A 3-day international summer school in System Dynamics right before the 2014 Int. System Dynamics Conference
Overview: A 3-day System Dynamics Summer School will be hosted (July 16-18 2014, Delft) at the venue of the International System Dynamics Conference (ISDC) right before the start of the conference (July 20-24 2014, Delft). The summer school will be taught at two different levels: there will be basic/intermediate classes and supervision for relative newcomers and there will be advanced classes for SD students and practitioners. Registration for the summer school is only 300 euro per person. The summer school will be taught by an international team of excellent System Dynamics professors and practitioners. Although summer school participants are not required to attend the conference, they are strongly advised to register for the ISDC too, and participate in the PhD colloquium and the post-conference workshop days. This 3-day pre-conference System Dynamics summer school, the 1-day pre-conference PhD Colloquium, the 3-day International System Dynamics Conference, and the 2-day post-conference workshops and master classes provide unparalleled opportunities to introduce newcomers to the field, keep practitioners aware of current advanced developments, and build and expand professional networks. Don't miss miss this opportunity: register as soon as possible!
Who should participate?
- Basic to intermediate level:
- MA, MSc, PhD students interested in, but new to, the SD method who want to learn basic/intermediae modeling skills;
- PhD students in SD at the start of their PhD process who need to learn basic/intermediae modeling skills and need advice;
- Policy analysts and Systems Thinkers who want to add System Dynamics to their methodological toolbox;
- Managers and policymakers who want to learn System Dynamics in order to be able to deal with dynamically complex issues;
- And possibly professors/teachers who want to start teaching System Dynamics and need inspiration and coaching.
- Intermediate to advanced level:
- MA, MSc and Self-study students in System Dynamics who want to take advanced topics in System Dynamics;
- PhD students in System Dynamics who are about halfway their PhD process, want to take advanced topics, and/or need advanced supervision/intervision;
- SD Practitioners who would like to learn new/advanced System Dynamics skills and discuss their work with experienced supervisors.
Highlights:
- The summer school will be 3 full days ahead of the International System Dynamics Conference (ISDC): from Wednesday 16 July (early morning) until Friday 18 July (early evening), plus a half-day social activity on Saturday (19 July) for participants and professors.
- The summer school will be taught by an international group of excellent System Dynamics professors. The teaching team will soon be announced here and on the (soon to be published) summer school pages of the SDS (www.systemdynamics.org).
- Since this summer school is non-profit, we are able to offer the summer school at an extremely low registration fee. The registration fee for the summer school is only 300 euro per person. In addition to the three summer school days with lunches included, the registration fee also covers a joint dinner and a social activity on Saturday 19 July, an additional session during the conference and a half-day session during the post-conference workshop days, participation in the exam and retake exam (for ECTS credits), certifications and credits (ECTS and graduate school credits). Not included are transportation, hotel expenses, dinners during the remainder of the workshop days, nor any other type of expenses.
- All participants will receive a participation certificate (without credits). In addition, there will be an exam (at the end of the 3-day summer school) and a retake exam (during the workshop days of the ISDC) for those who want to earn more than just a participation certificate: those who pass the exam or the retake exam receive a 2 ECTS Certificate or 5 graduate school credits. Those who in addition attend the ISDC and present a paper and/or attend the post-conference workshops will obtain 4 ECTS credits or 10 graduate school credits.
- The summer school will offer two different streams at two different levels for two different target audiences:
- Relative newcomers to the System Dynamics field who want to quickly acquire the necessary basic/intermediate System Dynamics modeling skills to get started and/or need good advice/supervision to avoid common mistakes and pitfalls. After this basic course, participants will be able to make and use their own System Dynamics models and will know which common mistakes and pitfalls to avoid. Those in need of intermediated supervision (e.g. regarding their PhD research) will be supervised by experienced supervisors.
- System Dynamicists or students in System Dynamics who want to take advanced topics in System Dynamics and/or are in need of supervision/intervision regarding their SD research (PhD or otherwise). During this 3-day summer school, participants will be able to take a series of advanced System Dynamics modelling classes and (if needed) will be supervised by experienced supervisors.
- Registration will require choosing between either (1) or (2) and a learning objective statement so that participants can be assinged to different groups and supervisors/professors.
