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Thomas Speller
Bio [2004]
Thomas's current position is as a Ph.D. candidate in the Engineering Systems
Division of MIT's School of Engineering. This is an interdisciplinary
division concentrating particularly on complex engineering systems. His
specialization is in the emerging science of system architecture. Prior to
this new career path in research and education, he worked in the aerospace
industry for 27 years, and over time became the Chairman, President, and
CEO of a company that manufactures automatic joining systems for
automated assembly of aerostructures. After diversifying his interests in
this enterprise, he has taken on this new educational adventure.
His educational background: M.S., MIT, System Design and Management,
Engineering Systems Division; M.B.A., University of Chicago;
Electro-Mechanical Engineering, University of Buffalo; B.S., Ohio
University, majors in Economics, Chemistry, and Psychology.
Project Title
System Architecture from the Bottom Up of Arches
and Bridges Using Cellular Automata and Assembly Theory Satisfying a
Specification
Project
The set of experiments starts by considering a fully enumerated state
of a structure, such as an arched bridge structure beginning with a
wall filled entirely with overlapping bricks. Describe this system
mechanically. Then figure out how to remove bricks using NKS,
following rules to assure that the arch bridge does not collapse and
that it complies with a specification interpreted as a fitness
function. A more general-purpose approach is being kept in mind, but
this seemed to be a way to get started.
A force flow can be viewed as a directed graph and equivalently as a
force, moment, and constraint matrix. The force flow graph appears to
be analogous to water running down a mountain minimizing angular
momenta as the water finds its path. The goal for building a wall is
to find a cellular automaton that will specify the bricks, but the
goal for understanding the physics of the wall is to find a cellular
automaton that will give the force flow.
Favorite two-color, radius-2 rule
Rule chosen: 1001833333
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