Events
Past Event
WED@NICO SEMINAR: Thomas Stoeger, NU Data Science Scholar "The Formation of Biological Knowledge"
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level Chambers Hall
Details
The Formation of Biological Knowledge
Speaker:
Thomas Stoeger - Data Science Scholar, Center for Genetic Medicine (CGM) and Northwestern Institute for Complex Systems (NICO)
Talk Abstract:
What drives the formation of knowledge? In 1959, C. P. Snow asserted “a gulf of mutual incomprehension– between science and the humanities. That gulf is still particularly apparent in the disagreement on what drives scientific discovery: curiosity versus the scientific reward system and social power structures.
An aspect not systematically explored by either group is the structure of the natural world. Consider the discovery of how genomes work. What are the determinants of whether and how much a given gene is studied? Is it just scientific curiosity and medical applicability, or is there something else? Could the biophysical and molecular properties of a gene contribute to whether it is highly studied? Without a complete understanding of the formation of scientific knowledge, it will not be possible to distinguish missed research opportunities from research that can be ignored.
I aim to remedy this gap by systematically connecting properties of genes to the formation of knowledge about them. During my seminar I will show that it is possible to cross the “gulf of mutual incomprehension– by looking at individual genes. We will re-discover the history of biological research and see that the accumulation of knowledge is predictable. Finally I will propose maps that focus on the unknown, and visualize the absence of knowledge on top of the structure of the natural world. I hope that my findings will promote scientific discovery, and allow more nuanced decisions within genetic medicine.
Live Stream:
To join the Meeting: bluejeans.com/8474912527
To join via Browser: bluejeans.com/8474912527/browser
Time
Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
Fall 2026 Classes Begin
University Academic Calendar
All Day
Details
Fall 2026 Classes Begin
Time
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Contact
Calendar
University Academic Calendar
NICO Reading Group - Fall 2026 First Meeting
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
6:00 PM
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Chambers Hall
Details
The NICO Reading Group meets for the first this fall on Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Please contact Jaeseon Ha if you are interested in joining our group.
About:
The NICO Reading Group brings together people across disciplines to read and discuss important ideas in modern AI. We focus on topics such as AI agents, tuning, harnesses, evaluation, AI for scientific discovery, and applications of AI across different fields. The goal is to understand important ideas in AI more deeply by learning and thinking across disciplines.
Leadership:
Jaeseon Ha, a Kellogg MBA + AI student, will lead the reading group during the Fall 2026 term. Please contact Jaeseon with any questions or reach out to us at nico@northwestern.edu.
Meeting Times:
Date: Biweekly on Wednesday evening, starting on September 23, 2026
Time: 6-7pm
Location: NICO main office, Chambers Hall,
600 Foster St, Evanston, IL 60208
Time
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Location
Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
WED@NICO Seminar Series returns on September 30, 2026
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)
12:00 PM
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Lower Level, Chambers Hall
Details
The Wednesdays@NICO seminar series returns September 30, 2026, running through November 11, 2026, with the following speakers.
9/30/2026 - Luis Amaral, Northwestern University
10/7/2026 - Kristina Lerman, Indiana University
10/14/2026 - Tim Tangherlini, University of California, Berkeley
10/21/2026 - Andreia Sofia Teixeira, Northeastern University London
10/28/2026 - Rafael Prieto-Curiel, Complexity Science Hub, Vienna
11/4/2026 - Hamsa Bastani, University of Pennsylvania
11/11/2026 - Mayank Agrawal, Proof of Human
We will share detailed speaker information, talk titles and abstracts, in the coming weeks.
Location:
In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option TBA
About the Speaker Series:
Wednesdays@NICO is a vibrant weekly seminar series focusing broadly on the topics of complex systems, networks, and artificial intelligence. It brings together attendees ranging from graduate students to senior faculty who span all of the schools across Northwestern, from applied math to sociology to biology and every discipline in-between. Please visit: https://bit.ly/WedatNICO for information on future speakers.
Time
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location
Lower Level, Chambers Hall Map
Contact
Calendar
Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)