- Class-related expenses will be financed with student registration fees. The summer school is non-profit but cannot incur a loss. Hence, there are no scholarships, no membership discounts, no group discounts, no early bird registration discounts. And there is a strict cancellation policy.
- Cancellation policy:
- If there are less than 20 participants, then the summer school may be cancelled. From 20 participants on, we can pay the expenses of 3 professors. For every additional 10 participants, we will be able to pay the expenses of 1 additional professor. So, we will need to be adaptive in terms of the number of professors this very first time the summer school is organized. In case the summer school is cancelled, registration fees paid will be reimbursed.
- No refund will be given in case a participant cancels. However, registration may be transferred to a substitute participant if the summer school is informed in time. The summer school organizers may help to find a substitute participant.
- Final summer school registration deadline: 14 May 2014. Note that the maximum number of participants is set at 60 and that a first-come-first-served policy will be adhered to: if you want to be part of this summer school, then register and pay as soon as possible...
More detailed information:
- The summer school venue is the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Jaffalaan 5, 2628BX Delft, the Netherlands. This is the same venue as the PhD colloquium and the post-ISDC workshops days.
- Summer school students will be able to book hotel rooms at preferential rates at two conference hotels. At dubbel occupancy, prices will be in the order of 40 euro per person per night (including breakfast). Slightly cheaper accommodation can be found too. Note that participants will receive hotel information after registration for the summer school. Dinner costs in Delft start from about 7 euro per person per dinner, although more places offer dinner between 15 euro and 35 euro per dinner. So, summer school participants need to budget at least €560-600 (not including travel expenses): The registration fee will be 300 euro for these three days + lunches + social activity + 1 dinner. Housing will be about 40 euro per person per night on the basis of shared rooms. Budget-wise this means: 300 euro + 5 x 40 euro (housing) + about 4 x 15-20 euro (dinners) for attending the summer school ahead of the conference. These hotels are about 15 minutes on foot from the summer school venue.
- This first time, registration for the summer school and the ISDC are separate. So please make sure you register for both events if you want to participate in the summer school as well as in the ISDC and the two workshop days.
- Summer school participants who want to bridge the summer school and the ISDC are stronly recommended to participate in the PhD colloquium on Sunday 20 July 2014. The PhD colloquium is free of charge for conference participants and summer school participants.
- Note that visa will only be provided to those who also attend the ISDC. The summer school organizers will not provide assistance in the process of obtaining visa for participants. The society office will help conference participants who also attend the summer school in case visa are needed.
- This summer school is jointly organized by the System Dynamics Society and the TU Delft Graduate School and is hosted at Delft University of Technology's faculty of Technology, Policy and Management by the Multi-Actor Systems Department and the Benelux Chapter of the System Dynamics Society.
This 3-day pre-conference System Dynamics summer school, the 1-day pre-conference PhD Colloquium (open to all summer school participants), the 3-day International System Dynamics Conference, and the 2-day post-conference workshops and master classes aim to introduce newcomers to the field, keep practitioners aware of current developments, and provide unparalleled networking opportunities. Don't miss miss this opportunity: register now!
For more information regarding the Summer School, the Benelux Chapter, or the summer school venue, please contact:
dr. Erik Pruyt, conference host and summer school organizer
Delft University of Technology
Jaffalaan 5, 2628BX Delft, the Netherlands
Phone: + 31 15 2787468
http://www.tbm.tudelft.nl/en/
For more information regarding the Internation System Dynamics Conference, please contact:
Roberta L. Spencer, Executive Director
System Dynamics Society
Milne 300 – Rockefeller College, University at Albany
Albany, New York 12222 USA
Ph: +1 518 442-3865 Fax: +1 518 442-3398
E-mail: conference@systemdynamics.org
www.systemdynamics.org
For more information regarding the Graduate School, please contact one the Directors of the TPM Graduate School:
Prof. dr. Michel van Eeten, Director TPM GS
Delft University of Technology
http://www.tbm.tudelft.nl/en/research/graduate-school/
Martijn Groenleer, Associate Director TPM GS
Delft University of Technology
http://www.tbm.tudelft.nl/en/research/graduate-school/