2009-2010 University Catalog 
  
2009-2010 University Catalog

Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study


Phone: 703-993-4333
Web: krasnow.gmu.edu
College Code: KR

Administration

James L. Olds, Director
Kenneth De Jong, Associate Director
James L. Olds, Chair, Department of Molecular Neuroscience
Robert Axtell, Chair, Department of Computational Social Science

Faculty

Ascoli, Axtell, Barreto, Blackwell, Butler, Cebral, Cioffi-Revilla, Cox, Cressman, Crooks, De Jong, Dumas, Gero, Grefenstette, Kabbani, Kalbfleisch, McCabe, Morowitz, Olds, Palkovich, Parasuraman, Peixoto, Sikdar, So, Tsvetovat

The Institute

The Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study seeks to expand the understanding of mind, brain, and intelligence by conducting research at the intersection of the separate fields of cognitive psychology, neurobiology, and the computer-driven study of artificial intelligence and complex adaptive systems, including social systems. These separate disciplines increasingly overlap and promise progressively deeper insight into human thought processes. The institute also examines how new insights  from cognitive science research can be applied for human benefit in the areas of mental health, neurological disease, education, computer design, and social system analysis.

The Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study was chartered in 1990 as a private nonprofit Virginia corporation and merged with Mason in 2002, becoming a chartered institute under the Office of the Provost. The Center for Social Complexity joined the Krasnow Institute in 2005. In 2007, the  institute became an academic unit housing the Molecular Neuroscience Department and the Computational Social Science Department. With an annual budget of $3.3 million, the institute is home to a scientific staff of 60. Cognitive research at the institute spans from molecules to the mind to social systems. Krasnow scientists have published extensively in the most prestigious scholarly journals and collectively have brought in more than $26.5 million in sponsored research from federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and private sources such as the Sir John Templeton Foundation.

Academic Policies

Students should become familiar with the university’s general academic policies in addition to those specific to each academic unit.  Please see the Academic Policies  section of this catalog.

■ Computational Social Science Department

Phone: 703-993-9298
Email: cssgrad@gmu.edu
Web: socialcomplexity.gmu.edu/index.php

Computational Social Science is the interdisciplinary science of complex social systems and their investigation through computational models and related tools. The field is at the intersection of social science and computer science and spans anthropology, economics, political science, sociology, and social psychology—the classical social sciences—as well as allied disciplines such as geography, history, organization theory, regional science, communication, and linguistics. Computational approaches include agent-based social simulation models (multi-agent systems), social network analysis, mathematical analysis based on complexity theory, social geospatial modeling methods, and automated information and content analysis methods.

Programs

Master's Degree

Master's Level Certificate

Doctoral Degree

■ Molecular Neuroscience Department

Phone: 703-993-4333
Web: neuroscience.gmu.edu

The Krasnow Institute’s Department of Molecular Neuroscience, together with the College of Science (COS) and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), oversees the campus wide Neuroscience Council in developing the Neuroscience PhD curriculum.

Neuroscience PhD courses are listed under NEUR in the Courses  section of this catalog. Neuroscience PhD admissions and program requirements are listed under Neuroscience, PhD  in the College of Science section of this catalog.