Complexity Explorer

[] /

27 Jan 2021

Artificial Intelligence Complex Systems Machine Learning Humanities

Hi Complexity Explorers,

We are back with exciting opportunities for you to engage with SFI. This newsletter contains information on the 2nd Complexity Interactive that will run in July, a new Digital Humanities course with Simon DeDeo and David Kinney, and the launch of our Complexity Explorer discord channel and book club.

Complexity Interactive

About the course

The Santa Fe Institute is accepting applications for Complexity Interactive (SFI-CI) — an advanced, guided online course in complex systems. Graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and research professionals are encouraged to apply by March 31.

This marks the second year of SFI-CI, which launched in Fall 2020. SFI-CI expands the Institute's educational mission in the online space — helping early-career scientists build a foundation for thinking broadly about complex systems and to meet and collaborate with other complexity-minded researchers from around the world.

While SFI-CI was motivated, in part, by the cancelation of SFI’s iconic Complex Systems Summer School due to the pandemic, SFI-CI serves a broad audience that SFI is eager to reach, according to Carrie Cowan, SFI's Director for Education. “SFI-CI seems to appeal to people who want a more flexible introduction to the concepts covered in Summer School and those who do not have the time to invest in a full-time, month-long, residential program,” she says. “We also met a number of participants who were looking to reduce their carbon footprint by limiting air travel or for whom travel to Santa Fe would create various challenges. There are many reasons why SFI-CI might be the right fit for someone interested in complex systems — not only during the pandemic."

SFI-CI participants will be invited to seek syntheses across diverse systems, in dialogue with SFI’s world-class faculty. It is is directed by SFI External Professor Miguel Fuentes, who guides participants throughout the three-week program. Unlike SFI's online courses on complexityexplorer.org, SFI-CI will limit its enrollment to about 50 participants.

The course runs from June 14 – July 2, 2021. Learn more and apply online by March 31.

Apply Now >

Humanities Analytics Course

About the course

Course dates: June - October 2021

The Foundations & Applications of Humanities Analytics course is aimed at a broad range of humanities scholars. The course aims to empower scholars in the humanities by eliminating the “black box” of computational text analysis. Participants will gain a theoretical and practical understanding of text analysis methods, and will learn how to extract content and derive meaning from digital sources, enabling new humanities scholarship.

This online course will comprise two modules. Foundations will impart conceptual skills and computational thinking through a study of the principles behind contemporary artificial intelligence. Applications will employ those skills to develop meaningful accounts of literary, historical, and cultural artifacts. A supplementary online tutorial will introduce the necessary steps to get started with Python programming and Jupyter notebooks.

Enroll Now >

The project Foundations and Applications of Cultural Analytics in the Humanities has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor, under Federal Award ID Number HT-272418-20. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this course do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For a sneak peek from Simon and David, check out their podcast episode on NM Humanities.

Listen Now >