Last month I had the opportunity to visit the centre for research in social simulation (CRESS) embedded in the Sociology department of the University of Surrey in Guildford, England. I enjoyed the diversity of people that this wonderful group is composed of. Even though coming from SCR, diversity in background and skill in themselves are not new, having a method (agent-based social simulation) as a common denominator results in a very stimulating experience. I enjoyed and learned a lot from the model talk about the role of ABM, e.g. the role of social and physical embeddedness of our models; lots of geeky talk about R and data analysis in general; how it is to work together with modellers for the non-modellers; interaction with stakeholders and the societal relevance of models…

I took home a lot of new and polished thoughts, readings, concrete new ways of analysing my data and a set of warm and meaningful connections. I cannot wait for a next time …

Content-wise for SES researchers and modellers the following projects are worth having a look at: