Complex systems bring success to problem solving

Don't expect a one-line answer from Carl Simon, director of the Center for the Study of Complex Systems.

(File Photo/U-M Photo Services)

Simon has studied topics as diverse as HIV transmission, hydrogen fuel distribution, and antibiotic resistance using a complex systems approach, which looks at the big picture while also focusing on the interactions of the components.

"Everything from literature to antibiotics and transportation can benefit from a complex systems approach,'' says Simon, professor of mathematics, economics and public policy and co-director of one University initiative on Sustainable Mobility and Accessibility and another on antibiotic resistance.

"Simplistic one-line policy prescriptions make good sound bites but they are rarely the right answer," he says. Simon will discuss how a complex systems approach can be used to solve real world problems—such as the struggling Michigan economy and the energy crisis—at 4:10 p.m. Feb. 6 in the Rackham Amphitheatre, when he delivers the LSA 28th Distinguished Senior Faculty Lecture. His talk is titled "Complex Systems Approaches Across Disciplines."

Simon says one of his goals is to catalyze an interaction between the University and the auto industry in southeastern Michigan. For example, Simon and his colleagues are working with researchers at Ford Motor Co. to build a master's degree program promoting a systems approach to problem solving.

Interdisciplinarity plays a major role. "Our whole energy crisis is not just about engineering," Simon says. "It's also about prices, taxes, people's decisions to drive an SUV and the effect on the environment."