openmod webinar on "escaping from model land" • 13 July 2023
Robbie Morrison
Dear all
This posting follows on from an earlier openmod mailing list heads‑up.
North Atlantic climate modeler and author Erica Thompson has kindly agreed to present an openmod webinar on "escaping from model land". The date:
- Thursday 13 July 2023 17:00 +0100 (BST)
The webinar will begin with Erica presenting an overview of the ideas in her recent book — for say 20 minutes:
- Thompson, Erica (24 November 2022). Escape from model land: how mathematical models can lead us astray and what we can do about it. London, United Kingdom: Basic Books. ISBN 978-1529364873. Hardcover. Circa €20. Amazon ASIN 1529364876.
"Model lands" are the fictitious places that our models inhabit — with any and every parameter fully determined and able to be assigned whatever value we wish. But there is also a "real world" — vastly more complex and indeterminate. The void between these two artifacts deserves more exploration. What can numerical models usefully do and not do? How do normative beliefs enter and how can modelers be more explicit about their framings and assumptions? How should modelers communicate the uncertainties and limitations present, howsoever defined. And so on.
The discussion will then broaden. The duration of the webinar is 90 minutes and will be broadcast using Zoom. Please come prepared to interact via video rather than text, unless you really prefer otherwise. This discussion will not be recorded and archived — although the introductory presentation by Erica will be.
Sacha Hodencq (Grenoble University, France) is the principle moderator.
One area we could collectively explore are the five principles articulated by Erica in her closing chapter 10 (pp 219–223):
- define the purpose
- don't say "I don't know"
- make value judgments
- write about the real world
- use many models
And any useful extensions to this list — for instance, here are two posted earlier to the openmod forum by Robbie Morrison:
- embrace open science and build overarching communities to tackle domain‑wide issues
- partner, formally or informally, with analysts in the global south
The webinar is also intended to be internal to this community rather than general and public. So to that end, I will add the Zoom details to a closed page on the openmod forum, visible only to those registered with the forum. I will then advise that forum URL as a reply to this thread. If you need to register for the forum prior to the event in order to gain access to that information, please do so sooner than later? TIA!
I am also seeking someone from the global south to help co‑moderate. Please email me off‑list if interested. It is important that people from the global south speak to their particular issues. And that north/south connection is one theme that might usefully be explored in this webinar.
In the interim, you can busy yourself by reading Erica's excellent book (cited earlier). And perhaps also look at these other resources as well:
-
Roberts, David (27 January 2023). On the abuse (and proper use) of climate models: a conversation with Erica Thompson about her new book "Escape From model land". Volts. Podcast 01:28:11. Transcript.
-
Morrison, Robbie (4 May 2023). Escape from model land by Erica Thompson book review. Open Energy Modelling Initiative. Berlin, Germany. Forum posting.
-
Dr Erica Thompson personal website.
Feel free to reply to the book review thread on the openmod forum. Or here, as you prefer.
Thanks to Marianne Zeyringer (University of Oslo) and Mirko
Schäfer (University of Freiburg) for suggestions and guidance in
the lead‑up.
On behalf of Sacha Hodencq and myself as organizers — and also wishing you "happy tunneling" in the meantime, Robbie
▢
-- Robbie Morrison Address: Schillerstrasse 85, 10627 Berlin, Germany Phone: +49.30.612-87617
Robbie Morrison
Hello all
Those who have an account on the openmod forum can now access the Zoom meeting details via this private posting:
Note that there may well be further information to assimilate
going forward. I very rarely run these events, so this is a bit of
a learning curve for me!
with best wishes, Robbie
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Robbie Morrison
Hello again
I've been asked if people can forward the Zoom details for this webinar to suitable colleagues by private email.
The short answer is yes. But this event
is aimed at community building rather than outreach — so please
exercise some discretion and judgement!
My earlier requests for a co‑moderator
from the global south and a skilled co‑host with a
current Zoom account, still stand. Please get in contact if you
can help.
with best wishes, Robbie
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/openmod-initiative/abfef73b-428e-2ed7-9fad-0d7a68537570%40posteo.de.
Robbie Morrison
Hello all
I am desperate for a co‑host with a valid Zoom
account. My laptop fan has now failed completely and only
my snap version of Zoom would launch today. Some technical and
social redundancy for this webinar is beyond necessity! That
said, you should not need to do anything unless I drop out for
some reason. Email me off‑list if you can help out. TIA!
And if anyone wants to volunteer as a
co‑moderator from the global south, again can you get in touch?
That would be great too!
Robbie
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/openmod-initiative/0ab0ef08-563b-a4ed-3216-4e3242d5fbf1%40posteo.de.
Robbie Morrison
Hi again
Scrub that co‑host request. And what I should have sought was an alternative host in any case. But neither option is supported ahead‑of‑time for parties outside of an organization.
Also, I am still seeking a co‑moderator from the global south.
Partly for when the discussion turns in that direction — which it
may well.
As an aside: I must say my experiences with managing Zoom in my individual context have been pretty lousy overall. Three failures of the Zoom client on Ubuntu in the last year: the --disable-gpu-sandbox saga, unmet system dependencies on one upgrade, and now the Debian package fails to launch (but fortunately the snap version still works). And despite paying about €250 in fees, no ability for me to assign an "alternative host" from with the openmod as a fall back. Are there better webinar options? I would be quite happy to rent a couple of hours on a managed server as and when the need arises.
with best wishes, Robbie
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/openmod-initiative/52b6bbbd-4b5f-5476-0474-65b3b5a9b6de%40posteo.de.
Robbie Morrison
Hello all
The usual reminder that this webinar starts in two hours time — with the various timezones recorded here:
And the internal openmod posting containing the Zoom details is here:
There is no registration — just open the
given URL in a browser tab or enter the meeting details in your
local Zoom client. The planned duration is 01:30 but that can
be extended as needed.
Robbie
To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/openmod-initiative/8dce7693-4136-216b-c79e-274cf7f0a70b%40posteo.de.