introduction day 1 colq 201 multiagent modeling harry howard tulane university

IntroductionDay 1

COLQ 201Multiagent modeling

Harry HowardTulane University

11-Jan-2010 COLQ 201, Prof. Howard, Tulane University

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Course organization

http://www.tulane.edu/~howard/NLP/


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Description


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Objectives

You will learn how to run and understand a multiagent simulation using the NetLogo modeling environment.

You will learn how to do some computer programming in the NetLogo programming language. NetLogo was designed to be "low threshold and no

ceiling", which is to say that it enables easy entry by novices and yet meets the needs of high powered users.

I hope you strive to be high powered.


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Objectives, cont. You will learn the basics of game theory and dynamical systems

theory. You will learn a lot of disparate facts about

the earth sciences, biology, urban studies, artificial intelligence, epidemiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology, anthropology, economics, decision theory,

organizational psychology, political science, communications, and linguistics

which can be unified by their reduction to a multiagent dynamical system.


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Objectives, cont.

You will sharpen your skills at critical analysis. For every simulation that we discuss in class, you will be able to answer the questions:How does it work?Does it do what it claims to do accurately?Are the assumptions of the simulation – the structure of

the environment and the rules that the agents obey – reasonable?

Does the real world really behave the way the simulation says it should?


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Objectives, cont.

You will become an agile and discerning thinker, able to pierce the veil of distracting superficial details of a problem to find its computational essence.

You will become intellectually better-rounded.


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Outcomes

For you to demonstrate how well you have attained the objectives, you will perform the following tasks:Take a quiz or turn in a project almost every

week, on Monday. Present a final project to the class on the final

exam day and turn in a report of your project within two days.


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Quizzes / projects (75%)

Almost every week, on Mondays [11-1 * 7.5% = 75%] No quiz/project can be accepted late, but I will drop the

lowest grade. Even though these look like a lot of small grades, missing

just one lowers your final grade almost an entire letter, as an unfortunate few of my students have found out the hard way.

If you know ahead of time that you will miss a quiz/project, send me an e-mail beforehand, and I will excuse you with no penalty.

Beforehand does not mean the morning that the quiz/project is due, however.


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Final project (25%)

Program in NetLogo a multiagent simulation of some topic or process that interests you. It may be a topic or process that we have not reviewed in class, or a refinement of one that we have reviewed in class. If you build on an existing simulation, you must acknowledge the

work that you draw on. Present it to the class on the final exam day (Friday, April

30, afternoon). Turn in a written summary of it within two days. This may be a group effort, but everyone in the group will

receive the same grade.


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Just to be clear

There is no final exam, but you must present your final project to the class on the final exam day.

You CANNOT leave town before then!Tell your parents NOW! You are hereby warned. Do not tell me at the end of the semester that your

parents bought you a ticket home without knowing.


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Participation (0%)

Note that there is no credit for class participation, but if I notice you participating a lot, I will increase your final grade if it is borderline. (X- →

Y+)There is no credit for class participation because

I will pod-cast my lectures (record them as mp3 files and make them available on this page, in the 'mp3' column in the Schedule of Assignments),

and I will also make my PowerPoint presentations available on this page, in the 'ppt' column in the Schedule of Assignments.


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Participation, cont.

So all of the information that is imparted in class is available to you outside of class.

So I don't care whether you show up for class or not, but if you do not, you do not get to ask me questions or brainstorm with your fellow students.

And that is how most people really learn something.

And you will miss out on all the fun.


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Prerequisites

There aren't any.OK, maybe curiosity and a desire to learn

are prerequisites. In any event, I do not take anything for

granted and so will explain all background information, or at least suggest sources where you can find it on your own.


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Code of academic integrity

“The integrity of Newcomb-Tulane College is based on the absolute honesty of the entire community in all academic endeavors. As part of the Tulane University community, students have certain responsibilities regarding work that forms the basis for the evaluation of their academic achievement. Students are expected to be familiar with these responsibilities at all times. No member of the university community should tolerate any form of academic dishonesty, because the scholarly community of the university depends on the willingness of both instructors and students to uphold the Code of Academic Conduct. When a violation of the Code of Academic Conduct is observed it is the duty of every member of the academic community who has evidence of the violation to take action. Students should take steps to uphold the code by reporting any suspected offense to the instructor or the associate dean of the college. Students should under no circumstances tolerate any form of academic dishonesty.” For further information, point your browser at http://college.tulane.edu/code.htm.


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Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities who need academic accommodation should:Contact and register with the Office of Disability

Services (ODS). For more information, visit the ODS website at http://www.erc.tulane.edu/studentindex.html.

Bring official notice to me from the ODS indicating that you need academic accommodation. This should be done within the first week of class.


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Electronic infrastructure

http://www.tulane.edu/~howard/Multiagent/I will send you e-mail on a regular basis –

you must check your e-mail on a regular basis!If you want to use a non-Tulane address, e-mail

me a message to that effect from the address.

Bring a laptop to class.


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The textbook

There isn't one.Well, there is the NetLogo User Manual at

http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/docs/.


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Schedule of readings

You should come to class having completed the assignment for that day listed in the schedule.

We will spend the class going over the simulations in the assignment, answering any questions that may come up, and perhaps doing new exercises.


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Questions?

?

Who we are


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Who I am

Prof. Harry Howard

862-3417 (voice mail 24 hours a day)Newcomb Hall 322-D Office hours: MW 4:30-5:30, T 4-5, and

by appointment (the link goes to my home page, which displays my Google calendar)


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Who are you?

Interview a classmate in order to report back to the class:your classmate's name,where he or she is from,what is his or her major,why he or she is taking this course.


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Next time

Download NetLogo 4.1 from http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/download.shtml and install it on your laptop.

In the NetLogo User Manual, do What is NetLogo? Sample Model: Party.

Bring your laptop to class.

introduction day 1 colq 201 multiagent modeling harry howard tulane university

Documents

tulane university4 objectives

tulane university5 objectives

tulane university6 objectives

tulane university7 objectives

multiagent simulation

tulane university3 description

tulane university8 outcomes

final grade