Dagmar Sternad

Professor

Department of Kinesiology

Program in Motor Control and Neuroscience

Pennsylvania State University

266 Recreation Building

University Park, PA 16802

Phone : 814.863.7369

e-mail : dxs48@psu.edu

Debates in Dynamics: 

A Dynamical Systems Perspective to Action and Perception

This series of workshops brings together a small group of researchers to discuss recent developments and challenges for a dynamical systems account to action and perception. Truly reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of this approach, the participants come from a wide range of backgrounds, including experimentalists and theorists from psychology, kinesiology, physics, computer science, physiology, music, and linguistics.

The Debates in Dynamics last four days with presentations led by each participant and continuous group discussions. The workshops take place in an informal setting, allowing time for free unscheduled discussions and exploratory work. The group is kept deliberately small to maintain an individualized atmosphere. A small number of advanced students have attended the meetings. Different formats have been adopted in the meetings, ranging from formal two-hour presentations to half-day presentations mixed with discussions and spontaneous work on site.

The objective of these workshops is the exchange of information, stimulation of new ideas, and the forming of new collaborations. Since the first Debates, the members of the group have been engaged in multiple interactions, leading to publications, conference symposia and special journal issues.

The first workshop was stimulated and sponsored by a fellowship of the Santa Fe Institute awarded to Dagmar Sternad for fostering activities to initiate research on complexity. Subsequent meetings followed to continue the fruitful interactions. The fourth Debates in Dynamics are scheduled for May 2006.

Debates in Dynamics III: May 5-9, 2004 

Organized by Dagmar Sternad

click for more photos: Debates 2004

Participants:

  Ramesh Balasubramaniam Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa 

  Joe Cusumano Engineering Sciences, Penn State University

  Tjeerd Dijkstra Biophysics, University of Nijmegen

  Armin Fuchs Center for Complex Systems, Florida Atlantic University

  Viktor Jirsa Center for Complex Systems, Florida Atlantic University

  Elliot Saltzman Physical Therapy, Boston University

  Mark Latash Kinesiology, Penn State University

  Dagmar Sternad Kinesiology, Penn State University

Note: To download powerpoint presentations click on the bullet

Outcomes:

	Two-week long summer school, jointly held by Viktor Jirsa and Dagmar Sternad as part of the Annual Summer Academy of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes (National Fellowship of Germany), St. Johann, Italy, August 29 – Sept 11, 2004. (Title: Paradigms in the study human movement, behavior, and cognition - Interdisciplinary movement science with a focus on dynamic systems approaches)
	A special journal issue with articles by all participants is currently in progress.
	A symposium at the 13th International Conference on Perception and Action, Monterey, July 5-10, 2005. Title: Debates in dynamics: Dialogue between data and model