Snap Talk by Joe Tranquillo

Abstract: From ecosystems to the social scene at Bucknell, to the neural network you are using to read this abstract, networks are everywhere we look. A current mystery is how the individual units of a network can send and receive information to one another, while at the same time can act to switch on and off entire portions of the network. I will explain recent theoretical investigations, conducted entirely with Bucknell undergraduates, of the possible types of network switches. Our findings provide insight into seizures in the brain, the spread of rumors in social networks, and the genetic control of development.