Workshop on the Evolution of Complexity
  as a part of the Tenth International Conference on the Simulation and 
Synthesis of Living Systems: ALife X

June 3rd, 2006. Bloomington, IN, USA


  Motivation

The evolution of complexity is a central theme in Biology. Yet it is 
not without any ambiguity. Complexity has been used to refer to 
different things. For instance, complexification has been interpreted 
as a process of diversification between evolving units or as a scaling 
process that is related to the idea of transitions between different 
levels of complexity. Other meanings of complexity have been 
introduced, both inside and outside the realm of Biology. What concerns 
most researchers is to get insight into the mechanisms that produce 
their notion of complexity.

The focus of this workshop will be on biological interpretations of 
complexity and the driving mechanisms: primarily we want the focus to 
be on evolutionary and related dynamics as mechanisms for producing 
complexity. Furthermore, we want to bring together historical and novel 
research in this context.

Questions to be addressed at the workshop include:
  - - What are the environmental constraints of complexity growth in 
living systems?
  - - What is the origin and role of developmental mechanisms in 
evolution?
  - - Are the principles of natural selection, as they are currently 
understood, sufficient to explain the evolution of complexity?
  - - What are the limits at different levels to the evolution of 
complexity, and which conditions could reduce evolved complexity?
  - - <Which models are | What language is> more appropriate to 
<understand | speak about> the evolution of complexity in living 
systems?
  - - How could complexity growth be measured or operationalised in 
natural and artificial systems?
  - - How can data from nature be brought to bear on the study of this 
issue?
  - - What are the main hypotheses about complexity growth that can 
actually be tested?
  - - Is it possible to <direct|manipulate> the evolution of complexity, 
or which benefits would bring its understanding?


  Paper submission:

Submitted papers should follow the format guidelines for the ALife X 
proceedings (http://www.alifex.org/submissions/ ). Papers should not 
exceed 6 pages in length.
  Submissions will be made electronically at the workshop website.


  Important dates:

Submission deadline: February 28th, 2006
  Notification of acceptance: April 1st, 2006
  Camera-ready papers due: April 15th, 2006
  Workshop date: June 3rd, 2006


  Workshop Structure:

The workshop will take place in Bloomington, IN, USA, on June 3, 2006, 
the first day of the conference. The aim is to have 2-4 invited 
speakers, and talks by the authors of groundbreaking contributions. We 
feel that it is important to have a discussion on the presentations and 
submissions at a workshop and hence will introduce a workshop format 
that achieves this goal.

Invited speakers (* indicates confirmed):
Mark Bedau*
Jim Crutchfield*
  Stuart Kauffman
  Ricard Solé


  Proceedings:

Workshop proceedings will be published in a special volume distributed 
at the conference. (This volume will be different from the MIT press 
conference proceedings). Depending on the quality of submissions, a 
special issue of the Artificial Life journal may be created.


  Programme Committee:

Lee Altenberg
  Mark Bedau
  Dominique Chu
  Jim Crutchfield
  Bruce Edmonds
  Carlos Gershenson
  Mario Giacobini
  Franics Heylighen
  Tom Lenaerts
  Juan Julián Merelo
  Barry McMullin
  Melanie Mitchell
  Jorge Pacheco
  Tom Ray
  Jon Rowe
  Stanley Salthe
  Cosma Shalizi
  Peter Schuster
  Eörs Szathmáry
  Richard Watson


  Organising Committee:

Carlos Gershenson
  Centrum Leo Apostel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
  Krijgskundestraat 33. B-1160, Brussels, Belgium
  cgershen

vub.ac.be

Tom Lenaerts
  IRIDIA CP 194/6, Université Libre de Bruxelles
  Av. Franklin Roosevelt 50. B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
  tlenaert

ulb.ac.be


Websites:

Workshop: http://ecco.vub.ac.be/ECO/

Conference: http://www.alifex.org
------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
-------------------------
Tom Lenaerts (tlenaert at ulb.ac.be)                   
http://www.tomlenaerts.tk/
Postdoc Researcher @ IRIDIA-Universite Libre de Bruxelles-Belgium
Guest Professor @ DINF-Vrije Uiversiteit Brussel-Belgium