SCTPLS 35: Workshops and Abstracts!

[Guastello, Stephen]

If you haven't already checked out our pre-conference workshop this year for the 35th Annual International Conference of the SCTPLS

July 30, 2025- August 1st, at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO,

here is the lineup:

1. BASIC DYNAMICS (presented by Stephen Guastello, Marquette University). The first segment of the workshop is a high-speed romp through the forest of attractors, bifurcations, chaos, fractals, catastrophe, self-organization, and emergence. Emphasis is given to how these constructs connect. Importantly, they are all analytical, meaning that they are testable with real empirical data (and simulation studies too). Seemingly unrelated applications are often connected by some common dynamics. This workshop segment explores how nonlinear methods and applications cut across diverse content areas, and how techniques from one area may be applied to another.

 

2. RECURRENCE QUANTIFICATION ANALYSIS: Tools for Indexing System Dynamics Across Time and Scale (presented by Adam W. Kiefer and Cortney Armitano-Lago, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill). This tutorial-based and hands-on workshop introduces Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA), a suite of nonlinear time series methods for quantifying recurrent structure in nonlinear dynamical systems. Participants will learn the foundations of RQA, along with its key extensions—Cross-Recurrence (CRQA) for dyadic coordination, Joint-Recurrence (JRQA) for system comparisons, and Multidimensional RQA (MDRQA) for analyzing high-dimensional interaction-dominant systems. Through accessible examples and demonstrations in MATLAB, we will cover core concepts such as recurrence plots, determinism, entropy, and laminarity. No prior experience with RQA is required—just curiosity about dynamic systems and behavioral change.

 

3. SPARSE IDENTIFICATION OF NONLINEAR DYNAMICS (SINDy, presented by Alessandro Selvitella, Department of Mathematical Sciences at Purdue University, Fort Wayne, IN). SINDy is a data-driven approach that can discover nonlinear dynamical systems from data. From a multivariate time series, SINDy determines the sparsest (e.g. with the least number of nonlinear terms) governing ODEs or PDEs, using regularization methods, such as LASSO. SINDy takes advantage of the fact that most natural phenomena are described by systems of differential equations with only a few nonlinear terms and so it produces interpretable models. SINDy is a fast and robust algorithm and it has been widely applied for model identification in a broad range of research areas including fluid dynamics, chemistry, environmental science, biology, physics, epidemiology, engineering, social sciences, etc. SINDy can be used to identify the dynamics of polynomial chaotic systems, reproducing the strange attractors and therefore reproducing the fundamental dynamics. 

4. BYO DATA segment (MC’d by Bernard Ricca): Please have your data organized in a format for time series analysis, with each row of the data file representing measurements for each point in time. If you have your data formatted for SPSS or a similar statistical program, go ahead and obtain descriptive statistics for your variables if you have not already done so. From there, export your data to an EXCEL spreadsheet and a CSV version of EXCEL. Some of the analyses we could do run on programs that utilize the more primitive data formats.

For more information about the Pre-Conference Workshop and the presenters, please visit Workshops on the conference website!

Hotels and Lodging:

We have group rates for SCTPLS 2025 at the Spring Hill Suites by Marriott. Spring Hill Suites is located 402 S Tejon St, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903. It is in the same bldg complex with Elements, where the conference meetings will be held. Make your hotel reservation by June 30 to get the special conference rates!

Lodging

Reminders:

The conference registration page is open. Early bird rates are in effect until July 10, 2025. And, of course, a reminder to submit your abstracts for conference presentations by June 1, 2025.

Registration

Abstract Submission

We are looking forward to seeing you all there!

https://www.societyforchaostheory.org/conf/2025/

 

Cordially yours, the Conference Committee,

Adam Kiefer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, (SCTPLS President-Elect and Conference Chair)

Barney Ricca, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (SCTPLS President)

Charles Benight, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

Cortney Armitano-Lago, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Stephen Guastello, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI