Ventana software support forum

Posted: **Thu Apr 03, 1997 10:58 am**

At 09:59 PM 4/2/97 -0500, Professor Richardson wrote:
>I am becoming increasingly alarmed at messages to this list from people
>doing graduate work in system dynamics who do not appear to have had
>
>I hope it is not rude but rather deep kindness to point out that modeling
>is not a simple sideline...

You raise some very good points and, no, I (as one of those persons doing
graduate work USING SD) do not think it is rude to point this out. Let me
point out, however, a challenge for me (and I suspect others) in this boat.

I have become more and more interested to use SD in my PhD research.
However, as I became aware of SD I started searching for courses at my
institution. I found none that taught general SD or ST approaches. I found
people who use STELLA to do various modeling (mostly biophysical, ecological
modeling) but no general course work.

Perhaps a better post to the list would be for references to Universities or
Departments that offer general course work, specific degrees, or even
certificates (perhaps for individuals, like myself, in degree programs at
other universities) in SD or ST. Any takers?

John

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
John Holden !
holden.24@osu.edu !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Posted: **Fri Apr 04, 1997 10:13 am**

John Hoden has a good suggestion -- that we list in this listserve places
where one can obtain professional-level coursework in system dynamics. I
suggest those of us at universities or consultancies with formal system
dynamics programs send a very brief note to the list describing the
programs available. Compiling these would give us something like the old
System Dynamics Newsletter, published out of MIT in the 1970s, showing
institutional activities and degree programs.

As a start:

University at Albany, State University of New York: Several courses and
seminars at the masters and doctoral level in system dynamics, taught in
the department of public administration and policy, including:
PAD 524 - Systems Thinking in Public Management and Policy
PAD 624 - Simulating Dynamic Systems
PAD 724 - Simulation for Policy Analysis and Design
PAD 824 - Proseminar in System Dynamics Modeling

Faculty in the area of Decision and Policy Sciences:
David F. Andersen, PhD MIT: system dynamics, information science
George P. Richardson, PhD MIT: system dynamics, group decision support
John W. Rohrbaugh, PhD U. of Colorado: group decision support
Jeryl L. Mumpower, PhD U. of Colorado: negotiation, expert judgment
Thomas R. Stewart, PhD U. of Colorado: social judgment analysis

Students: From ten-to-twelve masters and doctoral students concentrating
in system dynamics at any given time.

Recent system dynamics dissertations:

Mohammad Mojtahedzadeh. A Path Taken: Computer-Assisted Heuristics for
Understanding Dynamic Systems
Ik Jae Chung. Government Regulation of Market Information as a Public
Policy Tool: Dynamics of Waste Recycling Market Development
Terrence A. Maxwell. Decisions: Cognitive Style, Mental Models, and Task
Performance
R. Kevin ONeill. The Network Structure of the Stock and Stock-Index
Futures Markets
Sauwakon Ratanawijitrasin. The Dynamics of Health Care Finance: A
Feedback View of System Behavior

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
George P. Richardson G.P.Richardson@Albany.edu
Professor of public administration, public policy & information science
Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy Phone: 518-442-3859
University at Albany - SUNY, Albany, NY 12222 Fax: 518-442-3398
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted: **Fri Apr 04, 1997 1:06 pm**

John Holden wrote:

Snip
> Perhaps a better post to the list would be for references to Universities or
> Departments that offer general course work, specific degrees, or even
> certificates (perhaps for individuals, like myself, in degree programs at
> other universities) in SD or ST. Any takers?

John,

Ill list some schools, but first: One way to get courses at universities is for
students to demand them. I know that the lags in the system mean it may not benefit
you, but it would be a service to humankind. (And other mammals, as well).

I will start the list with a couple of schools, but I hope others will complete
it...

SUNY Albany
Worcester Polytechnic
M.I.T.
University of Virginia
London School of Business
University of Bergen (Norway)
Mannheim University

In addition there are consulting companies and schools that offer short courses in
system dynamics. A START on a list of places that offer short courses :

GKA
High Performance Systems
Innovation Associates
Ventana Systems
LeapTec
MIT
London School of Business

These lists are just a start as John Holden said: "any [more] takers?".

Regards,
Jim Hines
MIT and LeapTec
JimHines@interserv.com

Posted: **Mon Apr 07, 1997 10:57 am**

I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Geography and Environmental
Engineering at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. It is an
interdisciplinary dept., and my particular subsection is Systems
Analysis and Economics for Public decision making. My advisor,
Benjamin Hobbs has done a lot of work in Decision Analsis, and I am
currently taking a course from him called Dynamic Systems, in which
we have been introduced to Stella as well as other methodologies and
applications involving systems analysis. I certainly hope to use
SD methodologies effectively and prudently in my future career.

Among several graduates of this department, Richard Palmer is a
professor at the University of Washington in Washington St. and has
a group which applies systems analysis (in particular, using Stella)
in water resources problems.

Richard Anderson
anderson@titan.me.jhu.edu
Johns Hopkins University
Dept.Geography and Environmental Engineering
410-516-5176

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