SCHEDULE

Thursday, April 22, 2004


9:00am -- 5:00pm
Minicourse by Stephen Wolfram

A one-day intensive series of lectures covering key facets of the basic science and applications of NKS: The structure and promise of NKS Discovering the world of simple programs Modelling with NKS Implications for biology Towards a fundamental theory of physics Randomness, perception, and analysis The Principle of Computational Equivalence Rewriting the foundations of mathematics Exploring the computational universe Conceptual implications

4:00pm -- 9:00pm
Attendee Sign-In

6:00pm -- 9:00pm
Opening Reception

Don't miss a chance to mingle with conference participants, including Stephen Wolfram and his research group. Expect lively interactions with economists, physicists, philosophers, computer technologists, artists, educators, and many more---as well, of course, with pure NKS researchers.

6:00pm
NKS Art Exhibit Area Opens

Check out the latest NKS-inspired art---in images, 3D objects, and some unexpected media.

Friday, April 23, 2004


7:00am
Continental Breakfast

7:00am -- 12:00 noon
Attendee Sign-In

8:30am
Conference Introduction

8:45am
Stephen Wolfram's Keynote Address

Hear the founder's developing vision for NKS, and get a first-hand account of the latest ideas about the intellectual structure and promise of NKS. Hear about some exciting new initiatives and plans underway in research, technology, and education with NKS. Find out about important emerging opportunities made possible by NKS in science, technology, and business. The keynote is expected to feature some significant NKS-related announcements.

10am
Break

10:30am
I. Pure NKS: The Study of Simple Programs

At the core of NKS is the abstract study of simple programs and their properties. This session will discuss recent progress made possible by using NKS methods of experimentation and analysis. One part will focus on cellular automata. Another will discuss other important example systems such as neighbor-dependent substitution systems and symbolic systems. Part 1: General Features of Cellular Automata Part 2: CS Related Systems and Issues Part 3: Math Inspired Systems Part 4: Analyzing Specific Cellular Automata Part 5: Substitution Related Systems Speakers include: Seth Chandler (University of Houston Law Center) Pedro de Oliveira (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Sao Paulo) Dimitry Gashinsky (RSA Security) Nigel Goldenfeld (University of Illinois) Bahman Kalantari (Rutgers University) Veikko Keränen (Rovaniemi Polytechnic) Jiri Kroc (University of West Bohemia) Frederico Meinberg (Freiburg University) Richard Phillips (Wolfram Research) Tilman Rassy (Berlin University of Technology) Michael Schreiber Jeremy Smith Klaus Sutner (Carnegie Mellon University) Victor Trafaniuc (Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Sao Paulo)

NKS suggests new approaches to the physical sciences, in which programs take over the role of mathematical equations. The session will explore both NKS results on existing questions, and new questions raised by NKS. Topics will include how simple laws of physics can emerge from programs, and what the idea of discrete programs suggests about ultimate models of physics. Speakers include: Bram Boroson Nigel Goldenfeld (University of Illinois) Tilman Rassy (Berlin University of Technology) Oyvind Tafjord (Wolfram Research)

Like other new conceptual frameworks, NKS has many potentially important philosophical implications---for defining what we can know and how we go about knowing it. In the past the formal and empirical have been sharply separated, but NKS studies systems that fundamentally lie between them. This session will explore how this changes our methods and what it implies about such basic concepts as model, prediction, experiment, falsification, proof, construction, reducibility, randomness, and more. The session will include a discussion period that will also address common conceptual issues of NKS and their relationship to existing thought. Speakers include: James Bailey Jason Cawley (Wolfram Research) Matthew Frank (University of Chicago)

12:30pm
Lunch

1:45pm
I. NKS in Social, Organizational, and Business Systems, Part 1

NKS provides a new approach to modeling and thinking about business systems and issues. This session will address a variety of application areas, from financial markets to healthcare systems to management of large projects and general business strategy. There will be discussion both of specific quantitative models and of new ways of thinking made possible by NKS intuition and insight. Speakers include: Seth Chandler (University of Houston Law Center) George Danner (Industrial Science, LLC) Benjamin Koo (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Corey Lofdahl (Science Applications International Corporation) Andrew Lyasoff (Boston University) Samuel Penchas (Hadassah University Hospital)

