Building the MODCompanion
We are faced with decisions and forced to make calculations on a daily basis. Which bus should I take to be on time to work? Which restaurant has the fastest service? What is the quickest route to school? When we…
Category Past Projects
Presentation: The Birth of Transcendence
Research Associate LeRon Shults Seventh International Conference of the Institute for American Religious and Philosophical Thought: Evolution and Transcendence June 20, 2018 Conference Summary: The theme of the 2018 IARPT conference is human transcendence considered in light of biocultural evolution. Central…
Conceptualizing the Structure of Sex Trafficking: A Dynamic Model
If we want to develop a practical solution for something as challenging and urgent as the issue of child sex trafficking, we have to first understand the situation on a conceptual level. That is – who participates in this industry…
Religion is Uniquely Human, but Computer Simulations May Help us Understand Religious Behavior
CMAC’s Executive Director Dr. Wesley J. Wildman wrote the following article for The Conversation, summarizing some of the findings of the Modeling Religion Project. It is reprinted below with permission. This article has also been featured in the San Francisco…
New Publication: The Dopamine System, Parkinson’s Disease and Language Function
Founding Director Patrick McNamara and Co-Author Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences Special Issue: The Evolution of Language June 2018 Abstract: The mesocortical dopaminergic system innervates two major forebrain networks important in language processing: the frontal–parietal network (FPN) and the ‘social brain’…
Targeting Buyers Reduces Child Trafficking: A Simulation of Two Policies
Researchers in CMAC’s Tools against Child Sex Trafficking Project (TACT) are building computational policy models to virtually evaluate and experiment with anti-human trafficking policy options. This project also aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of computational modeling and simulation in analyzing…
Spirit Tech, Forthcoming Book by CMAC Researchers
SPIRIT TECH: THE BRAVE NEW WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY-ASSISTED SPIRITUALITY In 2017, best-selling author Jonathan Robinson explained his, well, let’s say innovative, approach to spirituality: “I like playing mad scientist. You know, you try one thing and see what effect it…
Modeling Religion Project Research
When most people think of the study of religion, they think of ancient languages, sacred texts, congregational surveys, or anthropologists setting up camp in a tribal society. What if we could use computer simulations to recreate historical events, learn about…
Presentation: Using System Dynamics to Analyze Policies Combating Human Trafficking
Post-Doctoral Fellow Khatera Alizada 36th System Dynamics PhD Colloquium at SUNY Albany May 11, 2018 Colloquium Summary: The Colloquium will draw together junior and senior system dynamicists from MIT-RPI-UAlbany and other universities to share their projects. Learn More about the Colloquium…
Charisma, Ecology and Social Collapse: A Simulation Experiment
From the Roman Empire to the USSR, even the most sophisticated societies eventually collapse, leaving behind ruins, a displaced populace, or (at best) a whole lot of unpleasant paperwork. But some societies last a lot longer than others. Why? One…
New Publication: Sex on the Margins
Research Associate Megan K. DeFranza, Post-Doctoral Fellow Stephanie N. Arel, Doctoral Fellow Kate Stockly Theology and Sexuality Volume 24 Issue 2 (Special Issue) May 2018 Abstract: This collection of essays arose from the conference “Sex on the Margins: Navigating Religious, Social,…
Presentation: Understanding Liberals and Conservatives
Post-Doctoral Fellow Connor Wood Presbyterian Church in Sudbury MA USA May 4, 2018 Learn More about the Lecture
Women, Ritual and Domestic Violence: A Cross-Cultural Analysis
Many American girls have been taught to consider their wedding day the “happiest day of their life.” But how do we reconcile that sense of hope with the fact that entering into an intimate relationship with a man is one…
The 3P Directory: Categorizing Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking in MA
The Tools against Child Trafficking (TACT) project equips anti-trafficking efforts with the necessary resources to accelerate their solutions. The 3P Directory is one such tool. The Directory categorizes anti-trafficking organizations based on their key activities in three policy dimensions –…
Presentation: Analyzing the Effectiveness of Anti-Child-Sex-Trafficking Policies
Post-Doctoral Fellow Khatera Alizada Complexity and Policy Studies (CAPS) 2018 Conference at the Computational and Public Policy Lab at George Mason University, Arlington VA USA April 20, 2018 Conference Summary: Complexity and Policy Studies (CAPS) offers a forum for addressing these issues…
New Publication: Emergence
Executive Director Wesley J. Wildman and Research Associate LeRon Shults Emergent Behavior in Complex Systems Engineering: A Modeling and Simulation Approach April 16, 2018 Chapter Summary: This chapter begins with a primer on basic philosophical distinctions pertaining to emergence: weak emergence,…
Presentation: Fostering Faith and Supporting STEM
Post-Doctoral Fellow Connor Wood Museum of Science, Boston MA USA March 24, 2018 View More Information
New Publication: Bridging Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches to Religion
Post-Doctoral Fellow Justin Lane Religion, Brain and Behavior March 21, 2018 Lane writes a commentary for a symposium on Taves’ Revelatory Events: Three Case Studies of the Emergence of New Spiritual Paths. Introduction: “Revelatory Events” (2016) is definitive of the current…
New Publications: Practicing Safe Sects
Research Associate LeRon Shults February 12, 2018 Book Description: Where do gods come from – and what is the cost of bearing them? In Practicing Safe Sects F. LeRon Shults argues for the importance of having “the talk” about the causes and consequences…
Presentation: Theoretical Perspectives on Conservative and Liberal Religion
Post-Doctoral Fellow Connor Wood Rabbis Without Borders Alumni Retreat at the Pearlstone Center, Reisterstown MD USA February 12, 2018 Retreat Summary: No matter where we all fall on the political, cultural and religious spectrum, we are all struggling in some way…