Considering Emergence in Global Information Systems
Kevin Mills
Information Technology Laboratory, Advanced Network Technologies Division
Tuesday, July 27, 2004 15:00-16:00,
NIST North (820), Room 145
Gaithersburg
Tuesday, July 27, 2004 13:00-14:00,
Room 4550
Boulder
Abstract:
Scientists have begun to suspect that various physical and social systems exhibit the property of emergence,
where a system of independent but interconnected elements self-organizes to produce a coherent global state,
or to achieve an unstable state where small events could lead to large, system-wide changes.
This growing suspicion inspires some computer-science researchers to propose that system designs based on biological models
could yield unprecedented levels of robustness and resilience.
Other researchers believe such designs could instead exhibit chaotic behaviors.
In this lecture, Kevin Mills argues that this seemingly esoteric scientific debate frames an urgent question for modern society,
which grows increasingly dependent on information systems interconnected via the Internet.
Dr. Mills explains the theory of emergence and describes some work to identify emergent behavior in the Internet.
Dr. Mills outlines challenges inherent in revealing emergence,
and suggests our ultimate challenge will be to control emergence in global information systems.
Speaker Bio:
Kevin Mills, a senior research scientist at NIST, has held positions in government, industry, and academe over his 30-year career.
Since receiving his Ph.D. in Information Technology from George Mason University in January 1996, Dr. Mills has served
continuously on the adjunct faculty in the department of information and software engineering,
where he won the outstanding adjunct award for 2004.
From 1996 to 1999, Dr. Mills served as a program manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Prior to joining NIST in 1982, Dr. Mills worked as systems analyst for the System Development Corporation
and as software developer for Tesdata Systems Corporation.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Mills conducted research and development on automated air defense systems
for the United States Marine Corps (USMC).
Presentation Slides: PDF
Contact: P. M. KetchamNote: Visitors from outside NIST must contact
Robin Bickel; (301) 975-3668;
at least 24 hours in advance.
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