Natural systems displaying complex behavior range upwards from proteins and DNA through cells and evolutionary systems to human societies. Research on complex systems-the focus of work at SFI-involves an extraordinary range of topics normally studied in seemingly disparate fields. « lessġ991 was continued rapid growth for the Santa Fe Institute (SFI) as it broadened its interdisciplinary research into the organization, evolution and operation of complex systems and sought deeply the principles underlying their dynamic behavior. Some of the major questions facing complex systems researchers are: (1) explaining how complexity arises from the nonlinear interaction of simple components (2) describing the mechanisms underlying high-level aggregate behavior of complex systems (such as the overt behavior of an organism, the flow of energy in an ecology, the GNP of an economy) and (3) creating a theoretical framework to enable predictions about the likely behavior of such systems in various conditions. Research models exhibiting complex behavior include spin glasses, cellular automata, and genetic algorithms. Natural systems displaying complex adaptive behavior range upwards from DNA through cells and evolutionary systems to human societies. Research on complex systems-the focus of work more » at SFI-involves an extraordinary range of topics normally studied in seemingly disparate fields. The fifth annual complex systems summer school brought nearly 60 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to Santa Fe for an intensive introduction to the field. The Institute`s book series in the sciences of complexity continues to grow, now numbering more than 20 volumes. To date this 1992 work has resulted in more than 50 SFI Working Papers and nearly 150 publications in the scientific literature.
In 1992 the Santa Fe Institute hosted more than 100 short- and long-term research visitors who conducted a total of 212 person-months of residential research in complex systems.
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