Post Docs

William (Bill) Rand 847-491-5734 wrand@northwestern.edu

Education

Undergraduate work at Akron University in Computer Science; B.S. in Computer Science (Honors) and B.A. in Philosophy (Honors) from Michigan State University, 1999; M.S. in Computer Science and Certificate of Study in Complex Systems from University of Michigan, 2001; Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Michigan, 2005 under John Holland, Computer Science and Psychology, and Rick Riolo, Center for the Study of Complex Systems. Dissertation Title: "Controlled Observations of the Genetic Algorithm in a Changing Environment: Case Studies Using the Shaky Ladder Hyperplane-Defined Functions"

NICO Research

Bill is primarily associated with Uri Wilensky and the Center for Connected Learning. There he works on developing the NetLogo multi-agent modeling language, as well as building models for use within that environment. His current projects including building models of the cerebellum, further examining city development, and developing tools within NetLogo for social network analysis. Besides these projects, he is developing a standard set of NetLogo workshops. Bill is also furthering his work in evolutionary algorithms and dynamic environments, extending work from his dissertation to areas like coevolution, multiploidy, and analysis of building blocks within the Genetic Algorithm.

Past Research

During his undergraduate work, Bill helped developed and maintain a Genetic Programming library named lil-gp under the guidance of Bill Punch at Michigan State University. For his Master's work he examined the use of Markovian Analysis to determine the similarity between various pieces of music, and was interested in the general field of computational aesthetics. His dissertation revolved around the use of Genetic Algorithms in dynamic environments. At the same time he developed and carried out experiments on multiple large-scale agent-based models of suburban sprawl in Southeastern Michigan for a project called Sluce.

Teaching

Bill has been involved in formal teaching of Artificial Intelligence, basic Computer Science concepts and skills, and Agent-Based Modeling. He also has a variety of informal experience mentoring and guiding students, professionals, and academics in the methods and tools of complex systems, agent-based modeling, and machine learning.

Employment

Bill has previously worked at IBM in Rochester, MN developing tools for web-based testing and development. He also worked for Mitsubishi Chemical in Yokohama, Japan where he worked in the Knowledge Management group, developing software that would pick out unusual aspects of large scientific corpi. He has been employed by a variety of academic and business groups over the years to consult on aspects of complex systems and to help develop agent-based models.

Fun Facts

Bill enjoys racing. He has completed both the Cleveland and New York City marathons. He also has competed in national-qualifying snowshoe races (Bigfoot Boogie), stair races (Hustle Up the Hancock), and long-distance off-trail relays (Dances With Dirt). He also plays ice hockey and soccer on a regular basis. He lives in Wrigleyville and despite being a life-long Indians fan, he has adopted the Cubs as his favorite National League team.

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Agnieszka Bitner-Fialkowska 847-497-0116 a-bitner@northwestern.edu http://www.cyf-kr.edu.pl/~rmbitner

Education

M.Sc., 1993 - Institute of Mathematics, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland. From 1992 to 1995 - Secondary Music School in Cracow, Cracow, Poland. Certified Real Estate Appraiser, 1997. Ph.D., 2002 - Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Land Surveying, Agricultural University of Cracow, Cracow, Poland.

NICO Research

1. S.K. Smoukov, A. Bitner, C.J. Campbell, K. Kandere-Grzybowska, B.A. Grzybowski
“Decorating Surfaces with Self-Organizing Nanowaves of Linearly Increasing Heights” (2005) (in press)

Projects

Morphology of two dimensional patterns, pattern formation in reaction-diffusion systems, administrative land division, real estate valuation, statistical analysis of real state market, morphology of cellular structures in tissues.

Past Research

1. M. Ptak, A. Bitner, J. Kopcińska, L. Kułach, A. Rutkowska,
Podstawy informatyki i wybrane programy użytkowe. Wydawnictwo Akademii Rolniczej w Krakowie, 1998 (skrypt).

2. A. Bitner,
Chaos a zachowanie rynku nieruchomości. Zeszyty Naukowe Akademii Rolniczej w Krakowie 265, 371-385 (1999).

3. A. Bitner,
Sprowadzanie cen na okresloną datę. Świat Nieruchomości 35, 721-726 (2001).

4. A. Bitner,
The issue of the representativeness of random samples in the context of parcel field areas. Proceedings of the Geodesy and Environment Engineering Commission of the Polish Academy of Sciences - The Kraków Section, Geodesy, 39, 87-92 (2002).

5. A. Bitner,
Czy analiza powtórnych sprzedaży jest efektywną metodą sprowadzania cen na okresloną datę? Rzeczoznawca Majątkowy 32, 2902-2915 (2002).

6. A. Bitner and M. Ptak,
Analiza statystyczna krakowskiego rynku nieruchomości gruntowych w latach 1996-1999. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum - Administratio Locorum, 1, 79-87 (2002).

7. A. Bitner,
Wskaźniki wzrostu cen nieruchomości gruntowych dla dużych rynków lokalnych. Materiały III Konferencji Naukowo-Technicznej PSRWN, Gdańsk 2003, 119-134 (2003).

8. R. Klajn, M. Fiałkowski, I.T. Bensemann, A. Bitner, C.J. Campbell, K. Bishop, S. Smoukov, and B.A. Grzybowski,
Milti-color micropatterning of thin films of dry gels. Nature Materials 3(10), 729-735 (2004). [DOI]  [Full-Text Link]

9. M. Fiałkowski, A. Bitner, and B.A. Grzybowski,
Self-assembly of polymeric microspheres of complex internal structures. Nature Materials 4(1) 93-97 (2005). [DOI]  [Full-Text Link]

10. A. Bitner, M. Fiałkowski, and B.A. Grzybowski,
Colormicropatterning withreconfigurable stamps. J. Physical Chemistry B 108(52), 19904-19907 (2004). [DOI]  [Full-Text Link]

11. M. Fiałkowski, A. Bitner, and B.A. Grzybowski,
Wave optics of Liesegang rings. Physical Review Letters 94(1), 018303/1-3 (2005). [DOI]  [Full-Text Link]

12. A. Bitner, M. Fiałkowski, S.K. Smoukov, C.J. Campbell, and B.A. Grzybowski
Amplification of changes of a thin film’s macromolecular structure into macroscopic reaction-diffusion patterns. J. American Chemical Society 127(19), 6936-6937 (2005). [DOI]  [Full-Text Link]

13. C.J. Campbell, E. Baker, M. Fiałkowski, A. Bitner, S.K. Smoukov, and B.A. Grzybowski,
Self-organization of planar microlenses by periodic precipitation. J. Applied Physics 97(12) 126102/1-3 (2005). [DOI]  [Full-Text Link]

Employment

• 1994-2003 Department of Applied Mathematics, Agricultural University of Cracow, Poland
• 2003-2005 Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University
• 2005 Postdoctoral Fellow at The Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University

Personal Facts

A member of the Con Amore Choir in Cracow, and Music Academy Chorus, Northwestern University.

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