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Leadership in Biological Groups by Joshua Hewson ’22, Mathematics Colloquium

Mon, April 18th, 2022
1:45 pm
- 2:30 pm

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Leadership in Biological Groups by Joshua Hewson ’22, Mathematics Colloquium, Monday, April 18, 1:45 – 2:15 pm, North Science Building 019, Wachenheim

Abstract: Agent-based modeling is a highly effective method of simulating the behavior of animal groups, and to an extent, humans in society.  When small subgroups of a social collective share a common goal independent of the rest of the group, they can influence the group into aligning with their preferences without any explicit communication with the group.  Their success is determined by the balance of influences between adherence to the group and their own goal.  These insights can be applied to explaining how individual animals within a group can guide the herd to a food source and perhaps even how extremist opinions in society can hold great sway over large groups of undecided/uneducated people.

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