The concepts of NKS seem particularly suitable for describing biological systems and making progress on issues that have hitherto resisted analysis. This session will discuss applications of NKS to a broad selection of popular and important biological topics. Issues covered will include modelling of plant ecology, cancer genetics, EEG, flocking behavior, uterine mechanics, and branched structures bioengineering. Speakers include: Alan Bachers Mel Barclay (University of Michigan) Ricardo Colasanti (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) Christian Jacob (University of Calgary) Chad Kennedy (Arizona State University) Ilan Kirsch (National Cancer Institute)

Part 2: CS Related Systems and Issues

3:30pm
Break

4:00pm
I. NKS in Social, Organizational, and Business Systems, Part 2

II. Biological NKS, Part 2

III. Pure NKS: The Study of Simple Programs

Part 3: Math Inspired Systems

5:30pm
Sessions End

6:30pm-8:30pm
Poster Session

In addition to lecture-style presentations, NKS 2004 will feature an eclectic collection of poster presentations, spanning the whole spectrum of NKS and its applications---from quantum computing, to number theory, to neurofeedback, logic, and more. Presenters include: Manuel Baez (Carleton University) Adel Bririd (University of Cambridge) Matthew Frank (University of Chicago) Adrian German (Indiana University) Sylvia Hobbs Alastair Hewitt (Nondeterministic Information Systems) Christian Jacob (University of Calgary) Rafal Kicinger (George Mason University) E.V. Krishnamurthy (Australian National University) Marcella Lorenzi (University of Calabria) Robert de Marrais Dennis Miller Rodrigo Obando (Fairfield University) Michael Round

8:30-9:30pm
The Response to NKS: A Discussion of Media and Other Coverage

Members of the Wolfram Science Group will lead a lively discussion of media coverage, reviews, and other responses to A NEW KIND OF SCIENCE. What's been gotten right, what's been gotten wrong, what's been downright stupid? What's behind common misunderstandings and criticisms? Discuss your favorite---or least favorite---reviews of NKS. How does what's happening with NKS compare with historical paradigm shifts?

Saturday, April 24, 2004


7:00am
Continental Breakfast

8:00am
Q&A with Stephen Wolfram

A chance for lively in-depth Q&A with Stephen Wolfram, sure to range over a broad array of topics. Ask about the basic science of NKS, its applications and implications, as well as future initiatives and the organizational structure of NKS.

9:30am
Live Computer Experiment by Stephen Wolfram

See first hand what's involved in doing NKS research. This will be an unscripted session in which Stephen Wolfram will carry out a live experiment on some NKS topic. Get insight into how to set up your own experiments, how to pick NKS research directions, as well as lots of tips and tricks. Audience participation will be welcome. At NKS 2003 the live experiment was an exciting ride, with an interesting small result on cellular automata discovered in real time. At the NKS 2004 live computer experiment anything could happen...

10:30am
Break

11:00am
I. Music and NKS: Looking at & Listening to NKS

In their early history, mathematics and music were viewed as defining two related abstract frameworks. NKS now provides a new abstract framework. This session will explore connections between NKS and music, and the new ideas in both music and science that may emerge from them. Learn about tools being developed, and hear the premier of a new NKS-based approach to musical composition. Speakers include: Paul Burdick (New England Conservatory of Music) Michael Gardiner (New England Conservatory of Music) John Kiehl (New England Conservatory of Music) Maurice Methot (Emerson College) Katarina Miljkovic (New England Conservatory of Music)

Being a young field, NKS is in the fortunate position of allowing creative students reach the frontiers of research early in their development. The NKS 2004 Student Presentations sessions will showcase the work of a number of students who have become involved with NKS over the past two years. Part 1:Applications in NKS Part 2: NKS in Computer Science Part 3: Pure NKS Part 4: NKS in Mathematics Speakers include: Brenton Bostick (Wittenberg University) Jesse Clark (Carnegie Mellon University) Andreas Eckerstorfer (Johannes Kepler University Linz) Evangelos Georgiadis Christopher Maes (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Philipp Michel (Yale University) Andrew Musselman (Central Washington University) Eric Rowland (Rutgers University) Joshua Schwartzstein (Cornell University) Dag Soeroboe (University of Bergen, Norway) Wendy Zhang (Indiana University) Thomas Zheng (University of California, San Diego)

