image: Together with the ‘Theoretical University‘ working group, Prof. Dr Angelika Epple, Rector of Bielefeld University, is hosting a three-day conference on models of change.
Credit: Photo: Bielefeld University/Patrick Pollmeier
Scientific models differ greatly in the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities, both in terms of their characteristics as well as their applications – which complicates interdisciplinary collaboration. And this is where the upcoming conference, ‘Building Models of Change: Bridging Sciences and Humanities’ comes in, bringing together leading researchers from diverse disciplines to discuss these issues from 12 until 14 March at Bielefeld University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF).
Conference participants will critically examine how scientific models can be applied to current challenges. The conference will serve as more than just a forum for discussion – it is also intended to provide insights for political and social decision-making.
The goal: a common understanding of theoretical models
The spectrum of discussion topics will range from biological process to models for understanding the processes of historical change. ‘If we do not figure out how to combine the insights of different scientific disciplines, we will fail to address the pressing issues of our times,’ warns Professor Dr Angelika Epple, the Rector of Bielefeld University. She is a member of the ‘Theoretical University’ working group, which initiated the conference.
This conference will provide a unique opportunity to move towards a more comprehensive understanding of scientific models. In turn, this understanding could help inform future decision-making in politics and society. ‘The conference will be an important step towards a culture of scientific re-search marked by cooperation rather than divi-sion,’ explains Epple.
Combining concepts from models
Among the 12 conference speakers is Professor Dr Wolfgang Knöbl, who serves as Director of the Hamburg Institute for Social Research. He will discuss the challenges of creating models in the social sciences. Professor Dr Tina Comes, a researcher in the field of resilience at the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands, will speak about the role of models of resilience in predicting and managing social change, while Professor Dr Andreas Diekmann from the ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and the University of Leipzig, will address the development of models in sociology.
Main topics covered at the conference
The conference will be divided into three thematic sections that will focus on specific modelling challenges from an interdisciplinary perspective. The aim is to explore how modelling practices differ across disciplines and discover what connects them.
The first section of the conference is dedicated to the following question: do the natural and social sciences share a common understanding of models? This will include considerations of the role of generalizations as well as how respective disciplines pursue theoretical goals, such as explanation and understanding.
In the second section, the focus shifts to models of change. The aim will be to better understand how changes are modelled in both the natural sciences and the humanities. This also includes models of social change as well as conceptual models, mathematical models, and computer simulations.
The third section of the conference considers change in uncertainty research. The goal here will be to develop new approaches that can be used to model ways of dealing with uncertainty in processes of change, with the aim of gaining greater insight into modern societies and social change.
The continuing debate on the theoretical university
The conference is aimed at an interdisciplinary audience. ‘To facilitate discussions, all speakers will provide a definition and explanation of the term “model” as they use it in their research,’ explains Rector Angelika Epple.
The conference ties in with ‘The Theoretical University’ anniversary conference, which was hosted in 2019 to mark the 50th anniversary of Bielefeld University. At the anniversary conference, researchers came together to discuss the significance and development of theories in various disciplines. Another important topic here was the growing influence of Big Data. The upcoming conference is being organised by the ‘Theoretical University’ working group, which was founded in the wake of the university’s 50th anniversary. The working group includes researchers from various faculties who wanted to continue the conversation of scientific topics from the university anniversary activities from an interdisciplinary approach.
More Information:
• Conference Programme
• Registration