
• For others, with B&B on the University Campus: £600 All registration fees include lunches, coffee/tea during the day and a social dinner. The University accommodation is in single rooms with shared bathroom. These fees need to be paid by 15 April, 2011.
Bursaries
ASSYST http://www.assystcomplexity.eu/ are providing up to five bursaries to assist PhD students, each worth up to €300. To apply, ask your supervisor to include a statement about why you should be awarded a bursary in the letter of support you will send as part of your application. Priority in awarding the bursaries will be given to those who have no alternative means of funding their attendance at the Summer School.
Bursary for UK applicants only: The UK National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) is offering training bursaries to UK staff engaged in research, teaching research methods or supervising research. For further information about the bursaries and to apply please see http://www.ncrm.ac.uk/about/funding/training/ . This scheme is not open to PhD students.
The Summer school is sponsored by the SIMIAN project, Unilever plc, ASSYST and the University of Surrey, to whom we are grateful for their support.
Further details are available on the Summer School website: http://cress.soc.surrey.ac.uk/essasummerschool2011/