I501: Introduction to Informatics

Fall 2008

Course Description

The course deals with the foundations of Informatics as an interdisciplinary field. It deals with concepts such as Information, Technology, Knowledge, Modeling, as well as their impact on science and society. The course will also attempt to define and understand what computational thinking can bring to science and society. In particular, we will focus on the National Science Foundation's definition of Computational Thinking as "a set of bold multidisciplinary activities that,[...] promise radical, paradigm-changing research findings. [...] Applied in challenging science and engineering research and education contexts, computational thinking promises a profound impact on the Nation’s ability to generate and apply new knowledge." [From NSF's Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation Program Solicitation, NSF 08-604.

Aims: The course is designed to present and discuss the history, methodology and impact of informatics; students are introduced to various approaches to informatics via interaction with faculty working on diverse problems, as well as the appropriate literature. Finally, students are expected to develop a understanding of what constitutes research in the field, via a familiarization with relevant funding opportunities.

Syllabus

Lecture Outline

• How did we get here?
• From cybernetics to informatics
• The Logical Mechanisms of Nature and Society
• The nature of information
• From semiotics to Shannon
• Information and Technology
• The cyborg species?
• Technology as Problem Solving
• Next-generation computer science?
• Various flavors of informatics
• Computing Models of the World
• Next-generation science?
• New computation paradigms
• The Limits of Computation
• Research in a nascent field
• Computational thinking, what is it?

Course Evaluation

• Participation: 20%.
• Based upon attendance and participation.
• Assignments: 30%
• There will be 3 assignments during the semester.
• Research Grant: 50%
• Students will be asked to write a research pre-proposal, as if to submit it to the NSF Program: Cyber-Enabled Discovery and Innovation (CDI). This research pre-proposal should be developed in consultation with an appropriate faculty member, and should focus on a Computational Thinking approach to a research question. (see also CDI's Fact Sheet)

Office Hours

• Luis Rocha
• Wednesdays 2-3:30Pm, 919 E. 10th St, Room 301

Course Materials and Readings

Printed Resources are available to students in OnCourse: Class Folder. Readings below are updated weekly.

• research articles
• A. Abdi, M. Baradaran Tahoori, and E.S. Emamian [2008] "Fault Diagnosis Engineering of Digital Circuits Can Identify Vulnerable Molecules in Complex Cellular Pathways.", Sci. Signal 1(42), ra10
• Bettencourt, L.M.A., J.Lobo, D. Helbing, C. Kühnert, and G.B. West [2007] "Growth, innovation, scaling, and the pace of life in cities.", PNAS 104(17), 7301-7306
• C. Cattuto, V. Loreto, L. Pietronero [2007] "Semiotic dynamics and collaborative tagging", PNAS 104(17), 1461
• T. Helikar, J. Konvalina, J. Heidel, and J.A. Rogers [2008] "Emergent decision-making in biological signal transduction networks.", PNAS. 105(6): 1913-1918
• McCulloch, W. and W. Pitts [1943], "A Logical Calculus of Ideas Immanent in Nervous Activity". Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics 5:115-133.
• Rosen, R. [1986]. "Some comments on systems and system theory". Int. J. of General Systems, 13: 1—3.
• Simon, H.A. [1962]. "The Architecture of Complexity". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 106: pp. 467-482.
• practice, history and methodology
• Aleksander, I. [2002]. “Understanding Information Bit by Bit”. In: It must be beautiful : great equations of modern science. G. Farmelo (Ed.), Granta, London.
• Ashby, W.R.[1956]. An Introduction to Cybernetics, Chapman & Hall, London, Chapter 1. Full book available electronically.
• Borges, Jorge Luis [1956]. The Library of Babel
• Clark, A. [2003]. Natural-Born Cyborgs: Minds, technologies and the Future of Human Intelligence. Oxford University Press. Chapters 2 and 6
• Coutinho, A. [2003]. "On doing science: a speech by Professor Antonio Coutinho". Economia, 4(1): 7-18, jan./jun. 2003.
• Heims, S.G. [1991]. The Cybernetics Group. MIT Press. Chapters: 1,2, 11, and 12.
• Klir, G.J. [2001]. Facets of systems Science. Springer. Chapters: 1,2,3, 8, and 11.
• Lazebnik, Y [2002]. "Can a biologist fix a radio?--Or, what I learned while studying apoptosis". Cancer Cell, 2(3):179-182.
• J. Lewis [2008] "From Signals to Patterns: Space, Time, and Mathematics in Developmental Biology.", Science. 322(5900): 399-403
• Schwartz, M.A. [2008]. "The importance of stupidity in scientific research". Journal of Cell Science, 121: 1771.
• additional optional readings
• Von Baeyer, H.C. [2004]. Information: The New Language of Science. Harvard University Press, Chapters 1, 4, 10

For more information contact Luis Rocha at rocha@indiana.edu. Check the Web Design Credits, for due credit.
Last Modified: December 31, 2008