Update and a Good Link

As promised I've been sparse in posting, but it is because there is so much going on in the systems science arena. Today I will be submitting an article dealing with the framing of sustainability by the principles of systems science to a journal. I will write a summary of it one day. Can't post it as is because the journals stipulate that a submission must not have already been published and blog posts sometimes are treated as publication! Who knew.

Sustainability, as treated in the scientific literature (as opposed to how businesses and politicians use the word), is an extremely transdisciplinary subject. It requires knowledge of so many different aspects. Biophysical economics, which is very much transdisciplinary, is essentially the best framework I can suggest for understanding what is feasible sustainability. And BPE takes its roots in systems science, particularly systems ecology. Ergo, I am suggesting that the principles of systems science can directly provide a general framework for tackling problems in sustainability science. Wish me luck getting it accepted!

This Friday my campus will be hosting a workshop on systems engineering in an undergraduate degree program. We have a number of people from industry who will be sharing their ideas about what students need to learn to be effective systems engineers in their companies. We will also have representatives from education who will present some ideas about how such a program might be implemented.

Meanwhile I want to provide you all with a link to a very good book review of Charlie Hall and Kent Klitgaard's new book, "Energy and the Wealth of Nations", by Dick Burkhart. He wrote it for Amazon.com but I thought it captured the essence really well and asked if I could host a copy and make it available to my readers. You can find it here. Dick taught math at UNC Wilmington for a number of years and then went to work for Boeing. He has been following the energy situation for a long time and really gets the problems we are facing. I had been thinking to write a review, but 1) as most of you know I tend to get long-winded and 2) I'm probably biased having spent time with Charlie and think he is a genius!

So keep the (systems) faith. I will be writing more as time permits. I'm so fed up with the political process in the USA that I just don't know what to say anymore. There is just no honesty or knowledge out there, either in the politicians or the public, and it makes me sick to contemplate what has happened to get us to this point. Do you really wonder why I write this whole "system" off?

Comments

[Anywhere But Here Is Better]

Thanks for the update and the link George. I am going to get a copy of this new book, hopefully to bring me up to speed on this whole issue of biophysical economics.

At least I have hope in this area! As for politics, I can only agree with you. The process of government is falling into disrepute faster than the Cameronian descent into the Marianas Trench. If only Greed was a fossil fuel. There's enough going around to fuel every machine until the red-giant sun engulfs the earth.

Good luck with your proceedings both on campus and within the grey matter.

Best wishes, Oliver

[Tom]

i would think the use of differential equations would augment the science here being described, as many related rates are involved and they interact and influence each other.

[Robin Datta]

Education of a Scientist