In these essays Heinz von Foerster discusses some of the fundamental principles that govern how we know the world and how we process the information from which we derive that knowledge. Included are path- breaking articles concerning the principles of computation in neural nets (1967), the definition of self-organizing systems (1960), the nature of cognition (1970), as well as recent expansions on these themes (e.g. "How recursive is communication," 1993). Working with Norbert Wiener, Warren McCullough, and others in the 1960s and 1970s, von Foerster was one of the founders of the science of cybernetics, which has had profound effects both on modern systems theory and on the philosophy of cognition. At the Biological Computer Laboratory at the University of Illinois he produced the first parallel computers and contributed to many other developments in the theory of computation and cognition.

In 1945, Dr. Ernst Weber founded, and was the first Director of, the Microwave Research Institute (MRI) at POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY (at that time named the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn). MRI gained world-wide recognition in the 50's and 60's for its research in electromagnetic theory, antennas and radiation, network theory and microwave networks, microwave components and devices. It was also known through its series of topical symposia and the widely distributed hard bound MRI Symposium Proceedings. Rededicated as the Weber Research Institute (WRI) in 1986, the research focus today is on such areas as electromagnetic propagation and antennas, ultra broadband electromagnetics, pulse power, acoustics, gaseous electronics, plasma physics, solid state materials, quantum electronics, electromagnetic launchers, and networks. Following the MRI tradition, WRI has launched its own series of in-depth topical conferences with published proceedings. The first conference was held in October, 1990 and was entitled Directions in Electromagnetic Wave Modeling. The proceedings of the conference were published under that title by Plenum Press. This volume constitutes the Proceedings of the second WRI International Conference dealing with Ultra·Wideband Short·Pulse Electromagnetics.

Complexity science affords a number of novel tools for examining terrorism, particularly network analysis and NK-Boolean fitness landscapes as well as other tools drawn from non-linear dynamical systems modeling. This book follows the methodologies of compex adaptive systems research in their application to aaddressing the problems of terrorism, specifically terrorist networks, their structure and various methods of mapping and interdicting them as well as exploring the complex landscape of network-centric and irregular warfare.

From the reviews: “The first volume is devoted to ergodic theory and dynamical systems. It contains 19 papers divided into four groups ... . The reader will find a wealth of information and ideas that can still ignite inspiration and motivate students as well as senior researchers. The reader will also have a touch of Sinai’s personality, his taste, enthusiasm, and optimism, which are just as invaluable as his mathematical results.” (Nikolai Chernov, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2012 e)

The International Conference on Complex Systems provides a unique opportunity for scientists to rise above the disciplinary boundaries and explore unity in complex systems. This volume contains the proceedings of the Second International Conference on Complex Systems. The sessions ranged from the opening talk by Nobel laureate Philip Anderson on emergence and the relevance of complex systems to physics to the final panel that included many of the great management gurus of this generation. The plenary session topics for the second conference were emergence, description and modeling, self-organization, networks, time series, agents in action, and complexity and management. Talks in these sessions often focused on contributions in specific disciplines, but each session contained a diverse set of disciplines to show the strategies and concepts that can be applied generally to complex systems. Overall, the conference presentations dealt with issues of significant public interest, including individual psychology, dynamics of social and economic change, the human genome, and ecology.The New England Complex Systems Institute is an independent educational and research institution dedicated to advancing the study of complex systems, including new concepts and methodologies that are affecting all fields of science and engineering, and are being applied to technology, business, and even social policy. NECSI organizes conferences, workshops, short courses, and other activities from which books will be produced for the NECSI Series on Complexity. The books will range from conference proceedings and graduate textbooks to general-audience trade books, and will address fundamental concepts, new frontiers, and innovative applications of complex systems.

"The study of complex systems has attracted a broad range of researchers from many disciplines spanning both the hard and soft sciences. In the Autumn of 1997, 300 of these researchers came together fo"