Part 4: Analyzing Specific Cellular Automata

1:00pm
Lunch

2:15pm
I. NKS in Earth Science, Part 1

The earth sciences provide an excellent example of an interdisciplinary area ripe for NKS modelling. The obvious complexities of patterns of erosion, coastlines, diffusion, and deposition suggest immediate potential for NKS analysis. The session will explore NKS applications across a range of key earth sciences problems, discussing both general principles and specific models and examples. Speakers include: Christopher Barton (U.S. Geological Survey) Mark Gettings (U.S. Geological Survey) Victor Mossotti (U.S. Geological Survey) Carlos Puente (University of California, Davis) Bradley Sim (University of Ottawa)

Cellular automaton evolution can easily be carried out by an elementary-school student. This kind of accessibility gives NKS the potential to have an important impact on education. The session will discuss how NKS can and should be taught, particularly at the K-12 level. Talks will address such topics as the most appropriate NKS content to teach, style and standards for computer experiments, as well as curriculum and other practicalities. Some initiatives currently underway will be discussed. Speakers include: Eric Klopfer (MIT Teacher Education Program) Bakhtiar Mikhak (MIT Media Lab) Jamie Raymond (Northeastern University) William Reinhardt (University of Washington) Todd Rowland (Wolfram Research) Hal Scheintaub (Governor Dummer Academy) Brian Silverman (MIT Media Lab)

A tutorial on software and other tools for NKS research, including: NKS|Online, the NKS downloadable programs, NKS Explorer, NKS Explorer:Mathematica Kit, the CellularAutomaton function, and the Automata package. Hear how to get the best out of these tools from some of their original developers.

4:00pm
Break

4:30pm
I. NKS and Earth Science, Part 2

II. NKS in Education, Part 2

III. Pure NKS: The Study of Simple Programs

Part 5: Substitution Related Systems

Members of the Wolfram Science Group will work directly with participants to discuss and assist with computer experiments. Ask specific programming or scientific questions, or come to discuss general approaches.

6:00pm
Special Session: The NKS Summer School

The NKS Summer School is 3-week intensive educational event devoted to NKS. Find out what's planned for this year's summer school, and hear from instructors and students about experiences last year.

6:30pm
Banquet Dinner

Sunday, April 25, 2004

7:00am
Continental Breakfast

8:00am
I. Form and Architecture in NKS, Part 1

One of the implications of NKS is a new approach to the generation of spatial forms. Applications of this include architecture and design. The session will feature discussions of theoretical, practical, and artistic issues. Speakers include: John Bacus (Rice University School of Architecture) Manuel Baez (Carleton University) Gautam Dasgupta (Columbia University) Rafal Kicinger (George Mason University) Céline Lannier (Columbia University) Katherine Rodway McKee (Columbia University) Jose Sanchez (Columbia University)

Part 2: NKS in Computer Science

A core initiative in pure NKS is to map the computational universe: to enumerate and study simple programs, to catalog them, and to record and understand their properties. Hear about the latest progress in the development of the Wolfram Atlas of Simple Programs. Find out about its potential for modelling, finding algorithms, and developing a natural science of computation. The Atlas has echoes of other important large systematic projects in science---from astronomical surveys to zoological classifications, chemical databases, and the human genome project. Hear about plans for large-scale deployment, the technology behind the Atlas, as well as the many fundamental issues involved. Learn about opportunities to contribute and get involved in the project.

10:00am
Break

10:30am
I. Form and Architecture in NKS, Part 2

II. Student Presentations

Part 3: Pure NKS

Speakers include: Jason Cawley (Wolfram Research) Matthew Frank (University of Chicago)

11:30am
Lunch

12:45pm
I. The Arts and NKS: NKS at Work and Play

Scientists ask one question, and make a thousand things. Artists make one thing and ask a thousand questions. Are science and art just rhymes, or are they actually about the same thing? NKS presents an intriguing possibility and context for bridging these two paths in the practice, work, and lives of scientists and artists alike. This session will explore these ideas, and suggest a framework for thinking about how artists and scientists might use NKS to forge real methods and procedures for working meaningfully together. Speakers include: Paul Burdick (New England Conservatory of Music) John Kiehl (New England Conservatory of Music) Marcella Lorenzi (University of Calabria) Ed Pegg (Wolfram Research) Michael Schreiber

Part 4: NKS in Mathematics

1:45pm
Closing Address by Stephen Wolfram