Science Basis for Systems Mimicry

Dr. Len Troncale, Curt McNamara, Randy Anway

Joint session SSWG/NSWG in Executive Suite 1635

SSWG and NSWG sponsored joint sessions at several INCOSE International Workshops because “systems science” and “natural systems” overlap and cover some of the same topical and research territory resulting in mutually useful knowledge bases. In fact, two of the first round of INCOSE Foundation research grants went jointly to the two WG’s to co-sponsor similar projects.

During discussions with Curt McNamara and Randy Anway planning for this IW’19, the above, very general title resolved into two key questions:

· Are there any natural case studies in natural systems that correspond to the Isomorphies of the general systems theory, Systems Processes Theory (SPT)? And

· Could SPT produce a new “TOOL” that could be more widely used for the practical extension of some of biomimicry to Systems Mimicry?

Both of these questions derive from the assumption and realization or recognition of “patterns” in natural systems. These patterns could then be turned into clues or stimuli for mimicry-engineering as established & already practiced for biomimicry. The conventional sciences study many of the isomorphies included in SPT, but they study them ONLY on their scalar level and using ONLY the conventional methods of their discipline. These are called scientific “phenomena” and not compared across scales or disciplines resulting in silo thinking. So use of these phenomena as expressed in isomorphies TRUE across the sciences would provide a better science foundation for engineering to use in mimicry-engineering as well as greatly extending its scope to the new Systems Mimicry.

In this two-hour session, we will present a knowledge base outline of 335 case studies (science phenomena) organized by isomorphy across seven conventional sciences. This outline was used in several courses presented in academic years 1993 to 2012 at three California State Universities, and awarded two grants for production and evaluation from the NSF as well as several other state/federal agencies. A 2nd powerpoint will introduce the idea of using the Functions of the Isomorphies of the GST-SPT modeled after the AskNature.com tool that will suggest a new tool that uses these systems-level functions in the place of the adaptations of biospecies. This would suggest new ways to achieve engineering objectives. A specific example from Materials Engineering will show how analysis of the Isomorphy Hierarchies was used in ME to suggest future ME solutions.

Another aspect of the above general title is the mutual interest of NSWG and SSWG in Systems Pathologies. The isomorphies suggested in the new Tool and the Case Study list above all have dysfunctions associated with them that we call Systems Pathologies. So study of the lists is not just a study of normal science patterns, but also leads to very specific and mechanistic descriptions of recurring dysfunctional variants of those patterns that we call Systems Pathologies for the ISSP, which is also promoted by INCOSE.

Dr. Len Troncale is Professor Emeritus of Cell and Molecular Biology, and past Chairman of the Biology Department at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He is also Founder/Director Emeritus of the Institute for Advanced Systems Studies, and Coordinator of its NSF-supported Systems Integrated Science General Education (ISGE) Program. He has served as VP and Managing Director of the International Society for General Systems Research (SGSR), and President of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS). He still serves on the Board of Trustee’s for ISSS. He was a member of the Board of Directors for the International Federation for Systems Research (IFSR) from 1982-85 and a Research Associate at the Int’l Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria. He has served as a Guest Professor at the University of Vienna, Austria, CSU, Monterey Bay and CSU, Sonoma. He is Project Lead on two projects of the Systems Science Working Group (SSWG) of INCOSE (International Council on Systems Engineering). Dr. Troncale has published 120 articles, abstracts, editorials and reports, served as Editor on 11 projects, delivered 125 invited and computerized presentations and demonstrations in 23 countries and served as P.I. on 58 grants and contracts for $4.3M from a variety of federal, state, and private organizations such as the NSF, DOE, ONR, HUD, HHMI and Keck Foundations, and the CSU System. He is the Author of the Systems Processes Theory, Systems Pathology Theory (as well as new specialties such as Systems Allometry, Systems Mimicry (natural science-inspired design, and SysInformatics).