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Complex Engineered and Natural Systems

National Science FoundationDirectorate for Engineering

Adnan Akay and Judy Raper

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WastewaterConduits

Stormdrains

Septic Systems

ImperviousSurfaces

Artificial Channels

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WellsWaterTable

Hyporheic &Parafluvial Zones

ERO

Regional GW

Local GW

Riparian &Upland Forest Patches

RO

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RootingZoneWater

Supply Pipes

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InterbasinTransfers of

Water & Wastewater

The Urban Water Cycle

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Courtesy of Ken Belt, USFS

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Complex Engineered and Natural Systems• Definition: Complex, Complexity (adj., n)

– Consisting of interconnected or interwoven parts; – Involved or intricate, as in structure; complicated. – Difficult to understand because of intricacy: – A whole composed of interconnected or interwoven parts– Engineering Complexity -- the condition of being difficult to

explain and predict systems behaviors, robust operation of the same.

• Complexity in– Engineered systems– Natural systems– Interface of engineered and natural systems

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The Challenge

– Creation of common principles, unified theories, and methods to design, operate, and protect complex engineered systems.

• Sources of complexity:– Too much information, too many components, too many

constraints, too many parameters for consideration to accomplish a particular task

– Not enough information about essential elements or components of a system or about their interfaces

– Not enough information about how elements or components will behave under known or unknown conditions that may lead to unintended consequences

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– To encourage the community to think about• What is complex system science• Fundamental questions related science of

complexity• Questions related to design, control and

management of complexz systems

– To invest in the development of “science of the complex”

NSF Role

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NSF Activities

• A series of workshops on complexity• Considering complexity under three topics

– Transportation Systems– Biological Systems– Healthcare Delivery

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Infrastructure - Transportation

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Biological Systems

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Neuromuscular BiomechanicsNeuromuscular Biomechanics

CAREER PI: Francisco Valero-Cuevas, Cornell University

analysis of dexterous manipulation; characterization of muscle and brain activity; & computational modeling of dexterity

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Healthcare Delivery

Fall Detector with Bluetooth

Berkeley Motes Sensors with

Bluetooth

Ad hoc Zigbee network

Zigbee

Sensors: at home and wearableMobile Gateway

Home Health System

Mobile Phone

Integrated Camera

Secure Internetand/or

telephone

Berkeley Mote

Sensors

Hospital

Terminal

BluetoothWLAN

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Functional Neuroimaging of Information Flows within the Brain:Functional Neuroimaging of Information Flows within the Brain:

Mechanisms of cognitive processes and brain functionsMechanisms of cognitive processes and brain functions

ITR: High-Resolution Cortical Imaging of Brain ITR: High-Resolution Cortical Imaging of Brain Electrical Activity. Bin He, U MinnesotaElectrical Activity. Bin He, U Minnesota