American Society for Cybernetics

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American Society for Cybernetics (ASC)
Type Professional Organization
Founded 1964
Headquarters Washington DC, USA
Key people Louis H. Kauffman (current president)
Area served USA
Focus Cybernetics
Method Conferences, Publications, Website.
Website homepage

The American Society for Cybernetics (ASC) is an American organization for interdisciplinary collaboration and synthesis of Cybernetics.

Contents

[edit] Overview

The American Society for Cybernetics aimes to encourages the advancement of cybernetics as a science. It wants to support the development of cybernetic research methods and techniques, that improve the manageability of complex systems. And it want to support the application of cybernetics towards improving the informational condition of man and the social use of communication and information processing technology.[1]

The Society now holds an annual conference, conducts seminars on the fundamentals of cybernetics, manage a listserve, and maintains contacts with cyberneticians in other countries. Since 1995, a home office for the ASC was established in the Center for Social and Organizational Learning at The George Washington University.

The American Society for Cybernetics is a member organizations of the International Federation for Systems Research and associated with the Principia Cybernetica organization.

[edit] History

The American Society for Cybernetics was founded in 1964 by a group of people in Washington, DC who were interested in the then new field of cybernetics. The founding members of the Society wanted to follow and to encourage the development of this interdisciplinary field.

On July 31, 1964 the American Society for Cybernetics was incorporated in the District of Columbia for the purposes of fostering development of the discipline, anticipating the impact of cybernetics, and providing current information on cybernetics. Paul S. Henshaw presided as chairman.

As a result of his work in organizing the Macy conferences, Warren McCulloch became the first elected president of the ASC. Heinz von Foerster, who was co-editor with Margaret Mead of the proceedings of the Macy meetings, served as chairman of the Board of Directors of the ASC for a number of years.[2]

[edit] Past presidents

  • 2002-2004 Allenna Leonard
  • 1999-2001 Pille Bunnell
  • 1994-1998 Frank Galuszka
  • 1992-1993 Rodney Donaldson
  • 1989-1991 Fred Steier
  • 1986-1988 Laurence Richards
  • 1984-1985 Jon Cunnyngham
  • 1983-1984 Bill Reckmeyer
  • 1980-1982 Stuart Umpleby
  • 1978-1979 Barry Clemson
  • 1976-1977 Mark Ozer
  • 1975-1976 Herbert Robinson
  • 1972-1974 Roy Hermann
  • 1970-1971 Carl Hammer
  • 1969-1970 Lawrence Fogel
  • 1967-1968 Warren McCulloch
  • 1964-1966 Paul Henshaw

[edit] ASC activities

[edit] ASC Glossary on Cybernetics and Systems Theory

Under the supervision of Stuart Umpleby and Jixuan Hu the Soceity developed a ASC Glossary on Cybernetics and Systems Theory. This glossary was itself compiled using the different sources[3] as a working document.[4] This glossary is published online by the Principia Cybernetica Web.

[edit] Disciplinary Matrices in Cybernetics and Systems Science

The disciplinary matrix in Cybernetics and Systems Science is an overview of systems scientists, their symbolic generalizations beliefs, models, and analogies values, and exemplars techniques guiding questions.[5]

The matrix is based on the idea's of and Thomas Kuhn, proposed in 1970 edition of "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions". Thomas Kuhn proposed here, that a scientific theory or a "disciplinary matrix" consists of symbolic generalizations, beliefs or models, values, and exemplars.[6]

[edit] Wiener and McCulloch awards

The "Wiener Medal in Cybernetics in gold" is an annual award by the American Society for Cybernetics. It was originally established to recognize outstanding achievements or contributions in the field of cybernetics per se.[7] Recipients:

Up until 2005, the McCulloch Award was a plaque, typically given to recognize significant applications of cybernetics. Effective with late 2005, the McCulloch Award has been redefined to recognize achievements and contributions from younger scholars and researchers working in cybernetics or with applications of cybernetics.[7]

Recipient of the Wiener and McCulloch awards:

[edit] References

  1. ^ ASC CONSTITUTION. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
  2. ^ HISTORY OF THE ASC. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
  3. ^ ASC Glossary. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
  4. ^ ASC Glossary.
  5. ^ Disciplinary Matrices in Cybernetics and Systems Science. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
  6. ^ Disciplinary Matrices in Cybernetics and Systems Science. Retrieved 8 June 2008.
  7. ^ a b ASC Awards. Retrieved 8 June 2008.

[edit] External links