Due to conflicts with other events the following talk as been postponed
    to 29 November - 

                     * * * P O S T P O N E D * * *





                      UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE
                 COMPUTER SCIENCE RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM


              "Models, Simulations and Scientific Method"

                           Dr. Caroline Lyon
                     (School of Computer Science,
                     University of Hertfordshire)


                           29 November 2006

                          Lecture Theatre E350
                       Hatfield, College Lane Campus
                               3 - 4 pm

	       Coffee/tea and biscuits will be available.
			  [Catering Permitting]

		    Everyone is Welcome to Attend
			  [Space Permitting]



Abstract:

How can we place the constructive methodology of  modelling and simulation
in the general framework of valid scientific method?

The concept of what is scientific method has varied over the centuries,
partly as a result of technological advances. The classic approach has
been that a scientific method requires the production of hypotheses
that are in principle falsifiable - as in Newtonian physics that could,
and were, falsified. If we stuck to this we would have to say that
simulations and models were typically unscientific.  However, the advent
of computational modelling has enabled enormous advances in many branches
of science, and we need to develop a concept of scientific method for
the present time.

Criteria that could be used to evaluate models and simulations include
fitness for purpose, external validity, internal consistency and rationale
for choice of abstractions. To illustrate these criteria I will present
two well known examples (from Nowak and Elman) showing how they fall
short of required standards in some respects.

Simulations and models can advance our knowledge in both expected and
unexpected ways. We need to include them in a principled approach to
defining scientific method.



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Hertfordshire Computer Science Research Colloquium
http://homepages.feis.herts.ac.uk/~nehaniv/colloq