Topic outline

  • Why take this course?

    This course is taught by Professor Kash Barker who is visiting Aalto University as the recipient of the Seeking Solutions for Global Challenges Award, granted by the Fulbright Foundation. Prof. Barker is the leader of the Risk-Based System Analytics Laboratory at the University of Oklahoma. He is a leading scholar on modeling the risk, resilience, and interdependent economic impacts of disruptions to critical infrastructure networks and the overarching community.

    The course provides a foundation for understanding the behavior and performance of three interdependent cyber-physical-social networks: infrastructure (physical “lifeline” networks), service (networks engaged to maintain the function of other networks), and community (the interconnected society that the other networks support).

    In this course you will learn to: characterize these three cyber-physical-social networks, model the interdependent nature of these networks, measure impacts on these networks after a disruption, guide risk-based decision-making for their resilience, and harness descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics to enable all of the above. 

    The study of cyber-physical-social networks requires a holistic perspective, accounting for not only engineering aspects of infrastructure network performance but also for the socioeconomic study of communities and the ethics of policy decisions.

    This course is open to all graduate and doctoral students from Aalto. A sufficient understanding of probability and integral calculus (e.g., completion of relevant BSc courses) is a prerequisite. 

    Students from other universities can get credits for the course on condition that this is permitted by the currently valid agreements on Flexible Study Rights (joustava opinto-oikeus, JOO). Thus, such students are advised to consult the study administration of their home university. 


    Taking the course in 2023

    The course is taught through normal lectures and additional video lectures from other experts in the field. The first lecture will be held on Wednesday 1st of March in lecture hall U3 (R001/U141) starting at 14:15.

    The topics covered in the course include

    • Introduction to cyber-physical-social networks
    • Basics of network science and optimization
    • Interdependent networks
    • Social vulnerability measures
    • Community structures in networks


    Textbook

    Barabási, A.-L. 2016. Network Science. Cambridge University Press.
    (available for free at http://barabasi.com/networksciencebook/)

    Grading
    The course can be completed with or without a homework project. Without the project the course is 3 cr, and with the project 5 cr.

    The course is graded pass/fail. Successfully completing the course requires attending the lectures and writing short synopses for each "quest lecture" video. For the whole 5 cr, the network analysis project and a short presentation on the final lecture are also required.

    Course staff

    Lecturer: Visiting Professor Kash Barker (forenamesurname@ou.edu)

    Assistant: MSc Juho Roponen (forename.surname@aalto.fi)

    Academic integrity: Cheating, plagiarism, or any act of dishonesty will NOT be tolerated. The policy of Aalto University, found here: https://www.aalto.fi/en/aalto-university/code-of-conduct-values-into-practice, will be strictly adhered to.

    Reasonable accommodation policy: Any student in this course who has a disability or other circumstances that may prevent him/her from fully demonstrating his/her abilities should contact the course staff as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities.